Cambridge, one of the UK's most expensive cities for both renters and buyers, is at the centre of a heated debate over Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). Residents are demanding stricter planning controls to combat the growing density of shared housing, which they claim is suffocating local amenities and eroding established communities. The city currently has nearly 1,000 licensed HMOs, defined as properties occupied by five or more people forming two or more separate households.
Tessa Byars, a resident on Ross Street, points to the high concentration of HMOs in her area, with three within 100 metres of her home, each housing between five and seven individuals. She fears for the strain this puts on infrastructure, from parking and pavement accessibility to bin capacity and bicycle storage. But it's not just practical concerns that worry Byars; she also fears the 'transient population' will erode community identity. "If you have a transient population, then you are going to gradually erode the sense of community and social cohesion in the area," she said.
The campaign has gathered hundreds of signatures on a petition proposing two key changes: requiring planning permission for converting existing homes into 'small' HMOs for three or more people, and setting a 10% threshold for HMO properties within a 100-metre radius. These measures are modelled on regulations adopted in other university cities like Oxford and Bristol.
The push for stricter controls comes amid a recognised housing crisis in Cambridge, where high demand fuels elevated property prices, squeezing middle-income households out of the market. Rightmove data shows that as of May 2024, the average house price in Cambridge stands at £540,654, significantly higher than the national average, with flats averaging £309,692.
However, not everyone agrees on the need for stricter controls. Ben Beadle, chief executive of the National Residential Landlords Association (NRLA), has warned that limiting supply could be detrimental. He argues that shared housing is essential in university cities like Cambridge, which hosts approximately 35,000 students, and introducing further barriers could reduce the availability of affordable options.