A house in Rhymney approved for conversion into a four-bedroom house in multiple occupation (HMO) has been targeted with vandalism and threats to burn it down, leaving residents frightened and sleepless.
Pictures taken this week at the property on Upper High Street, owned by Vidya Giri, show the front door and windows boarded up after extensive criminal damage. The plans, which will be managed by a housing association, drew 110 objections and a petition with 229 signatures, prompting committee members to postpone a decision for additional information on the number of HMOs in Rhymney.
Residents report fear and sleepless nights
A resident at the property told Caerphilly County Borough Council's planning committee the incidents had "led to many sleepless nights over the last months where we've lived in fear of what happens next". Another resident, named in the planning meetings as Mr Williams, reported three incidents of antisocial behaviour at the location "due to the application", including one where "a person broke into the property to carry out criminal damage, which was most disturbing to the neighbours".
There have also been incidents where people banged the windows and kicked the door, shouting "we will burn it down", he said. "This has led to many sleepless nights over the last months, where we've lived in fear of what happens next."
Rhymney councillor Carl Cuss had warned residents felt "unheard, overlooked and increasingly frustrated" when HMO applications were approved despite their concerns. But the applicant's agent defended the HMO's prospective residents, telling the committee: "These are people who need properties… who can't afford a property, and will be housed by housing associations and come off council waiting lists."
Administrative error and planning approval
Matters were complicated when the council mistakenly granted planning permission for the conversion of 25 Upper High Street despite the wider HMO study not being completed. The council said an "administrative error" had led to the decision, which was subsequently withdrawn. Cllr Cuss said his confidence in the planning department had been "shattered" over its "incompetence in the way this has been handled".
Planning permission has now been granted following the completion of the HMO survey. A council planners' report shows officers from housing, environmental health, licensing and council tax teams examined records for 231 properties, finding five HMOs in operation and a further nine with planning permission. Another property was used as a hotel for emergency housing.
Planners concluded: "It is not considered that there is a high concentration of HMOs in the immediate vicinity of the application site, and it is not considered that the proposed change of use in itself would significantly change the immediate character of Rhymney or detrimentally impact the current levels of amenity received by the neighbouring occupiers." Committee members narrowly granted permission, voting 7-6 in favour of the officers' recommendation.
Council debates HMO rules
In the same week, councillors concluded that the number of HMOs in Caerphilly borough is too low to justify a crackdown on new applications. Cllr Janine Reed said HMO applications "frequently attract significant public objection and concern" but are "rarely if ever refused", adding that HMOs provide "more transient" accommodation with higher tenant turnover, which could lead to "challenges for long-term community integration" and cohesion.
"The issue is not whether HMOs should exist, but whether communities, councillors and local authorities have the tools, information and powers necessary to manage their cumulative impact fairly, transparently and in a manner that commands public confidence," she told the council's housing committee.
Cllr Reed's call for change was supported by six other independents and ten Plaid Cymru councillors. But senior planning officer Carwyn Powell told a committee meeting that the council already has the powers to impose tougher rules on HMOs, as long as it could provide a "reasoned planning justification". He said officers had analysed planning, housing and council tax records and found there were "approximately" 145 HMOs overall in the county borough.
The Welsh Government's forecast is 160 HMOs, but Mr Powell said even that figure would fall far short of a reasoned justification. "That is a figure of 1.7 HMOs per 1,000 properties, or 0.2%," he said. "That is an incredibly low figure." Welsh rules state 10% is the threshold at which overconcentration issues "may" arise, he added.
Housing manager Rhian Lloyd-Evans said the council can carry out the same inspections at HMOs as at other private rental properties, noting there was "very little" in the way of "actual complaints about individual HMOs". Mr Powell agreed, telling the committee "we receive very few – I would suggest no – complaints in respect of HMOs" after planning permission is granted.
Cllr Cuss said he supported a review of the rules and suggested increasing licence fees for HMO landlords. "They are already targeting deprived communities, like in my ward, [and] purchase cheaper properties to get the maximum benefit," he claimed. "I think it would help everyone if they were open and transparent about what they want to do in these HMOs, and who is going to be there. We have all sorts of claims online – prison leavers, asylum seekers – and most of the time it's not true, but it would help us as councillors and officers to know what we are voting on."
Others urged caution, including Cllr Shane Williams, who warned against "hysteria" around HMOs and said applications could generate "a lot of misinformation". Cllr Dawn Ingram-Jones said she works regularly with people at risk of homelessness, and HMOs could help single adults find a home. "I do feel they are needed within the borough," she said. "There's not enough for single people." But Cllr Bob Owen told the meeting HMOs were "not the answer" to local housing problems. Following a majority vote, the committee agreed to escalate Cllr Reed's notice of motion to the full council meeting scheduled for mid-November.
