Growing calls for tighter rules on HMO landlords who are 'bringing down the sense of community'

RESIDENTS SAY THAT SHARED HOUSING IS AFFECTING QUALITY OF LIFE ON THEIR STREETS

- By LAUREN MONAGHAN Local democracy reporter

PEOPLE in Netherfield have called for tighter vetting procedures for tenants living in shared houses.

Residents say they have experienced antisocial behaviour from a tenant living in a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) on their road.

HMO concerns were shared by Gedling Borough Council leader, Labour’s John Clarke, in a cabinet meeting in early September where he said HMOs in Netherfield were “spreading significantly”.

He referred to a resident's impacted “quality of life” from nearby HMOs and asked for more regular updates on how many HMOs are in the borough.

Gedling is not the only Nottinghamshire authority to call for action on HMOs. In August, Bassetlaw District Council backed a call to tighten planning rules for smaller HMOs. A motion during a council meeting called for an Article 4 Direction to be introduced for the district.

Under current planning policy, changing a home to a small HMO is classed as “permitted development”, meaning planning permission from a local authority is not needed.

Article 4 Directions allow councils to withdraw these permitted development rights for HMOs across a defined area, meaning smaller HMOs would require planning permission and would allow resident consultation.

Speaking to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, a Netherfield resident said his partner “doesn’t feel secure” after a nearby HMO tenant’s previous incidences of fighting in the street.

He said: “You don’t know who you're going to get. There’s not enough vetting for people as well. She wants to feel safe and sometimes she doesn’t want to go outside because there's people just coming in and out [of the HMO]”, he continued, adding it is a “quite hostile” environment at times.

Another resident who has lived on the road for around two years said: “People need somewhere to live, so I'm not against [HMOs] in any way - what my concern is there’s now some serious security issues.”