Bath is considering new regulations to prevent the conversion of “family homes” into houses in multiple occupation (HMOs). HMOs are shared houses where unrelated adults—such as students, professionals, and low-income workers—live together and share facilities. While these accommodations serve essential needs, the local council warns that the rise in HMOs has contributed to the city’s worsening housing crisis by reducing the availability of affordable family homes.
Bath and North East Somerset Council is proposing a ban on converting three-bedroom family homes into HMOs. If approved, this policy would be incorporated into the council’s new local plan, which outlines planning policies and development guidelines for the city through 2043.
Matt McCabe, the council’s cabinet member for built environment, housing, and sustainable development, highlighted Bath’s unique challenges. The city’s designation as a World Heritage Site restricts expansion into surrounding green spaces, limiting opportunities to build new homes. McCabe emphasized that when an affordable family home is converted into an HMO, it cannot be replaced. “There is nowhere in the city now to build houses. Hence a new policy direction to sit alongside our existing policy direction. We have got to stop the loss of this housing stock from the city,” he said.
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During a council cabinet meeting on September 25, the proposed ban on three-bedroom homes was part of a broader 448-page local plan options document aimed at addressing the government-mandated need for 27,000 new homes in the region. The ban could apply citywide or be restricted to the most affordable neighborhoods.
This proposal follows a 2022 policy intended to limit the concentration of HMOs in certain areas. However, officials noted that this previous approach displaced HMO conversions into other parts of the city, where housing is more affordable, inadvertently increasing the loss of family homes.
Liberal Democrat councillor Jess David expressed concern during a council debate on September 24, saying: “Over the last six years, I have seen a steady stream of planning applications in the Moorlands area seeking to convert family homes—typically two or three bedrooms—into houses of multiple occupation. This trend is directly exacerbating Bath’s housing crisis. With every small family house converted to an HMO, we reduce the supply of suitable homes for other families to rent or buy.”
Shortly afterward, the council’s planning committee unanimously rejected a proposal to convert a three-bedroom home in Twerton into a six-bedroom HMO due to overdevelopment concerns. Committee member Paul Crossley acknowledged the urgency of the issue, stating: “This is a real issue and something as a council we have to address much more seriously—and quickly, because of the speed with which these applications are coming in.”
The local plan options document will be open for public consultation from October 3 to November 14.