Objecting to a HMO application

[mr steev]

I've just received a letter saying there has been an application to turn next door (a small 3 bed semi detached house) into a 6 bed HMO.

Myself and neighbours are very unhappy about this. Apart from the fact that the walls are pretty thin, which will have a serious impact in my property, it really isn't suitable, with families all living in adjacent properties. A couple of houses opposite have been turned into flats so parking is already an issue.

Has anyone git any experience objecting to these applications? Or can give me any advice?

 

[baldrick]

I will post the entirety of my comments to a planning application for a very similar situation - hopefully there is something helpful in it (the application was declined, I believe there were a number of objections)

I live on this road and I would like to object to this application.

It has become noticeable that we already have a number of HMOs, unsupported and supported living accommodation properties in the area. This is starting to have a material effect on the quality of life locally for residents, in an area with reduced capacity for community support.

Lots of houses on this road are already converted to flats and this removes yet another family size accommodation from the area. There is an existing concentration of non-family residential accommodation houses. As such the proposal would be contrary to Policies PG3, TP30 and TP35 of the Birmingham Development Plan 2017, Saved UDP Policy 8.27, Area of Restraint Handsworth, Sandwell and Soho adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance, and the National Planning Policy Framework.

There is an undersupply and evidenced demand for family housing of the size and nature of the application premises. No planning justification or an identified social need for the proposed HMO has been made. As such the proposal would be contrary to TP30 & TP35 of the Birmingham Development Plan 2017, saved Policies 8.27 of the UDP 2005 and the National Planning Framework.

It has been repeatedly documented that the increase of HMO numbers leads to risk of increased crime, antisocial behaviour, noise impact and littering, as there is no regulation or management of sites. This has been recently covered in a series of investigations in the Birmingham local press which have exposed the inability of the city council to properly regulate this sector of accommodation.

HMO accommodation is often temporary due to its nature and therefore encourages a high turnover of residents. This contributes to decline in the area, as there is no community unity or cohesion.

These documented negative effects and problems associated with HMOS are exacerbated by similar problems from other types of non-family residential accommodation in the area, e.g. 'exempt accommodation'. Hence the numbers of all types of non-family residential accommodation in the area should be taken into account, when deciding whether the addition of another HMO would be appropriate. I believe that the evidence suggests that it is not appropriate for this application to be approved as it would contribute to declining amenity within Handsworth.

 

[baldrick]

I didn't come up with all the planning document references myself btw - someone on a community FB group posted about the application (it was 25 doors away but only the closest 2 lamp posts were used to tape up the notice) and someone else came up with points to mention & wrote a template, I just put it in my own words. If you can be the person to organise this for the people on your road it would be time well spent.

 

[pbsmooth]

Check your local council planning statements. Lots of them have publicly vowed that they will protect family homes so you've got them bang to rights straight away.

 

[mr steev]

Thank you.

I've already had over 2 years of stress caused by the new owner. He lives in London and has no connection with the area. This was shown as he has made the property virtually derelict by using cowboy builders and no project management. There was no roof on for over a year, which has caused damp in my house (it's a semi). I had to work with Private Housing at the council to trace him and force him to do some work on it. He's done the bare minimum, and come up with a string of lies as excuses.

 

[Fuzzy]

focus on issues of amenity and lack of parking. is it a student hmo? if so make point about transient population and lack of community as there are only there 30 weeks of the year. are they making any changes to the building to get the 6 rooms? if so will they over look your garden or be close to the boundary?

check what your councils local plan say about HMOs. they may have a policy that stipulates what they need to provide or where they will be supported. some councils have article 4 directions in place which means people have to apply for permission for them which sounds like the case here. if they do this will contain some further guidance to use against the application if it doesn't comply.

message me the council and planning reference number and I'll have a look for you if you want.

 

[mr steev]

Thanks for all the advice.
I filed a strongly worded objection and encouraged some neighbours to do the same, got the backing of my local councilors, spoke to the woman in Private Housing who had been dealing with the previous problems and rang the Planning Officer - with perfect timing as he was due to visit the property that afternoon, so I arranged to meet him and explained my worries face-to-face. He had been told that there was access to the rear of the house, but the gate had been screwed shut! So I was more than happy to take him through my house so he could see for himself.

I recieved an email today:

'Thank you for your comments in relation to the above planning application. Your views were acknowledged and taken into consideration in the assessment process.
I am writing to notify you that, in light of issues raised by the Council, the applicant has withdrawn the application.'

Result

 

[equationgirl]

That's great news mr steev I wonder if the applicant was told to withdraw it because it had no chance of succeeding?

 

[Epona]

Glad it got resolved to your satisfaction!

HMOs are often a way of landlords extracting maximum profit with no consideration for the people who live in the house - even a houseshare with communal kitchen and sitting room is better than that.

 

[mr steev]

That's great news mr steev I wonder if the applicant was told to withdraw it because it had no chance of succeeding?

I might find out next week. The hassle still hasn't stopped though. I'm going to ring my contact in the council tomorrow and see if I can get the skip he's left outside the house for 5 months shifted! It was filled on the first day and just left, wierdly it has no skip company number on it. Other people have started dropping their rubbish in it, and one of the bin bags looks like rats have had a go at it.
I'm not sure if it's connected with withdrawing the application, but all the scaffolding from the back was removed last week - even though there's lots of work that will need scaffolding to complete and half finished jobs. I wonder if he's given up.

 

[Cloo]

The house to our right was a HMO when we moved in a probably one of the nicest onces around - always quiet, nicely kept garden and front, pleasant tenants - then the owners sold up and I remember worrying it might be bought by someone much more unscrupulous who would cram more people than could comfortably fit in there (the rooms are large so someone could probably had doubled up most of them if they didn't give a shit about tenant wellbeing), but luckily was bought by a single household.

 

[Buddy Bradley]

luckily was bought by a single household.

How does that work, then? Don't you have to buy it as an HMO and then turf everyone out? Or did the previous landlord decide to turn it back into a regular house before they sold?

 

[Cloo]

How does that work, then? Don't you have to buy it as an HMO and then turf everyone out? Or did the previous landlord decide to turn it back into a regular house before they sold?

The tenants moved out before it went on the market, but this was 5+ years ago so maybe law was different at that point? I know they changed them a bit in recent years.