Perivale Community Protests Against HMO Proliferation

Residents of Medway Village say their estate is being destroyed

Medway Village residents protest outside Ealing Town Hall this Tuesday

April 22, 2024

A protest was held ahead of an Ealing Council meeting this Tuesday (16 April) by a group of Perivale residents unhappy with the proliferation of Houses of Multiple Occupation (HMOs) in their community.

Medway Village is an estate with about 900 homes but over the last five years there has been a steady increase in the number of HMOs in the area. There are 27 licensable HMOs currently listed by Ealing Council and on top of this residents believe that there are many more that are non-licensable as they are managed by another public authority or charitable organisation.

The explosion of the number of HMOs in the area is believed to be because it is uniquely attractive to landlords looking to set up HMOs. The village lies at the outer edge of the Inner West London housing benefit zone which means that properties are allowed to charge higher rents. However, the price of property in the location is the cheapest in the zone meaning that it provides the highest yields . As a result, a small number of property investors, identified by residents through Land Registry searches, have been buying up homes in the village and applying to Ealing Council to have them converted into HMOs.

Residents allege that the landlords are seeking to increase their returns further by housing problematic tenants for whom higher rents can be claimed. These can be 30-40% more that the standard rate and this will be covered by housing benefit payment.

Protesters from Perivale outside Ealing Town Hall

The Medway Village Residents’ Association Committee says that this has resulted in a significant number of people with unspent criminal convictions, with substance addiction or with serious mental health issues being housed in the area. It claims that neither the landlords nor the council is providing help and support for many of the people being housed in the area and that the result has been that emergency services are being called to the village on an almost daily basis. In addition the Committee says that street drinking, drug dealing and self-harm by addicts have become common occurrences and women and children in the area have been subject to harassment.

Ealing Council has denied that it places any problematic tenants in HMOs in Medway Village, but it is thought that other agencies including other local councils may be doing so.

It is believed that an increasing number of people with mental health problems are being housed in HMOs in the area because mental health facilities and suitable supported housing provided by the council and third sector have been closing down. The Committee claims that these vulnerable people are being housed with landlords who are not adhering to the conditions of their licence to operate an HMO.

At least 27 of 900 homes in Medway Village have been converted into HMOs

They report one incident in which a report of armed tenants in an HMO required the presence of police snipers on rooftops and another in which an HMO resident living in a flat overlooking Selborne Primary School was exposing himself.

It was the presence of armed police on the estate on 16 February this year that prompted residents to organise a meeting at the Holy Trinity Church hall. A WhatsApp Group formed which now has 600 members and the Medway Village Residents' Association has been set up to co-ordinate a community response to the issue. There is also a Neighbourhood Watch scheme with over 60 volunteers.

A meeting held on Wednesday 3 April was attended by several hundred residents as well Ealing North MP James Murray who acknowledged that Medway Village had some of the most serious issues with HMOs. He told the meeting that Ealing Council is planning to make an ‘Article 4 Direction’ which would require landlords to seek planning permission before converting a property into an HMO something he suggested it should have done two years ago.

The change in policy will have no impact on the HMOs already established in the area and the residents’ association says it has little confidence in the council’s ability to solve this issue.

A council spokesperson said, “We have met with Medway Village residents, and listened to their concerns which we take very seriously. We want to work closely with them and the Police to tackle antisocial behaviour (ASB) and criminal activity wherever it occurs. Where we find evidence that individuals are committing ASB or crime, we and the Police will take action. Our priority is to improve how safe residents feel in their area.

“The council is working on proposals to introduce an Article 4 Direction to require future houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) in the borough to receive planning permission before they can be created.

“Council staff are currently working closely with the Police to review and share information about the most problematic addresses that local residents have reported. In these cases, we will make formal contact with landlord/s to ensure tenancies are effectively and appropriately managed.”