Hillingdon - DMH 5: Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and Student Accommodation

Policy information sourced from the Hillingdon Local Plan: Part 2

DMH 5: Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) and Student Accommodation

A) In all parts of the Borough

Proposals for the provision of large HMOs, residential hostels, student accommodation and secure accommodation will be required to demonstrate that:

there is good accessibility to local amenities and public transport;
they accord with the Accessible Homes standards and provide satisfactory living conditions for the intended occupiers; and
there will be no adverse impact on the amenity of neighbouring properties or the character of the area.

B) In wards covered by an Article 4 Direction for HMOs

Planning applications for the change of use from dwelling house (Use Class C3) to HMO (Use Class C4 and Sui Generis) will only be permitted:

where it is in a neighbourhood area where less than 20% of properties are or would be exempt from paying council tax (or in the case of Conservation Areas 10%) because they are entirely occupied by full time students, recorded on the Council’s database as a licensed HMO, benefit from C4/Sui Generis HMO planning consent and are known to the Council to be HMOs;
in Conservation Areas where less than 10% of properties are exempt from paying council tax because they are entirely occupied by full time students, recorded on the Council’s database as a licensed HMO, benefit from C4/Sui Generis HMO planning consent and are known to the Council to be HMOs and the change of use does not form a consecutive HMO use in a street frontage;
where less than 15% of properties within 100 metres of a street length either side of an application property are exempt from paying council tax because they are entirely occupied by full time students, recorded on the Council’s database as a licensed HMO, benefit from C4/Sui Generis HMO planning consent and are known to the Council to be HMOs; and
where the accommodation complies with all other planning standards relating to car parking, waste storage, retention of amenity space and garages and will not have a detrimental impact upon the residential amenity of adjoining properties.

For more information please see the Local Plan: Part 2