Debate called for tough new HMO rules

Dudley councillors are set to debate tough new rules for homes in multiple occupation (HMOs) at an extraordinary meeting.

Members of the authority will have their say at a meeting of the full council on September 10 to discuss proposals brought forward by Reform UK.

The council is currently consulting on a new local plan to define planning policy in Dudley until 2045 and Reform is calling for measures including licences for smaller HMOs with less than five occupants.

Under the current Dudley Local Plan, which was adopted in July 2026 but due to changes in legislation is already out of date, HMOs will only be permitted in specific circumstances including where it satisfies a housing need and does not have an adverse impact on neighbouring properties.

Reform says including tougher regulations in the new policy, which is open for public consultation until September 10, is the only way to give them permanent legal force.

The party, which is the official opposition to the Conservative administration, is calling for a ‘practice note’ to guide officers in preparing the local plan’s policies for HMO applications.

Reform’s proposals say: “The note must set out a clear, numerical proposal for how many HMOs are too many in one area, and must be published for public consultation for at least six weeks before cabinet adopts it.”

They say the practice note must consult on two options,  a safe minimum of no more than ten percent of homes within 100 metres of a proposed HMO being other HMOs.

The second option is tougher; no more than five percent of homes within 50 metres, with lower limits in areas that already have many HMOs, plus a ban on two HMOs standing next to each other and a ban on a family home being sandwiched between two HMOs.

Reform wants council officers to gather their own evidence on applications rather than relying on information from applicants.

Reform is also calling on officers to produce a comprehensive map of all known HMOs within the borough.