The Hidden HMO Crisis Exploiting Havering Residents.

House of Multiple Occupation, or HMO as they are commonly known, is a term that divides opinion. For some, it represents the only affordable way to keep a roof over their head. For others, it is nothing short of a nuisance. But one thing is clear: when HMOs operate illegally, everyone loses — except the rogue landlords cashing in.

In Havering, there are 324 officially licensed HMOs, but campaigners and housing experts believe the true number is far higher. National figures suggest up to 75% of HMOs in London are unlicensed, meaning Havering could have hundreds of hidden, illegal HMOs scattered across the borough. These are properties that never make it onto the council’s official register, yet pack in tenants under unsafe, overcrowded and exploitative conditions.

Residents have seen illegal HMOs spring up overnight: poorly constructed wooden extensions, box rooms converted into so-called “bedrooms”, old mattresses crammed into filthy spaces, and rubbish piled high in back gardens. The impact is clear — declining neighbourhood standards, rising anti-social behaviour, and health and safety risks for those living inside.

There is only one winner here and this is the rogue landlords who exploit people.They don’t live here. They don’t care what state the property is in, as long as it makes them money.

Meanwhile, those desperate for housing are left paying extortionate rents for substandard living conditions. It’s a double exploitation: tenants suffering inside the HMOs, and neighbours enduring the blight they bring to local communities.

Havering Council insists it is tackling the issue, but the reality is far from straightforward. Shutting down an illegal HMO isn’t as simple as knocking on the door. The council must prove the property is operating as an HMO — often requiring evidence of multiple tenants, room layouts, and shared facilities. In the meantime, landlords continue to rake in profits while residents are left to live with the consequences.

Quick and decisive action is desperately needed. As long as loopholes exist and rogue landlords operate unchecked, Havering’s communities will remain vulnerable.

Illegal HMOs aren’t just about poor housing standards — they represent a system of exploitation, where both tenants and neighbours pay the price, while absentee landlords cash in.

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