New Regulations Introduced to Control the Growth of HMOs Bolton officials, confronting a meteoric increase—from 117 to 720 HMOs in only four years—invariably enforce a mandate wherein any conversion of a dwelling into an HMO (one that accommodates three or more tenants) must secure explicit planning sanction. This regulation, issued amidst escalating occupancy counts, reconfigures long‑standing...
Approval of Six-Bedroom HMO Provokes Community Concern in Sittingbourne Residents—whose attachment to place binds tightly with property and history—experience shock as a six-bedroom HMO, approved on Rock Road, emerges in their terraced street. The approval, occurring absent prior communal dialogue, forms a chain that links a raised sense of risk with a deep-rooted fear for property and local public...
Portsmouth Councillors Reassess HMO Regulations Portsmouth councillors, planning officials, re-examine the city’s HMO approach—regulations govern, concerns mount in local quarters. A Planning Policy Cabinet meeting, where current rules and decision processes (for HMO approvals) align, saw detailed scrutiny. Current Regulations and Community Impact The policy—set in 2012—limits HMOs to 10% within a...
Concerns Over Rise of HMOs in Surrey In a borough within Surrey, residents articulate palpable apprehension as they observe an augmentation in the frequency of Houses in Multiple Occupation; these inhabitants report that the emerging configuration—a semi‐detached cottage slated for conversion into an HMO accommodating six individuals—evokes memories of declines reported in Hounslow, while neighbours...
Edinburgh Council Plans to Relocate Homeless Individuals Amid Licensing Concerns Edinburgh faces a persistent challenge. The council, accountable for temporary accommodation, confronts licensing issues. It intends to move select homeless residents. The surge in demand for stable housing and strict legal licensing requirements bind this decision. Background on Temporary Accommodation Since Covid-19,...
Former Pub Transformed into Modern HMO Authorities have authorized a conversion project that transforms a long-abandoned public-house in Leiston into an 11-bedroom house in multiple occupation. The Crown, which terminated operational processes just antecedent to the Covid-19 era, remains in prolonged vacancy. Development Details East Suffolk Council has sanctioned the development, obliging commencement...
Significant Developments in Greater Manchester This week, Greater Manchester witnesses submissions of ambitious development plans, projects combining residential elements with commercial space to reinvigorate local urban fabric; submissions, encompassing planners’ determinations and municipal caution, unfold with modifiers—residential, commercial—placed immediately next to their governing...
Transformation of Former Pub into Restaurant and HMO Sparks Local Debate At Ashton, a pub—long closed—lies vacant for nearly a decade on a key corner of Oldham Road. The building now splits into a restaurant seating 54 and a four-bedroom home shared by several. Objections, numbering almost 200, tie to concerns that the scheme may alter the local feel, spread cooking smells to those nearby, draw pests,...
Edinburgh Council Plans to Relocate Some Homeless Amid Licensing Changes Edinburgh Council now prepares a relocation of homeless people from temporary homes that lack valid HMO licences. The council, amid an era of significant external constraints, has given hotels and bed & breakfast rooms as emergency homes since the Covid-19 outbreak and soon treats such guest rooms as permanent abodes. Each...
Rising Council Tax on Second Homes: What Property Investors Need to Know Council tax on second homes, mandated by legislation from 2024 and activated in April 2025, increases with a design that ties charging power directly to the property’s non-primary status. The authorities—local and empowered—assign a premium that doubles the annual tax bill (from about £2,171 to roughly £4,342), a process built...
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