Hartlepool Borough Council Moves to Clamp Down on HMO's Following Public Concerns....
- teessidetoday
- Jun 23
- 3 min read
Growing concerns over the rise in the number of Controversial Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMO's) in Hartlepool prompts Hartlepool Borough Council to act as its claimed a public consultation is to be set up....
23rd June 2025
Concerns over the rise in the number of controversial Houses of Multiple Occupation springing up in a seaside town have prompted councillors to act, following a backlash from the local community.
Its claimed Hartlepool Borough Council is finally waking up to the growing concerns over the unchecked rise in Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) which are sprouting up across the town leading to councillors having to act on public concerns over the impact those develop,ments are having on the local community.
In a report thats set to go before the council's neighbourhood Services Committee on the 30th June 2025, the proposal to introduce what’s called an Article 4 Direction is being drawn up, a legal tool councils can use to take back control over certain types of developments—particularly whats said to be 'the quiet conversion of regular homes into small HMOs'.
According to the documents HBC Exposed has seen:, under national planning laws, landlords can convert an ordinary home into a small HMO (for up to 6 unrelated tenants) without needing any planning permission whatsoever.
A Public Consultation is set to be launched
In a report set to go before councillors next week, its claimed The Neighbourhood Services Committee will announce a 12-month public consultation on whether to withdraw these automatic “permitted development rights” using an Article 4 Direction. If successful, it would mean Landlords and developers would have to apply directly to the local council for planning permission before converting any home into a small HMO, with each proposal being judged on its merits—taking into account things such as local parking, anti-social behaviour concerns, and neighbourhood character.
Its claimed Councils in Newcastle, Manchester, and Middlesbrough have already done this, using Article 4 to prevent the unchecked spread of HMOs, especially in areas where is claimed entire streets were being overrun by HMO properties bringing along with it crime, anti social behaviour & a string of property disrepair issues.
A national newspaper recently highlighted the issue of the rise of unregulated HMO's in Stockton On Tees, where its claimed a once popular neighbourhood in Hartington Road, just a short distance away from the town centre has become in such a state due to the emergence of unregulated small HMO's, its devalued property prices in the area by as much as 70%, turning the street into a 'ghetto', as one local told Durham & Teesside Today & fears the same could be coming to Hartlepool if action isnt taken nby the local council to curb the increase in shady landlords converting family homes into HMO's to generate more profit.
The concentration of HMO's is becoming a concern....
Whilst there’s no denying HMOs serve a purpose—especially for people facing high rents or short-term housing needs—there’s said to be growing unease about the concentration of such properties in specific parts of Hartlepool, particularly around Hartlepool's Town Centre...
One local member of the public who spoke to Durham & Teesside Today said "some of these conversions are driven purely by profit, not by a desire to provide safe, or decent housing".
The Council plans to launch a joint consultation alongside the Hartlepool Development Corporation, which is already exploring similar restrictions in its own designated areas after an upsurge in HMO applications, meaning residents will finally get a chance to have their say, with the consultation (if approved by councillors next week) likely to be launched later this year...
What do you think ?
Should there be an automatic ban on family homes being converted into HMO's
YES
NO
