Hartlepool Locals Told to Wait Up to a Year for HMO Restrictions Despite Calls for an Immediate Ban

Both Durham & Darlington Councils are set to introduce what's known as 'article 4' regulations to curb the surge in family homes being carved into Houses of Multiple Occupation, as pressure on Hartlepool Borough Council to introduce similar proposals gains momentum.

16th July 2025

Locals in Hartlepool pushing for an urgent ban on homes being turned into Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) are being told they may have to wait up to a year due to a formal consultation process linked to the introduction of Article 4 regulations.

Whilst Durham County Council prepares to vote on Article 4 powers on 21 July, concerned residents across the North East – including towns such as Hartlepool – are said to be frustrated that a potential ban that would force all HMOs, regardless of size, to go through the full planning process under Article 4 regulations won't take immediate effect & could take up to a year to be approved by the local council.

The consultation and implementation process is likely to delay any real action which locals claim is pushing up demand for family homes until mid-to-late 2026, given the required notice periods and legal processes.

Hartlepool residents argue the rise in HMOs is already damaging local communities, claiming problems with noise, rubbish, parking, and the loss of family housing which is pushing many locals to move out of Hartlepool. They want the council to impose restrictions now, rather than waiting through a long drawn-out consultation process which some locals claim will only see many more family homes converted without planning permission.

Councillor Lyndsey Fox of Durham County Council acknowledged these issues, admitting that HMOs have "a negative impact on day-to-day life" and threaten "community cohesion"—but despite these acknowledgments, authorities are pressing ahead with the lengthy Article 4 process, rather than taking emergency action.

The action by councils such as Durham & Darlington Council who are set to introduce similar proposals will feel like a snub to Hartlepool residents already overwhelmed by HMO saturation, especially when its claimed the vast majority of the HMO's being created are said to be in areas with high levels of social deprivation & where councils have previously failed to intervene early in poorly managed HMO's which have then in turn led to a significant increase in crime & anti social behaviour. .