HMO's Sprouting Up Like Mushrooms......

Silverbrooks

So what? Students need a roof too.

Many universities reserve accommodation in halls for freshers only. Second and third year undergraduates and post grad students have to find commericial accommodation off campus.

If you live in a university town or city, surely this is expected.

Where would you have students live?

Most of the small Victorian houses in the roads closest to the university here are student accommodation.

Well, judging by the utter detritus some of them seem quite happy to generate, dearie, maybe a pigsty?

At the core of the problem is the failure of successive governments to ensure that we build enough housing to house our burgeoning population,

It is causing tension between generations as those responsible for this situation try to blame different sectors of the population for the problem. Old people are blamed for living in houses other people decree are too big for them, Strangely peole under retirement age living in houses - and there are, about a million such households - that are too big for them are never called out in the same way.

Where older people do downsize, someone was recently saying we should be penalised in some way because were stopping young people getting on the housing ladder because sellers preferred us as we are, almost always, cash buyers. Older people are damned if we stay in large houses, a damned again if we downsize. But the core of the problem is inadequate house building.

Just as councils are now being allowed to double tax and stop houses being turned into second homes, where there are too many of them, so councils should be able to limit the number of HMOs in areas of suburban family housing. In the inner parts of most towns there are old industrial buildings, compact older buildings with limited outside space and space over shops, converted offices that provide accommodation for HMOs. Mnay HMO tenants are students and young people who want to live in town centres.

I loved living in shared houses in my 20's. People tended to stay together when they got on, move on if they didn't, and we used to have stuff like cooking rotas to share time and make resources go further, much better than some lonely bedsit. Local friends, coffee shops, city life.

I think we will see more shared houses in different shapes and forms - family shares, having a tenant, and so on.

Single people need accommodation and landlords need an income from their property.

Why is this in pedants corner?

That Reform were successful in Regions where there are relatively few foreign born does not surprise me.

The Reform vote is driven by fear of something nasty in the wood shed, not a fear of something they know about, and this is the most potent fear behind retrogressive populism.

These are areas of older, poorer, less well educated people, who feel alienated from the modern world and, rightly, think that they have been left behind.

This is a potent brew for rightwing extremism.

Georgesgran

Not sure if you misunderstood my post Wyllow3, or my post is a bit ambiguous. I’m suggesting that the OP is perhaps inferring foreign born, without using those words - personally, I’m not in the least bothered. Yes, students make up a big part of the City’s residents. However, there’s been an influx of Chinese and Japanese students, mostly from well to do families, who don’t want them living in HMOs. As a result several new developments plus a couple of conversions, within walking distances of various campuses were established within the past few years. I get the impression some landlords of HMOs are struggling to fill them in some areas.

Oh, sorry for giving half a story.

Just a reflection as in thoughts about different areas ...I agree with you about possible O/P inferences and definitely felt you weren't bothered - neither am I.

I should have said that whats interesting to me particularly because of family living/working there is the Reform take over of both Co Durham and Durham when in fact the foreign born is very low.

(I cant give away DS and DiL work or the family reason they have to be particularly concerned)

Dh works in housing, student housing has a massive impact on affordable housing being available, again lovely for the middle class but not great for those who need affordable housing.

I aam going to spring to the defence of the OP. Of course students and so on need accommodation, butif you live on a modern estate of semi and detached houses, where every house has been a single household property, and then houses get bought up and extended to house students, young people, what you will. It destroys the community and its networks.

My DS MiL lives in a spacious estate of 1960 houses. She has lived there for 60 years. over the years it has become a real mixed age group community, young families - it is close to a school - more settled families and old people like her, who bought the houses when they were new and never moved on. She knew all he neighbours and would chat to people as she walked to the parade of shops on the estate. The city is very cosmopolitan, there are families from many different countries on the estate

Then the local university expanded and came right up to the boundary of the estate and houses began to be bought up, extended and let to up to 6 or more students. Half the year the houses are empty, when they are occupied there is noise, cars everywhere and litter. Gardens are left ot go to rack and ruin. Three houses close to her are now student residents.

Yes, students need homes, but as we are always being told, families also need homes and this estate was an estate of classic modern family homes, close to facilities, with space for children to play. Now this attractive estate is going down hill and prices are dropping, as families worry about the noise and racket from student houses and how dangerous their quiet roads are becoming.

