'We have been targeted... Bexley Council has lost control': Residents fear for their safety due to wave of HMOs

More than 1,300 people have now signed a petition calling on Bexley Council to introduce new legislation which forces developers to apply for planning permission before converting two-bed family homes into six separate bedsits, known as an Article 4 direction.

The one-room flats are generally used for emergency accommodation and the occupants could pose a risk to local residents, campaigner Tina Kitchin claims.

Ms Kitchin has one such property in her road and four junior schools nearby.

She told News Shopper: “Bexley Council has lost control. They have admitted they have got no idea how many there are in the borough. They probably only know of about 10 per cent.

An HMO in Ripley Road

“Other councils could pay for their homeless and offenders to come into our borough, so it’s a really serious problem.

“Bexley is one of the cheapest boroughs in London.

“Other councils have applied for Article 4 direction, but Bexley Council haven’t got that so we are open and exposed.

“I think it’s affecting the whole borough, and people feel powerless.

“We have been targeted, it’s affecting so many lives.

“It’s quite worrying. I am not being callous but there are a lot of people with mental health problems, or drugs.

“You are going to be worried for your safety.”

Ms Kitchin is part of the Say No to HMO campaign, which asks residents to report hostels in their roads to help the council collate data.

Without knowing the scale of the problem, it is difficult for the council to present a case for Article 4 to central government, Ms Kitchin said.

She added: “Bexley Council want as much information as possible.

“We want people to come forward and say ‘this is happening in my road’. People can come to us anonymously.

“Until the council know how many we are being blighted with, they can’t go back to the government.

“People need to realise there is something we can do if people come together.

“We don’t want people to feel helpless, because everyone thinks it’s just their road.”

Jackie Payne, who is a retired caterer, lives in Ripley Road, Belvedere, where two houses are in the process of being converted into bedsits.

Jackie Payne

The 63-year-old said: “The thought of this happening is really quite distressing. I just don’t know which way to go.

“It’s a quiet little street with 12 extra people. People have to live somewhere, I understand that, but you can’t even park here as it is.

“It’s the volume. Had they divided it into two flats and moved two people into emergency housing... But 12 all at once?

“I didn’t want it to start consuming me, and it has a little bit now. They are inches from my house.

“Bexley Council’s hands are tied because it doesn’t have to go through them.”

A Bexley Council spokesman said: “We are aware of the petition and concerns about the increase in the number of single houses being bought by companies and individuals and converted into HMOs.

“As this type of development is lawful under current national legislation, we cannot stop it happening.

“We are gathering evidence for a possible Article 4 direction, which could provide improved control.

“While there has been some concern about these HMOs, it is important to recognise that they also meet genuine housing need, particularly for single residents, including working people. If well managed, they generally operate without any problems.”

Bromley and Greenwich councils have both applied for Article 4.

Sign the petition at change.org/p/no-to-hmo or email: notohmo@hotmail.com to report a hostel.