Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) have, of late, become a hot topic in my constituency. The number of applications is unprecedented, and there are no signs of it stopping.
Family homes are being converted into small units, designed for seven or eight people. Many of my residents would struggle to see the difference between this type of housing and bedsits.
Gillingham is explicitly being targeted by developers because it ticks all of their boxes: the property types, the housing demand, limited regulation and train links to London.
Some property investment firms have specifically marketed Gillingham as a “strong, low-barrier opportunity for HMO investment” and others have stated the streets of Gillingham “are paved with gold’’.
Furthermore, it has done little to address our local housing needs, but instead grifters, ready to make a quick buck, have got their hooks into our town.
They have started to change the fabric of our streets to house vulnerable out-of-borough residents to meet the temporary accommodation needs of London.
The issue is not with HMOs in themselves. Having lived in one, I completely understand that they provide a valid option for students, young professionals and people yet to enter the housing market.
When these properties are responsibly managed and integrated in a way that supports the community, they play an important role in our housing stock.
But the problem in Gillingham is that they are cropping up everywhere. HMOs are spreading faster than our community can keep up with, and it is becoming unsustainable.
The town already faces significant challenges, so the impact of placing highly vulnerable residents concentrated in one area, does little for cohesion and does not enable us to create mixed and balanced communities.
Instead, it creates an environment that could make our problems far worse.
This is not about opposing the principle of HMOs but pushing for better legislation, so we can effectively manage them.
As a former Medway councillor, I called for additional and selective licensing proposals to improve housing standards of smaller, shared rental properties, which are not covered by mandatory HMO rules.
These proposals are progressing, with the introduction of the changes expected early next year.
Among other measures, I am urging Medway Council to consider an Article 4 Direction.
This planning tool would remove automatic “permitted development rights” for HMO conversion and would require all future applications to go through a full planning process.
Enabling the local authority to manage the number of HMOs, protect family housing and ensure new developments meet local housing need.
The rapid increase in HMOs is symptomatic of a housing crisis that has gripped this country, pushing people into temporary accommodation and making the simple dream of home ownership unrealistic for most.
It is absolutely necessary that we address the root cause of this problem, and that is why I back the government’s plans to build more genuinely affordable and social homes, protect renters’ rights and support first-time buyers.
But as we take on the challenge to fix our broken housing system, communities like Gillingham should not have to pay the price.
This article was originally published on KentOnline.