All local councils have choices about granting permission or not to HMOs.

My daughter had a room in London in an HMO when she was working there in her 20s. All the others (4 others) were working too - aged between 20 and 40 ish. None were students.

It was quite a small room and she only lived there maybe 9 months.
Everyone was busy working and looking to move on in due course.

It worked well for her at the time - not so lonely as a bed sit either!

So why the mention of the Home Office in the OP?

Cossy

Astitchintime

Without these HMO’s I simply don’t know where my DGC and their piers would have lived over the past few years - not all students are boozy, drug fuelled slobs!

Nor are many of the adults who are much older, living in HMOs, many of whom are working!

Totally agree Cossy……..no offence intended by missing them 😊

Astitchintime

Without these HMO’s I simply don’t know where my DGC and their piers would have lived over the past few years - not all students are boozy, drug fuelled slobs!

Nor are many of the adults who are much older, living in HMOs, many of whom are working!

Without these HMO’s I simply don’t know where my DGC and their piers would have lived over the past few years - not all students are boozy, drug fuelled slobs!

Exactly cossy.

PS no issues with the colour/cread/nationality of the occupants either!

Have absolutely no issue whatsoever with HMOs /bedsits etc. it’s not a new thing, students and others need somewhere to live.

Not being a NIMBY I have no issue with these in my own neighbourhood

My grandchildren lived in HMO’s when at university, and for a while after until they had settled in their occupations and
found suitable apartments

Not sure if you misunderstood my post Wyllow3, or my post is a bit ambiguous. I’m suggesting that the OP is perhaps inferring foreign born, without using those words - personally, I’m not in the least bothered. Yes, students make up a big part of the City’s residents. However, there’s been an influx of Chinese and Japanese students, mostly from well to do families, who don’t want them living in HMOs. As a result several new developments plus a couple of conversions, within walking distances of various campuses were established within the past few years. I get the impression some landlords of HMOs are struggling to fill them in some areas.

HMO’s are not only for student’s ,my son who is fifty lives in one and most of the other tenants are around the same age.

In Bristol the cost of renting a 1 bed flat is around £1000 per month. Add on all the other bills and if you are a single person it is almost impossible to have enough left to live on.

Georgesgran

Most of the big terraced houses in Heaton and Jesmond (outskirts of Newcastle) are HMOs for students. In Durham parts of the City are all converted to this. M
I’ve a feeling mae13 is more concerned about HMOs being for ‘immigrants’, without saying that, especially as the Home Office is mentioned. I stand corrected if I’m wrong.

Places vary as regards your point, don't they. My son works in Durham and family live in Co Durham. Looked up some stats which match family observations.

"While County Durham has seen an increase in its migrant population, it is not considered a region with a high percentage of foreign-born residents compared to other areas in the UK. Specifically, the foreign-born population in County Durham constitutes 3.7% of the total population, which is lower than in places like Newcastle Upon Tyne (16.0%) and Middlesbrough (10.8%)"

So in Durham HMO's are likely to be students, as its a small city with a big University footfall.

I live in a fairly anonymous sort of a small suburb which doesn't have multi-occupancy but neither does it have a sense of community except for a few who join local groups like volunteering at the Library. However, if your family all live locally then its different, but thats another issue altogether.

Most of the big terraced houses in Heaton and Jesmond (outskirts of Newcastle) are HMOs for students. In Durham parts of the City are all converted to this. M
I’ve a feeling mae13 is more concerned about HMOs being for ‘immigrants’, without saying that, especially as the Home Office is mentioned. I stand corrected if I’m wrong.

I guess if we go back a few generations then families of twelve lived in a two bedroomed cottage.
HMO’s do answer a need for a roof over peoples heads.Where it’s a bit of a shame tho is where there are too many in one street and then the area generally which means a loss of families and community.

This is nothing new. It's been like that for students for a very long time.

In the 1970's I lived in Multi occupancy houses before I settled down, there was quite a community in inner city Manchester where I lived.

With house and rental prices as they are in some areas now, its not surprising that young people who have left home or Uni for jobs now live in Multi Occupancy houses instead of flats.

There are pluses and minus for "zoning". Some people want "zoning" to keep their "nice" areas as they are free from multi occupancy, but zoning can create ghettos as well.