No More HMOs in Enfield
Challenging HMO Overdevelopment in Our Borough
Our politicians count bedrooms as homes. We believe Enfield residents deserve better than a room with a shared kitchen and no security. It's time for honest housing policy.
London faces a housing emergency. House prices and rents have risen dramatically, pushing homeownership out of reach for ordinary Londoners. Many can't even afford to rent—and those who can often watch over a third of their income disappear on housing costs each month.
Our politicians—in Westminster, City Hall, and Enfield Council—like to tell us they have the answers. They trumpet big, headline-grabbing projects like the Crews Hill development.
What they don't want to talk about is how they're quietly housing our poorer and most vulnerable residents: by converting family homes across Enfield into cramped, poorly regulated bedsits.
For many HMO landlords, the magic number is six bedrooms. That's because this is maximum allowed without having to get special permission for anything bigger.
Day to day, it means having your own bedroom but sharing a kitchen, bathroom, and living spaces with several other tenants—people you probably didn't know before moving in.
To our politicians, a home is a home. If converting one family house into a six-bedroom HMO means their spreadsheet now shows six homes instead of one, they call that progress. It's a kind of bureaucratic magic.
But reality isn't so magical.
Our elected officials have embraced a lazy assumption: that the market will provide. What the market actually provides is cramped accommodation in poorly chosen locations, maximised for profit rather than liveability.
Meanwhile, they turn a blind eye to poor-quality conversions, inadequate maintenance, and landlords who fail to meet even the basic standards they promised to uphold.
Let us be clear: this campaign does not target the people who live in HMOs. They are often hardworking people trying to get on with their lives, sometimes in difficult circumstances, just like anyone else.
The problem lies with politicians who prefer easy numbers over genuine solutions, and with a regulatory system that allows landlords to profit while tenants and neighbours bear the costs.
Many residents endure poor conditions, insecurity, and isolation. A room is not a home. People deserve stability, privacy, and dignity.
Increased noise, parking pressure, waste management issues, and changing street character affect established Enfield communities.
Converting a family home to an HMO can double or triple rental income with minimal risk—the incentives are all wrong.
Licensing exists on paper, but enforcement is patchy. Enfield Council has stated that 70% of HMOs inspected did not meet safety or housing standards.
Whether you're a tenant, a neighbour, or facing a new HMO application near you—we want to hear from you so we can understand what is really happening in Enfield. Choose the option that fits your situation:
Living in an HMO and unhappy with your conditions? Experiencing problems with your landlord, the property, or your living situation? We want to hear your story.
tenant@no-hmo.comExperiencing issues with an existing HMO in your street? Problems with noise, parking, waste, anti-social behaviour, or property standards? Tell us what's happening.
neighbour@no-hmo.comSpotted a planning application for an HMO conversion on your street or in your area? Let us know.
planning@no-hmo.com