It’s after a recent study assessed the potential impact Houses in Multiple Occupation are having on the borough.
Currently, small HMOs of between 3 to 6 unrelated people can be created and do not require planning permission.
But Kingston wants to adopt an Article 4 Direction, which is a legal rule, to ensure all future conversions require planning permission.
Councillor Andrew Wooldridge, Portfolio Holder for Leisure, Economic Development and Planning Policy at Kingston Council, said:
We want to make sure that everyone living in Kingston has access to good quality housing and putting in place controls to make sure we review and decide all HMO conversions, whatever their size, is one way in which we could do this.
It’s important to say that shared housing is a valued part of Kingston’s housing mix, providing a vital lower-cost accommodation option for residents. By introducing these measures, we can ensure we manage the quality, number and location of HMOs, whilst protecting what makes our Royal Borough special.
The Article 4 Direction is proposed to be ‘immediate’, which means that it’s in place from the date it’s ‘made’, which is set to be in early 2027. By taking this immediate approach, the council is looking to prevent a surge of unregulated conversions taking place before the controls are live.
