A street in Guildford faces a transformation as family homes give way to Houses of Multiple Occupancy (HMOs), sparking concerns about community erosion. 

Family homes on Applegarth Avenue have been turned into HMOs. Another four were approved on Applegarth Avenue at a Guildford Borough Council planning committee meeting on July 17.

The properties or ‘house shares’, are made up of students and young professionals who rent their bedrooms and share living facilities. Applegarth Avenue, a residential area around the Royal Surrey Hospital, currently has 25 registered HMOs and two more pending.

The four separate applications include five-bedroom properties which are being converted to seven-bedroom units for rent. Only properties rented by five or more people require a HMO licence. 

“It’s lost the heart of the street,” said Will, who has lived on the street for 20 years with his four children.

“It used to be full of families, but now it’s just people who leave to go to work and come back again. Only one person says ‘hi’.”

Another couple on the avenue said the “community has changed”, and the ‘neighbourhood watch’ part of looking out for people had gone. 

Cllr Howard Smith spoke against the separate applications in his ward at the meeting. Claiming the HMOs are “taking over” the area and it is the “number one issue” he gets.

He added: “People are getting really tired of three-bedroom family homes being put up for sale and turned into HMOs.”

Highlighting residents’ concerns, Cllr Smith said the HMOs would “change the character” of the area and “lose the community” by making a street predominantly of groups of individual renters.

The committee were not convinced that Cllr Smith could prove a need for three-bedroom or family houses. Expressing reluctance at supporting the applications, councillors said they were struggling to find a policy against it. 

Guidance for HMOs per road varies for each local authority. If the pending applications were approved, it would result in 31 HMOs which equates to 16 per cent of the dwellings within Applegarth Avenue.

Car parking was flagged as a concern as application documents showed between three and four spaces would be available for a seven-bedroom property. Surrey Highways raised no objections but added conditions.

A “disappointed” Cllr Smith said the Liberal Democrat councillors on the panel and his ward are “out of touch” with residents as they “do not care” about residents’ concerns with HMOs.

Responding to criticism, Cllr Julia McShane said: “Cllr Lowry and I are aware of and deeply understand the concerns of residents about HMOs across our ward.

“Many of the perceived concerns of HMOs such as parking or antisocial behaviour are an issue in all areas, and which can be associated with all property tenures and households,” she added. 

The Lib Dem administration is bringing a report to review the Licensing of HMOs to a council committee on July 22. The full council meeting on July 23 is also looking at delivering new homes at the Guildford Park Road site.