Edinburgh Council has responded to accusations of double standards when housing homeless people in 30 unlicensed HMOs by moving tenants out of the properties.

The authority came under fire when it was revealed that despite writing to all the landlords asking them to register for an HMO licence earlier this year, although many did so, others refused or took no action.

Its report explained that the city started using these HMOs during the pandemic when urgent action was taken to prevent the spread of Covid. The council’s monitoring officer Nick Smith explained: “The council therefore remains in breach of its HMO licensing duty by maintaining the support of homeless persons and households in some unlicensed HMO properties.”

The report added this “potentially undermines” the council’s crackdown on unlicensed landlords, amounted to illegality and maladministration “and cannot continue”.

Frustrating

Scott Brown, maintenance manager at Littlejohns, which has 150 HMOs on its books, says: “As a letting agent, it’s frustrating to see such double standards in housing regulations.

"Private landlords are rightly held to strict standards, including licensing for HMOs, to ensure tenants’ safety and access to quality accommodation. However, the council’s widespread use of unlicensed temporary accommodation undermines these principles.”

It meant the council was in breach of its HMO licensing duty by maintaining support of homeless households in some unlicensed properties.

Following a meeting of the council’s licensing sub-committee, 13 of these HMO landlords applied for, and were granted licences, while those tenants living in HMOs which didn’t apply were offered alternative accommodation – some of them in properties outside the city.

Last month, the BBC reported that councillors had agreed to suspend new applicants for homeless housing and non-urgent repairs in order to prioritise moving people out of HMO accommodation to more suitable properties.