Landlords challenge St Helens HMO licensing crackdown plans

St Helens Council leader George Woodward has announced plans to require all HMOs across the borough to be licensed, regardless of size.

The proposal is the latest move by the authority to tighten controls on shared housing after Cabinet voted in July to introduce an Article 4 Direction requiring planning permission to convert residential properties into HMOs.

Cllr Woodward said the council would shortly bring forward a policy requiring licences for all HMOs, arguing that the current system leaves the authority without a clear picture of how many such properties operate in the borough.

At present, mandatory HMO licensing generally applies only to larger properties occupied by five or more people forming two or more different households.

St Helens Council leader George Woodward has announced plans for a crackdown on HMO licensing (Image: George Woodward)

Announcing the plans, Cllr Woodward said: "I'm pleased to announce that we are shortly bringing forward Cabinet policy to require that all HMOs, of all sizes, require a licence from the council.

Cllr Woodward said the licensing scheme would allow "easier enforcement against the blight of the many problematic tenants".

He said concerns about HMOs had been raised repeatedly by residents during Reform UK's election campaign, citing issues including antisocial behaviour, littering, noise disturbances and drug use.

However, when the council was asked to provide evidence that these issues are disproportionately associated with HMOs in the borough, they did not.

He also linked HMOs to accommodation used by Home Office contractors for people awaiting decisions on asylum claims.

In his statement, Cllr Woodward said HMOs are "often used by the Home Office via private contractors like Serco to house illegal migrants in our communities while awaiting their asylum claims."

The Star asked the council what evidence or local data supports that claim and how many HMOs in St Helens are currently used for Home Office asylum accommodation.

The council said it does not hold figures on how many HMOs in St Helens are used for asylum accommodation, as the information is held by the Home Office

When approached, the Home Office noted that HMOs are developed independently by private landlords and serve a range of housing needs, including students and people renting in the private sector.

The proposed licensing scheme has been criticised by the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), which questioned whether additional regulation is necessary.

Chris Norris, the organisation's chief policy officer, said HMOs provide an important source of affordable housing.

He said: "HMOs of all sizes are an integral part of the housing mix, providing affordable, flexible housing for those that need it, often key workers and young professionals.

"It is crucial that all local authorities do as much as possible to support the supply of high-quality rental accommodation of all shapes and sizes, so that tenants have the freedom to choose the housing most suitable for their situation."

Mr Norris said the vast majority of landlords comply with existing standards and argued that licensing schemes often fail to deliver measurable improvements.

"The overwhelming majority of landlords meet required standards and provide high-quality, much-needed private rented accommodation, calling into question the need for many proposed schemes," he said.

"While many councils have introduced licensing schemes to deal with rogue and criminal landlords, past NRLA research reveals that there is little or no demonstrable link between these schemes and any parallel rise in standards."

Mr Norris also pointed to Freedom of Information data obtained by the organisation which he said showed St Helens Council reported no civil penalties against private landlords during the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years.

"Regardless of which administration is in charge, the council should first demonstrate that it can enforce its current remit before going further," he added.

The council has yet to publish full details of the proposed licensing scheme, including licence fees, consultation arrangements and when it could come into force.

A spokesperson for St Helens Council said the authority would provide further information on the plans in due course.