One of London’s largest boroughs has launched a public consultation on tightening planning controls when granting permission for smaller HMOs, namely those accommodating between three and six unrelated tenants sharing common facilities such as a kitchen or bathroom.

Lambeth says it is responding to ‘concerns raised by residents’ within two large wards covering much of Streatham within the borough’s southern reaches.

The consultation, which the council wants landlords to contribute to, will run until 7th October 2024. The council says: "Once the consultation concludes, the Council must consider all the representations received before deciding whether or not to confirm the Article 4 Direction. If confirmed, the Direction would come into force 12 months after the Direction is made".

Since the 2010 changes to ‘permitted development’ across England, landlords have been able to buy houses or flats and turn them into smaller HMOs without planning permission. But councils can overturn this within specific areas via an Article 4 Direction.

To use the arcane language of planning, Lambeth wants to make a "non-immediate Class L(b) Article 4 Direction for the change of use from Use Class C3 (dwellinghouses) to C4 (small HMOs)".

"anti-social behaviour, loss of family homes and impact on the character of the areas"

Within the wards of Streatham Common & Vale (main image) and Streatham St Leonard’s residents have complained to Lambeth about the high number of HMOs, and the ‘associated impacts’ including instances of reported anti-social behaviour, loss of family homes and impact on the character of the areas.

So strong are the complaints that Lambeth considered an immediate Article 4 Direction earlier this year but then backed off after the cost of implementing it would have been too high.

Potential costs

Although the council doesn’t reveal why, it is likely to be the litigation it may have faced from landlords part-way through the process of converting a property into an HMO and who then might have lost money on the deals and sought to recoup this from the council.

Instead, Lambeth is to hold an eight-week consultation and then bring in the restrictions during August 2025 pending approval from the Secretary of State.

Councillor Danny Adilypour (pictured), Lambeth’s Cabinet Member for Sustainable Growth and New Homes said: “We are extremely concerned about the way some HMOs are negatively impacting our residents and communities.

“This is why we are evaluating all options available to us and will take the necessary action to prevent any further inconvenience and distress.”

Landlords can add their comments to the consultation.

Three years ago Lambeth launched the UK's most expensive licencing scheme for larger HMOs.