HMO Next Door - Advice Please

[Helga55]

Just that really, have found out that the builder who bought next door (semi-detached) and has spent 12 months ‘renovating’ it to be a family home, well that’s what he told us… is going to be a HMO.

I’m dreading it tbh, he spun us a tale about it being a family home with creating en-suites for each bedroom, creating more space with a loft conversion, and all along his plan was to fill it with as many people as possible. He’s certainly not going to care about who they are, their lifestyles. I’m worried as we have young children here, there’s vulnerable elderly neighbours close by who will worried about numerous comings and goings, we’re On a main road and it just adds to traffic issues we already have. Our walls are paper thin as it is, we can hear conversations and general noise anyway and with more people next door, it’s going to be even worse especially with bedrooms on three floors

What im absolutely pissed off about more than anything was his blatant lies to our faces about it being sold as a family home so we wouldn’t oppose his loft conversersion, which btw he managed to knock through into our loft as well as removing our roof tiles for longer than we had allowed him permission for. If we’d had known this was his plan, we would have opposed it immediately, and now can’t do anything about it. This loft conversion overlooks our garden, and I hate to think that our privacy is potentially at risk depending on who ends up there

We’ve been understanding with the noise, mess, etc, thinking it will eventually be a lovely home for a family, it was a house that just needed some love putting back into it. It’s just not big enough to be an HMO, the only communal area is a small kitchen, there’s no sofa at all in the house! No front room, the bedrooms can only just fit a double bed and a small wardrobe in them, how do I know you ask.. the twat has posted it on the local FB page with pictures, so I assume he’s doing this off his own back and not using an EA to deal with it

I will be contacting the council Monday morning as there is no licence granted so far that I can see for the property, but apart from this, is there anything else I can do to oppose it?

I agree. The HMOs I’ve come across are nightmare places full of single men, many of whom have issues.

Yes
Groups can rent a hmo under one tenancy agreement

Good to clarify. But both scenarios are an HMO as long as there are 3 or more tenants from more than one household and a shared facility. Doesn't matter if you rent as a group, landlord still needs a licence.

Dd1 is about to move into a HMO for work, she has to move so she's near her new job and it's affordable and easy. Plus not so lonely, others in the house she's looking at work in the same industry so they'll all get crazy shift pattern and the need to let others sleep. Ds did the same 2½ years ago for the same reason (and same industry!) As a young single adult I also lived in a HMO, many years ago. We were quiet and respectful, except for one idiot with a powerful hifi who was swiftly given notice.

Moving into single accommodation, eg a flat is just too expensive when sharing out. One day the OPs DC will be in the same position.

So why on earth are people worried unless they know it's a hostel for addicts or something? Do you all tell your kids to do university from home? Surely all share student properties are HMOs? Are these all evil? I mean my husband and as boyfriend and girlfriend rented two rooms in a property with another boyfriend and girlfriend who we didn't know until we found a place to buy. We married while still living there and shortly after could afford to buy our first own home just for us two. Did we change from evil HMO neighbours to nice caring neighbours when we bought a house? As far as I can see all this is people who are lucky enough to be able to afford to rent alone or have found one stable person to rent or buy with, looking down on those who live with other people they aren't in a relationship with!

HMOs are so normal where I live in suburban zone 2 London. There’s a small one next door to me, so small that I don’t consider it an HMO - three friends sharing. Many, many properties are HMOs. They are no trouble at all.

They’re exactly the same!

Airbnb far worse

I have a nine person AirBNB in my road.
Do NOT start me on that one

we lived next door to a HMO in our last house. It didn’t start out that way but when the neighbours sold someone bought it an renovated it. It was in a very expensive city and HMO residents were all professions, mid-late 30’s. One of them had a child that would visit frequently and played with my dc (same age). We never had any bother.

