Use Classes Order

News Story :: 2008-04-18 16:06:56

Four Reasons Why The Land Use Of An HMO/Shared House Is Different From That Of A Family Home

OCCUPANCY in HMOs is high density, much higher than family houses, and generally higher than homes/hostels/hotels. This intensifies pressure on local services

OCCUPANTS are typically from a narrow age range - young adults - unlike the wide age range normal in family houses and homes/hostels/hotels. Their lifestyle generates high levels of noise, traffic and waste.

OCCUPIERS within HMOs lack government - this is the implication of multiple households - whereas houses and homes/hostels/hotels have a family or management structure. This can make general behaviour and relations with tenants difficult.

OCCUPATION is short-term - especially in the case of students - while families are long-term residents and homes/hostels/hotels have long-term managers. This leads ot a very different level of comitment to the property and the neighbourhood.
 
Collectively, these four features make HMOs a quite distinct land-use, with a very distinctive inpact on the locality. This is the argument the NAG has been using, alongside the National HMO Lobby, the Councillors Campaign for Balanced Communities and the All Party Parliamentary Group for Balanced and Sustainable Communities, to persuade government to amend the Use Classes Order to give HMOs a separate class from family homes.
 
If we succeed, this will mean that conversion from family home to HMO will require planning permission. Not the answer to the problems we have, but a very important tool.