Sandwell Council plans new rules for shared houses across the borough

Sandwell Council is proposing new rules that would mean planning permission is required before turning a home into a small House in Multiple Occupation (HMO).

A small HMO is a home shared by three to six people who are not from the same household, but share some facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom.

Under current rules, this type of property change can be made without planning permission. Planning permission is only needed for HMOs for seven or more people.

The Council wants to introduce what is known as an Article 4 Direction across the borough, meaning each HMO application would need to go through the Council’s planning process to gain approval.

The proposed change is intended to help the Council manage the number of HMOs across Sandwell as well as how many there are in each neighbourhood.

Councillor Ray Nock, Leader of Sandwell Council, said: “We’ve listened to residents who have raised concerns about the number of HMOs in their communities.

“We know that having a high number of HMOs in one area can cause problems for local communities, including more pressure on parking and waste services and fewer homes for Sandwell families.

“Requiring planning permission would give the Council more control over new HMOs to help us protect our neighbourhoods.”

Cabinet is being asked to approve the proposal at its meeting on Wednesday 14 October.

If approved, the changes would come into immediate effect, and the council would carry out a public consultation to hear views from residents and landlords about the changes.

The Council would then consider the feedback before Cabinet makes a further decision on whether the rules should remain in place.