HMO Properties

[Mups]

A couple of weeks ago, I saw in the local paper that an old pub which has been empty since 2019,  is going to be turned into a HMO house.

Do you know what these are?   
I hadn't a clue, never heard of it,  so looked it up.   It means  'House of Multiple Occupancy.'

Plans have been put in to change the old empty pub into an 11 bedroomed house with a communal kitchen.
I couldn't help but wonder what sort of people they are planning to house there.  Illegals maybe?

Next thing, plans have also been put in for an old disused Chapel in town,  again for an HMO.   
The council are getting a lot of people who live nearby kicking up, and trying hard to stop this.

Then lo and behold, in this weeks local paper,  they also now want to change an old disused corner shop into one of these HMO places too. 
That is now 3 places nearby where they want to do this.   
Has anyone else got any of these places where you are?

I am thinking of moving to Cornwall tomorrow!

[Dextrous63]

When my parents passed, we turned our house into an HMO which constituted some studio rooms, a self contained flat and some with a shared kitchen and bathroom.  We had to fulfill several requirements (mainly in terms of fire regs).  This potentially  good thing since it also limits the number of occupants allowed to stay.

We actually had to evict one tenant who had two children (from three different fathers ... don't ask 😳🙄) and then became pregnant from someone else.  The council wanted to get all shirty with us trying to evict her.  When we explained to them that we were only doing this since the council's own licence insisted on us doing so in order that we didn't have more residents than agreed, they curiously went very quiet.

No doubt the latest tranch of HMOs is in response to immigration related loss of general accommodation, but at least it'll be safer than the dodgy ones with 20+ in a three bed semi that you'll see on TV.

[Alex]

I've got one almost opposite me Mups which did house dinghy boys, now I don't knw where the men come from, a neighbour thinks they're ex-cons or reformed drug users.  The house directly opposite me is having renovations done, it will be much bigger with less garden.  We're all hoping it won't become another HMO but with the money the Government is offering landlords to house dinghy boys - who knows ?

It depends on the council rules how many are 'allowed' in one street.

I feel less safe in my road than I did 5 years ago.

[klondike]

A lot of HMOs around here. Most houses are big old Victorian properties but the area isn't salubrious and if the house was owned by older people may well need modernising. Builders buy them and convert them to HMOs for students and other younger or generally less well off  people who can't afford to rent or buy a house at today's prices.

There's one a couple of doors away and another over the road. One of them is up for sale  and the other seems to be empty. The house next door to me sold recently and will be converted to two flats. There can be no more HMOs near me as the one now up for sale was right on the limit of density set by the council.

[Dextrous63]

As much as I can understand why landlords would take advantage of the profit from turning their properties into HMO's, I deplore their morality.

I suspect that a significant number of properties which end up taking this route are owned by foreigners themselves.  This adds insult to injury.

Short of becoming a closed shop, xenophobic and fascist state, it's not clear what the solution is.

[GrannyMac]

Suella Braverman's constituency of Waterlooville have had success at stopping the conversion of a building into accommodation for 'asylum seekers'.  Hopefully other areas will follow suit.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgv4x15rlvo

[Dextrous63]

That council leader should be grateful that it's not happening.

[Mups]

I've got one almost opposite me Mups which did house dinghy boys, now I don't knw where the men come from, a neighbour thinks they're ex-cons or reformed drug users.  The house directly opposite me is having renovations done, it will be much bigger with less garden.  We're all hoping it won't become another HMO but with the money the Government is offering landlords to house dinghy boys - who knows ?

It depends on the council rules how many are 'allowed' in one street.

I feel less safe in my road than I did 5 years ago.

Yes, I can understand that, Alex, I'd feel just the same,  especially living alone. 

It's nothing like it used to be a few years ago here,  it was quite a nice little town,  but no more.
All the old favourite shops are long gone and it has an odd feeling to it nowadays.

Oh well,  I'll just have to wait and see what transpires. 

[muddy]

These are the slums of the future .

[Mups]

These are the slums of the future .

That's what I fear, too.

[Scrumpy]

All our little shops in our (then) village have gone.. Butcher.. Fish.. bread and veg shops.. all gone.. 
Thank goodness our Co-op remained.. 
We used to have a shop called The Handy Shop.. you could buy most things there..
We even had The Tuck Shop...
 Lovely days and memories...

[klondike]

Unlikely to get any HMOs though. Sounds like transport is essential and most in HMOs probably can't afford cars.
Of course government supported occupants might arrive with 3 time a day food delivery 

[Dextrous63]

When I was at Warwick Uni, we used to venture out to Coventry city centre.  Shops were good, as were some restaurants, the theatre and the nightlife.  All was relatively happy and safe.

For reasons I won't go into, when my mother died around 20 years later, I had to go to the registry office in Coventry to register her death.  By god, how the place had changed.  Derelict shopping centre by comparison and the place felt totally dead.  Obviously the post war concrete buildings didn't really add positively (they never did IMHO).

I have no idea if the city has undergone any rejuvenation since then.  I sincerely hope so.

But, if other towns and cities are doomed to fall into places of despair, god help us all!

[klondike]

Not been there in years. I did go to see Star Wars in some cinema there when it first came out. I also worked at Jaguar on the outskirts for a while before I retired but never bothered to go into the town. My mother was born there and living there on both occasions the Lufftwaffe made major attempts to improve the place,

[Dextrous63]

We had our graduation ceremony in the new cathedral.  Watched a documentary once about its design and construction.  All very clever but still grotesque imho.