The borough has seen over 4000 anti-social behaviour complaints linked to HMOs in five years
Edgar Road in Yiewsley, West London where the number of HMOs has increased dramatically in recent years(Image: Facundo Arrizabalaga/MyLondon)
A West London council has announced a consultation on plans to enforce additional licensing measures on HMO’s (House of Multiple Occupation) in the borough. Hillingdon Council will launch a consultation on the proposals on Friday (October 31), which will last until January 11, 2026.
The council is proposing to introduce a borough wide additional HMO licensing scheme, similar to that enforced in boroughs such as Ealing and Hounslow. This will apply to all HMOs with three or four tenants from more than one household. However, the proposals will not apply to HMOs already licensed, including those with five or more tenants, or student halls.
A HMO is often a converted house in which unrelated tenants pay to rent a room and share kitchen and bathroom facilities. The council estimates that there are around 2,537 HMOs in Hillingdon, of which 74 per cent are unlicensed.
Currently, there is no licence fee for these properties, however under new measures, landlords would have to pay £1,401 per property for a five year licence. There are currently no charges for landlords, nor licence expiry on HMOs with less than five people.
Additionally, the council will conduct its own inspections, whereas it currently only insects properties following a tenant complaint. This aims to improve property conditions, with three in ten HMOs in the borough predicted to have serious hazards.
Councillor Steve Tuckwell Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Growth(Image: Philip James Lynch/LDRS)
Speaking at Cabinet on October 23, Councillor Steve Tuckwell, Cabinet Member for Planning, Housing and Growth said: “Hillingdon Council is committed to residents safety, wellbeing and quality of life. Unlicensed HMOs can affect communities and the council wants to understand the full picture before deciding on any future policy”
This is not a final decision to enforce the policy, however the council will assess the results of the consultation in ten weeks, before making a decision in due course.
The council says that evidence indicates a link between HMOs, poor housing conditions, and anti-social behaviour. There have been almost 4,000 anti-social behaviour complaints linked to HMOs in Hillingdon since 2020. It is the council’s view that additional licensing measures will place the responsibility onto the landlord to manage anti-social behaviour and waste issues.
In August 2024, the Local Democracy Reporting Service [LDRS] met long-term residents of Edgar Road in Yiewsley. They said that HMOs had ruined their neighbourhood with litter, street drinking, and anti-social behaviour.
As the number of affordable homes plummet across London whilst the need for housing grows, local and national authorities are regularly recommending people look for shared housing. This means that residential streets are seeing an increase of family homes converted into HMOs – something Hillingdon Council recognises.
The additional licensing will also allow civil penalties, licence revocation, and prosecution for non-compliance. The council will proactively work with landlords to address poor housing conditions and poor property management and help them to comply with the licence conditions in the borough.
The consultation will launch on Friday (October 31), and will be available on the council’s website.
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