HMO Explosion: Hundreds of HMO's Identified Across Middlesbrough By Local Protest Group...

Middlesbrough's HMO Epidemic? Shocking List Exposes Scale of Shared Housing Across Town

Middlesbrough's HMO Epidemic? ...

Shocking List Exposes Scale of Shared Housing Across The North East Town...

19th October 2026

The staggering scale of the sprawl of controversial HMO's across a Teesside Town has come under renewed scrutiny, after a local community group copntroversially published what they say is an extensive list of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) housing five or more people, with official council documents revealing that approximately 1,730 people are now living in 245 licensed HMO properties.

Questions are mounting over the concentration of houses in multiple occupation across Middlesbrough after local group Middlesbrough Patriots published a lengthy list of of what they say to be HMO properties on social media, highlighting the extent of the controversial shared housing being used throughout the Teesside town.

The group's findings have brought renewed attention to a housing sector which, according to Middlesbrough Council's own figures from September 2024, accommodated approximately 1,730 residents across 245 licensed HMOs.

That represents an average of just over seven occupants per licensed property, although individual properties can vary considerably in size.

The figures, contained in an official council report examining HMO licensing arrangements, provide important context to the addresses circulated by the group, which appear to span numerous residential streets, and seem to be mostly concentrated around central Middlesbrough.

However, Middlesbrough council's official figures are now said to be more than two years old, meaning the number of licensed properties and residents could have changed substantially since they were first recorded.

Council admits unlicensed HMOs are operating...

Perhaps one of the most significant revelations within the council's own documentation is its acknowledgement that some HMOs are operating illegally without the mandatory licences as required by law.

In its September 2024 report, Middlesbrough Council explained that unlicensed properties generally came to the attention of enforcement officers following tenant complaints or information shared between regulatory organisations.

The council acknowledged that identifying the full extent of unlicensed HMOs was difficult.

That admission raises important questions about whether the official licensing register captures the true scale of shared accommodation throughout Middlesbrough.

While the 245 licensed properties provide a useful benchmark, there may be additional properties operating outside the mandatory licensing system.

There are also smaller HMOs accommodating three or four individuals which do not generally require mandatory HMO licensing but must still comply with applicable housing standards.

Consequently, the actual number of properties being used as shared accommodation could in fact be considerably higher than Middlesbrough Councils official licensing figures.

Some properties have capacity for dozens of residents raising concerns over Overcrowding..

Whilst seen by many landlords as being more profitable than standard family home rentals, overcrowding & poor managed HMO's are tying up the resources of some local councils, especially those in the London boroughs.

The council's 2024 report also provides a revealing breakdown of the size of licensed HMOs, where, according to Middlesbrouygh Councils own figures, 45% of licensed HMOs contained five bedrooms, 43% contained between six and nine bedrooms & 12% contained between ten and 44 bedrooms.

While shared accommodation provides an important source of housing for students, workers and people on lower incomes, the concentration of larger properties is said to be raising legitimate questions about the cumulative pressure on neighbourhood infrastructure, including waste management, parking provision, fire safety, property maintenance and the availability of traditional family housing where private sector rents due to the loss of family homes is daid to be pushing up the demand.... as well as the rental prices in the already struggling North East town.

Has Middlesbrough become too reliant on shared housing?

A number of reports published by Cleveland Police have already highlighted the dangers of HMO's in some communities caused by poor management & their impact on crime & anti social behaviour in areas where crime rates are already way higher than the national average.

The emergence of the list comes as nationwide protests over the use of the controversial HMO Housing begin to gather traction, prompting some local councils in the region to bring in whats known as Article 4 Directions, preventing some properties being used as HMO's unless they go through the councils full official planning process.

Family properties converted into HMOs can provide landlords with an alternative rental model, potentially accommodating several paying tenants in buildings previously occupied by a single household.

Middlesbrough Council has previously acknowledged concerns over the growth of HMOs, where on the 8th February 2025, new planning restrictions came into effect through an Article 4 Direction, removing permitted development rights for certain conversions of ordinary dwellinghouses into smaller HMOs.

The measures means planning permission for such conversions within the designated area must be followed through, giving the local council greater control over the location and development of shared accommodation.

The restrictions cover most of Middlesbrough, excluding the designated Middlesbrough Development Corporation area.

Middlesbrough council introduced the changes following concerns about the increasing numbers of HMOs, accommodation standards and their impact on surrounding communities. However, the restrictions don't automatically remove previously established properties, which many claim the new directions have simply come 'too late' & that the cohesion of some local communities has been fractured beyond repair.

Publication of residential addresses raises legitimate safety concerns

Although Middlesbrough Patriots published the list of properties to highlight the scale of the town's shared housing sector, the Teesside & Durham Post has decided not to reproduce individual residential addresses for safety reasons, especially in the light of protests in Salford, where a number of poroperties, believed to be HMO's were significantly damaged, some reportedly containing children.

HMO Splurge turning some local communities into Streets full of Strangers...

There's concerns the number of HMO's like the ones pictured in Hartlepool are creating 'Streets full of Strangers'...

The council's September 2024 report estimated that the number of licensed HMOs would remain between approximately 230 and 260 over the following five years.

Whether that projection remains accurate in October 2026 requires confirmation through updated licensing information, however the information at the moment suggests that whilst Middlesbrough Councils officials figures are over two years old, the increase from the 2024 figures looks to be incredibly likley, with the figures uncovered in Middlesbrough Council's own documents, alongside the extensive list circulated by Middlesbrough Patriots, demonstrate why public concerns over HMO properties sprouting up in local communities is becoming a pressure point for many locals.

With approximately 1,730 residents recorded in licensed HMOs in September 2024, the sector already represents a significant part of Middlesbrough's housing market.

The challenge now is to ensure that the accommodation remains safe, properly managed and appropriately distributed, while also safeguarding the supply of family housing & local communities, many of whom feel they've been forgotten, as the HMO splurge turns many local communities into the streets of strangers.