Telford & Wrekin Council's Cabinet approves plans for consultation on future of HMOs
Telford & Wrekin Council's Cabinet has approved plans to consult on proposals to ensure safe homes and fair standards in houses in multiple occupation.
Following the decision, a public consultation will go live on Tuesday 16 December. The consultation will ask the public, including landlords, to comment on proposals put forward to introduce additional licensing and an Article 4 direction for smaller HMO (houses in multiple occupation) properties.
A building is an HMO if it is occupied by three or more people forming two or more households and sharing facilities such as kitchens and bathrooms.
Currently across Telford and Wrekin, only HMOs that accommodate five or more people, forming two or more households are subject to mandatory licensing.
While HMOs with more than six people are also subject to full planning permission those with six people or less can be established through permitted development rights.
The Article 4 direction would remove the option for landlords of these smaller HMOs to use permitted development rights and would therefore require them to seek planning permission for a new HMO, regardless of size. Existing HMOs would be unaffected by the planning changes.
The planning changes would allow the Council to know where all new HMOs are located and to consider their impact on the wider community and local services.
The additional licensing proposals would mean all HMO properties would be inspected for safety and hazard compliance and landlords would be required to manage issues such as anti-social behaviour. This element would apply to all HMO both existing and new.
As the consultation looks at two separate measures, it will be delivered through two surveys. One survey will ask people to comment on proposals for additional licensing and the other to comment on the introduction of Article 4.
The additional licensing consultation will run from 16 December to 11 March, while the HMO consultation will run from 16 December to 10 February – this is inline with statutory guidelines.
A number of drop-in sessions will also be held where people can find out more about the proposals.
These will be held on:
- Thursday 18 December at Meeting Point House from 4 to 6pm
- Thursday 15 January at The Anstice from 5 to 7pm
- Tuesday 27 January at Cosy Hall, Newport from 5 to 7pm
- Friday 20 February at Ketley Community Centre from 5 to 7pm
- Thursday 5 March at Meeting Point House from 5 to 7pm
Councillor Richard Overton, Deputy Leader of Telford & Wrekin Council and Cabinet Member for Highways, Housing and Enforcement, said:
“Cabinet has today approved a consultation on our proposals for HMOs. It’s vital that people take part because these are only proposals at this stage.
“We want to hear directly from residents, landlords, and community groups so their experiences can shape what happens next.
“This is the point in the process where your feedback truly matters – helping us ensure any future approach is fair, informed, and reflects the needs of our community.
“We look forward to hearing everyone’s views before any final decisions are made.”
Further details about the consultation will be released later this month.
