Residents on Princes Street in Mansfield say the growing number of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) is putting pressure on parking, waste collection and the community’s long-standing character.
They estimate that at least 15 of the road’s 42 properties are now HMOs or have been divided into flats, with further applications in the pipeline. Some have called for limits on the concentration of shared homes, while one resident said the street might as well be renamed “HMO Street”.
The latest dispute followed Mansfield District Council’s approval of plans to expand an existing six-bedroom HMO to accommodate 10 people. An application was also lodged in August to convert number five into a six-person HMO, despite objections from locals.
Martin Radcliffe, a 62-year-old retired computer programmer who has lived on Princes Street since 1990, said the changes were “killing the community”.
He said many of the larger houses had been bought cheaply and converted into multiple bedrooms, often without additional parking. “If you get in after 5pm you’re lucky if you can find a parking space anywhere on the street,” he said.
Mr Radcliffe estimated that one of the properties could generate about £50,000 a year if rooms were rented separately. He said a whole house would normally rent to a family for between £680 and £900 a month, making conversion into an HMO a more lucrative option for landlords.
However, he stressed that his concerns were about the number and concentration of HMOs, rather than the people living in them.
“They’re just normal people that come and go,” he said. “It could be that these are doctors or nurses staying for six months and then leaving.”
Princes Street is 1.7 miles from King’s Mill Hospital, and residents believe some tenants may work for the NHS. They said the issue was the constant turnover of occupants and the additional cars, rather than reports of noisy parties.
Lorry driver Lonel Tolan, 35, said parking had become so difficult that he was sometimes unable to use his own driveway. “The parking is hell,” he said, adding that his family had recently been forced to leave their car on another street.
Neighbour Marius Oprea, 47, said vehicles sometimes blocked drives and rubbish was left on the street. He recalled an occasion when an ambulance struggled to turn because of the congestion.
Residents also complained about overflowing bins, with one local claiming that a neighbour had experienced problems with rats. They fear the proportion of HMOs will continue to rise unless planning controls are tightened.
At least six flats have also been created from former houses on the road. Planning records show approved HMOs at numbers 13 and 49 could accommodate 16 people between them, while plans have been approved to turn number 125 into 12 assisted-living dwellings with staff and a communal space.
One resident said: “It might as well be renamed HMO Street with greedy landlords raking in money at the expense of communities.” She added that she had “no problems with the people living in HMOs”, but believed the situation needed better regulation.
Landlords must apply for an HMO licence where a property is occupied by five or more people from two or more households. Mansfield District Council said there were currently three licensed HMOs on Princes Street, with a further three applications being processed.
The council said any other HMOs on the road did not meet the threshold requiring a licence. A spokesman added that it understood residents’ concerns and was reviewing HMO numbers, distribution and trends across Mansfield.
The authority said it operated both a statutory HMO licensing scheme and a selective licensing scheme in five areas of the district, intended to ensure privately rented properties were safe and properly managed.