Haven't we all lived in rentals like this post uni as young professionals? Who do you imagine would be living in this HMO that you would need to be worried they have a window overlooking your garden? You might have 4 young professionals move in, especially if it's done to a nice standard, I'm not sure what the issue is, unless parking is a premium?

yes I agree. My DD21 will probably have to rent something similar very soon depending on what graduate job she can get & where it's based. She's single so will be difficult for her to rent a nice flat all on her own 🤷‍♀️ She's quiet and shy and lovely and I'd hate to think people would be so against her living in such a shared property.

I live next door to an HMO. It’s fucking hellish. We’ve had one decent tenant in there who was driven out by the scum who have overrun the place.
Do anything you can op.

Would you rather that those single men were lovebombing their way into cocklodging with single mothers and their children? Believe it or not, affordable HMO accommodation for men protects women and children from potential abusers.

We lived zone 3 London in a 3 bed terraced house. Next door was bought and developed into a 6 bed HMO, no license needed at the time, no planning, all done under permitted development.

The whole borough was terrible for it: shoddy workmanship and when people started moving in it was a carousel of weed smoking young men on shift work, loud music, 3am door slamming and shouting, bins overflowing because no one took responsibility to make they were out on the correct day so they were never collected -foxes used to strew the food waste everywhere and rats followed.

The council were using it to house temporary accommodation tenants-a lot if whom had chaotic and noisy lifestyles.

We moved as soon as we could.

Sorry this is happening to you - I’m sure there are plenty of HMOs that are used by quiet young professionals. But you have no way of knowing which sort yours will be.

I managed HMOs which had been rented by the council. They were a nightmare and I felt really bad for the neighbours.
They treat the places with no respect, rubbish over flowing, sometimes attracting rodents, the place is trashed, overgrown gardens, doors left wide open (this is on a good day). I won’t describe the worst days!
This is not professionals, this is single unemployed men.

Indeed.

I have lived in an HMO twice, I own my own home, but travel regularly, and on both occasions this was more convenient than a hotel because I could have it seven days a week. And both times in a city which would generally be considered quite rough.

on both occasions I barely heard the people I lived with, everybody was quiet and respectful. And at very most I might hear somebody arrive back, or leave for work.

It was the quietest and tidiest house I’ve ever lived in. Obviously apart from my own.

Next thing your quiet leafy road will turn into a scene from District 9. Time to move.

My neighbour did this. And we didn’t know until people moved in. I was very worried but we’ve had no problems. The only initial problem was parking. Four extra cars on our street ends up being a lot. But the landlord put a drive in pretty quickly which solved that. All the people living there work so it’s empty during the day. And it’s quieter than it was when the previous tenants lived there who had three children and two dogs lol.

I think this is a valid point, there is often a difference between a HMO where tenants rent their room directly from a landlord / agency (& so will have likely had to provide proof of employment, deposits etc) & a HMO managed by the council / local authority. I lived in HMO’s for years when I was younger but they wouldn’t accept housing benefit etc - had to go through employment, credit checks, references.

Obviously people need to be housed whatever but there’s a difference in the two kinds of HMO you might have next door!

I’m really happy to make contact to provide you with the recent successful HMO rejection we got down my road. I am in SE London. You need to be very active and encourage your entire street to help you fight it but it is possible. I’m not sure how I can send you it. You’re welcome to find me on Facebook, Rosanna Garrity

We sold up and left our home of over 10 years because of the HMO’s.
The area had an article 4 direction but the council allowed more and more.
The people inside these properties are not the kind of people you would want near your children.
A lot of the HMO’s are used by charities for recovering addicts, ex prisoners etc.

Yes I lived in “hmo”s for years. Also known as student houses or shared housing.

j

There are extra regulations that apply to HMO.

There may end up being issues with extra noise, extra parking and problems with bins.

Lack of shared space in the property makes me feel sad. When I house shared we each had a bedroom and shared the rest of the house - we had a lounge and a dining room and a kitchen. We chose to live together rather than living with strangers which is what modern HMO are.