‘These houses are like chicken coops…it’s bad for people’s health’
Oldham council is pushing for stricter regulations on HMOs (Houses in Multiple Occupation) due to concerns over overcrowding, declining housing quality, and pressure on local services. Councillors highlight the negative impact of poorly maintained HMOs, comparing them to 'chicken coops' that harm residents' health. The council plans to lobby the government for national rule changes, as local measures like Article 4 directions are currently not viable for Oldham.
Oldham council has launched a campaign for tighter controls on shared houses after their numbers nearly doubled in five years, with members branding the worst properties “chicken coops” unfit for human habitation.
Councillors voted almost unanimously at Wednesday night’s full council meeting to demand government action on Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), warning that current rules allow landlords to cram tenants into substandard conditions without council oversight.
Under national regulations, HMOs housing up to five people escape licensing requirements entirely. Deputy council leader Elaine Taylor told the chamber this loophole has fuelled “overcrowding, pressure on local services, and a decline in housing quality” across the borough.
“We think it should be a level playing field for all HMOs no matter their size so that all of our residents can live in good quality housing,” Taylor said. “It is clear that in many cases, bad HMOs are designed to cram in as many people as physically possible into the smallest space to ensure the best financial return from that property.”
Liberal Democrat councillor Sam Al-Hamdani, who lived in HMOs early in his career, acknowledged they can provide affordable housing for young professionals. “But all too often, they really are not. The whole system is just broken,” he said. “You see applications going in for some of these properties which are just below what any decent society should regard as a basic level for human rights: no windows, not enough space, just unacceptable standards. It is desperate.”
Labour councillor Peter Davis went further, comparing the worst examples to “chicken coops” that damage residents’ long-term health.
The council cannot introduce an Article 4 direction - which would give them direct control over new HMOs - because Oldham falls just short of the threshold. Instead, they will lobby local MPs and the housing secretary for national rule changes.
The vote follows protests in Shaw, where residents claim their community is being overrun by “low quality shared housing for profit.” Their campaign recently blocked a 22-bed HMO planned for a former health centre after planners ruled it fell “below acceptable living standards.”
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