Liverpool City Council’s Labour Cabinet approved new Article 4 directions which will give the Council greater powers to stop family homes being turned into Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs). These sorely needed additional local powers will help to shift the dial in favour of local residents and against exploitative landlords.
More areas across Liverpool will fall under an Article 4 direction, with the rest of the city included in 12 months time. This means landlords and owners will be legally required to obtain planning permission before a home can be converted into an HMO. This includes:
- Kirkdale, Everton, County, Walton, Orrell Park and part of Fazakerley
- Part of Tuebrook Larkhill
- Old Swan and part of Stoneycroft
- Penny Lane and part of Calderstones
- St Michaels and Sefton Park
Residents have consistently told Labour councillors and members that HMOs are one of their biggest concerns across our city. The Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats worked together in Westminster to change the law around planning and home conversions. Permitted Development Rights meant that anyone could turn any home into a HMO without planning permission; riding roughshod over the concerns or needs of the local community. Now, anyone who wants to convert a home into a HMO must secure permission from the Council, taking into account the concentration of existing HMOs, the loss of family housing, effects on neighbourhood character and pressures on parking, waste services, and community facilities.
These new powers will allow the council to be able to respond more quickly and more effectively to bad landlords. Liverpool Labour believe the voice of local residents should be at the heart of the planning process. These new powers will ensure that is the case.
Labour’s expansion of the Article 4 directive compliments powers already exercised by the Council to stop rogue landlords. Liverpool Labour has previously secured an Article 4 Directive over Anfield, Central, Greenbank, Kensington and Fairfield, Picton, Princess Park, Riverside, Tuebrook and Stoneycroft and Wavertree. Our Landlord Licensing Scheme requires landlords to register with the Council and ensures that that the 46,000 rented homes that are part of the scheme meet minimum safety standards to keep vulnerable tenants safe. This includes tackling fire and electrical safety hazards, excess cold and damp, and preventing and tackling anti-social behaviour.
We act decisively when landlords abuse or circumvent the system. Liverpool City Council already has the second-highest rate of landlord prosecutions in the country and we will continue to pursue each and every rogue landlord who operates in our city. The Labour Government’s Renters Rights Act brought in additional protections for renters, including an end to no-fault evictions and the abolition of fixed-term tenancies, in the biggest reforms to the private rented sector in a generation.