Black Country housing crisis laid bare as seven new HMO applications are lodged each month in Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton
More than 250 applications for new houses of multiple occupancy have been lodged in the Black Country and surrounding areas over the past three years - a rate of seven every month in Wolverhampton, Sandwell, Walsall and Dudley
The figures come after Sandwell Council's new opposition leader, Councillor Amrita Dunn, voiced her dismay at the growing number of hostels in the borough and pledged to make them one of her priorities.
They lay bare the extent of the housing crisis in the West Midlands, and have led to concerns about a correlation between the rising number of hostels and crime rates.
Houses of multiple occupation (HMOs) are properties where bedrooms are sub-let to individual tenants, who share communal rooms such as kitchens and bathrooms.
Councillor Dunn said halting their growth would be one of her priorities when she was elected as leader of Sandwell's opposition Conservative group, saying more needed to be done to prevent their proliferation.
"The unchecked growth and poor regulation of houses in multiple occupation have had a serious impact on neighbourhoods across Sandwell," she said.
Councillor Simran Cheema, Labour member for Willenhall South on Walsall Council, said her ward was now 'saturated' with the buildings, which caused problems with parking and anti-social behaviour.
“There is a growing sense of frustration among residents regarding the number of HMO planning applications in Willenhall," she said.
Major HMO schemes currently being considered include plans to convert the Regent House office block in Dudley town centre into a 35-bedroom hostel, and plans for a 36-bed HMO in a Grade II-listed former office block opposite West Bromwich Town Hall. A previous application for a 35-bed HMO in the same building had been approved in 2020, but never materialised.
