BBC investigation reveals London’s unlicensed HMO crisis

A BBC probe airing tonight (Friday) reveals a surge in unlicensed Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs) across London, exposing tenants to hazardous and cramped living conditions.

Reporter Tarah Welsh delves into the capital’s shadowy rental sector, meeting residents trapped in properties lacking basic amenities, legal agreements or personal space.

The BBC says that its evidence points to some HMO hotspots have more unlicensed properties that licensed.

One London borough says it has 3,000 licensed HMOs, but estimates there could really be two or three times that number.

One expert calculate that in one part of Newham, there could be more than 700 unlicensed HMOs where there are 75 licensed homes.

In Tower Hamlets, one area could have 500 unlicensed HMOs, with just 50 being publicly listed.

And around Old Kent Road in Southwark, there are 232 licensed HMOs but there could be more than 300 illegal ones.

Black-market housing crisis

The BBC blurb says these stories highlight a growing black-market housing crisis, where criminal landlords exploit vulnerable tenants while evading regulations.

Ms Welsh’s investigation uncovers how these property owners profit by flouting laws designed to ensure safe and manageable homes.

Despite licensing schemes aimed at protecting tenants, many HMOs operate under the radar for years.

That’s because overstretched local councils struggle to enforce compliance, even when violations are flagged up to them, the programme says.

Illegal HMOs in the capital

The programme also questions why countless illegal HMOs in the capital go unnoticed and explores the risks for those living in them.

One tenant recounts his ordeal in a two-bedroom flat shared with 20 others, where a deadly fire erupted.

Elsewhere, a family of four lives in a single room.

It follows a controversial Panorama broadcast which focused on estate agents and conditional selling, costing homebuyers thousands of pounds extra in fees and add-on services.

The broadcast, For Rent: Rooms Under the Radar, airs on BBC 1 at 8pm but only in London, though it will be available on iPlayer after the programme is broadcast.