Landlords hit out over 'demonisation' of HMOs in Portsmouth

Martin Silman, chairman of the Portsmouth and District Private Landlords Association, has responded to the widely reported discontent felt towards houses in multiple occupations (HMOs) by residents and councillors. The noticeable surge of HMO applications has attracted criticism, raising concern over the loss of family homes and the ever-rising demand for parking spaces.

However, Mr Silman said that many councillors are “vehemently” against HMOs and there is a “wide public misunderstanding” as to why they are needed in the city. He argues that “a lot” of HMOs are needed in the city to accommodate single households, which comprise 67,000 residents.

“Portsmouth has the most stringent requirements for an HMO in the country,” he added. “A typical home for four in Southampton could only house three people here – hence our rents are higher. Sadly this is one of the predictable outcomes of councillors’ demonisation of HMOs. Elsewhere in the country, adding a room to an HMO is not a ‘change of use’ and does not need planning approval – it only happens here because councillors have demonised HMOs and want to make a show of trying to refuse them.

“One concern is the impact on parking – people think a house converted into flats is an HMO – it is not – but a house converted into flats will impact parking whereas HMOs tend to have fewer cars than family homes.”

In response, councillor Russell Simpson of the Portsmouth Independents Party said: “Councillors are voted by the people, for the people, these are the feelings of residents about HMOs and we agree with them. Unlike any other city in the UK, we’re the only island city – until recently we were the second highest densest city in the country. Essentially we are a lot of people crammed onto an island and these HMOs are trying to cram a lot of people into an even smaller space.”