('m not sure if this has been posted previously so apologies if this duplicates earlier post.)
The DCLG are having a consultation about the impact of HMOs. This will feed into future planning policy. It would be great if as many of us as possible could respond to this with our experiences and ideas given how much this issue affects our local area.
I was just having a look at this. One thing puzzled me - it defines HMOs according to numbers of people sharing toilets etc. Does that mean that a house subdivided into 4 "studio flats", each with their own toilet/shower isn't an HMO?
Yes. It's how Landlords have been getting round the HMO issue in recent years. Convert instead into rabbit-hutch self-contained units. Hence why the issue of Certificates of Lawfulness is so high on our agenda (or at least mine!) - because the abuse of the COL system has allowed landlords to bypass the HMO issue. Once they've got their COL for these self-contained hutches, no need for an HMO Licence. And that's why we've seen such a number of dodgy applications recently.