COVENTRY MESSAGE BOARD

It was part of a citywide project to tackle unlicensed HMOs in Coventry



A local-authority-run project has led to hefty fines being handed out in a bid to tackle unlicensed HMOs in Coventry. It was rolled out on Monks Road in Binley Woods and Carmelite Road in Stoke.

Residents were provided with information on tenants' rights and responsibilities and enforcement action was also taken where necessary, said Coventry City Council. A total of five properties in the two streets were found to be unlicensed HMOs and four received penalties of more than £100,000.

Coventry City Council said legislative powers were used to tackle excess waste, bins on footpaths, contaminated recycling bins, and inadequate bins. Alleyways were also cleared and residents were told to remove their bins from the kerbside on Monks Road and Carmelite Road.

Notices were also served on two city properties because of waste in the gardens, said Coventry City Council. Advice was also given about the problem of leaving excess waste and overflowing bins on Monks Road and Carmelite Road.

Coventry City Council said the project has helped to allay residents' concerns about waste being produced by people living at unlicensed HMOs. Councillor David Welsh described the citywide initiative as a 'real success.'

Councillor David Welsh described the citywide initiative as a 'real success.'

Thousands of HMOs in Coventry could still be unlicensed years after new rules were introduced



Thousands of HMOs in Coventry could be operating without a licence, figures suggest. This is despite new regulations brought in to the city four years ago.

The council has pledged to "proactively" target HMOs breaking the rules when it renews a licensing scheme in May. The plan will go to councillors for approval next week, 3 September.

It is the latest development on efforts to solve issues relating to the city's so-called houses in multiple occupation (HMOs.) These are homes privately rented to at least three people in different households who share facilities like kitchens and bathrooms.

Since 2020 all HMOs in Coventry have had to be licensed - meaning they go through council checks on how they will be managed and their living conditions. The council did this to tackle "poor-quality" HMOs and management issues, a recent council report said.

But four years on a "significant number" of these kinds of homes "remain unlicensed", it added. The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) asked the council this week how many unlicensed HMOs there are in the city.

The council said officers are unsure of this figure but estimate the city has 6,000 HMOs, based on 2021 census figures. So far the council has licensed 3,000, though figures change weekly, and 1,000 renewals or applications are pending approval, they added.

The stats indicate as many as 2,000 HMOs in Coventry are outside the licensing process, meaning they would not have been subject to its checks. Some HMOs are exempt from licensing according to the council website.