****This petition is for SIGNATURES ONLY you can sign WITHOUT DONATING. Any donations go to Change.org NOT the HMO campaign****

Call for Article 4 and Stronger Licensing Now

We, the undersigned residents of Potters Bar, urgently call on Hertsmere Borough Council to:

1.       Introduce an Article 4 Direction in Potters Bar, requiring planning permission for all new Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs), including those with 3-6 unrelated tenants.

2.       Require new planning applications to declare intended use and apply for a license at the initial planning stage, with penalties applied for any false or misleading information supplied.

3.       Enforce robust HMO licensing conditions for both existing and future HMOs, covering:

• Strict occupancy limits
• Mandatory safety standards (fire doors, smoke alarms, fire escapes)
• Proper waste disposal systems
• Neighbour impact assessments
• Routine inspections both with and without notice (depending on requirement) and enforcement mechanisms
• Facility to revoke existing HMO licenses where deemed necessary 

Why is this so urgent?
Potters Bar is facing an unchecked growth of HMOs, particularly in quiet residential streets that are not designed for high-density occupancy. This is leading to:

• Loss of family homes and erosion of community character
• Rising antisocial behaviour and noise complaints
• Overloaded infrastructure (highways and parking, bins, drainage, and other utilities)
• Increased population puts a strain on medical resources, schools, and social facilities, some of which are already at capacity.
• Neglect of safety standards, putting tenants and neighbours at risk
• Rapid investor buy-ups, squeezing out local families and first-time buyers
• Residents have suffered damage to their property, sometimes running into £1000’s and personal injury from HMO building work
• We are aware that many of our neighbouring boroughs, such as Barnet, Enfield, and Welwyn & Hatfield, already have Article 4 in place - Potters Bar residents are requesting the same consideration and protection be given to our whole town.
• The number of cumulative licensed HMOs in Potters Bar has grown from 3 in 2021 to 75 so far in July 2025, with 15 pending to be licensed. There are many more in development, and many between 1- 6 bedrooms that don’t need a license and will not be recorded

Real-life test cases from Potters Bar:

Case 1 - Forbes Avenue and Southgate Road now have numerous HMOs, with more planned in the area and no limits on numbers. The result:

• Overflowing rubbish bins every week
• Loss of privacy for neighbours
• Increase in crime and anti-social behavior
• Insufficient parking with vehicles parked across pavements daily.

Case 2 - Unsafe conversions with no planning permission or against planning permission and/or building regulations. The result:

• HMO on Oakmere Avenue – The plan submitted for permission shows an open plan communal area; the actual build shows the same area with 2 en-suite bedrooms. The developer has focused on maximum rental yield with no communal space for tenants.
• Oakmere Avenue, rear dormer and rear extension in build with no party wall agreement in place
• Forbes Avenue, extensive internal alteration, no party wall agreement
• Forbes Avenue kitchen installed in the loft
• Tempest Avenue rear extension was built with no steels.

Case 3 – Lack of regulation around who occupies HMOs. The result:

• Meadow Way, Melrose Avenue, and Allandale Crescent - multiple issues reported, including the use of knives.
• Oulton Crescent, drug use and dealing
• Wroxham Gardens vulnerable residents living in fear
• Connisby Drive again, vulnerable residents are enduring anti-social behaviour and are ill-equipped to raise concerns on their own.

These are a few cases, but there are many more instances throughout Potters Bar that have been reported, yet nothing has been done.

What Article 4 + Licensing Will Achieve:

• Restore local oversight - councils can refuse or set conditions for new HMOs
• Protect community cohesion - limit over-concentration of HMOs
• Ensure safe, legal housing - improve tenant safety and quality
• Give residents a voice - planning applications must include community consultation
• Respect and responsibility from our council representatives, showing that they respond and are willing to back up their actions.

We Demand:

1. Immediate designation of Article 4 Direction for all of Potters Bar to require full planning applications for all new HMOs.
2. Introduction of a town-wide additional licensing scheme for all HMOs, regardless of size, to be renewed every 3 years based on inspection.

Sign this petition if you believe:

• Potters Bar should remain a safe, family-friendly town as has been the case for a long time 
• Tenants deserve safe, regulated housing
• Developers and absentee landlords must be held to account
• Our Council must act now before the character of our town is lost forever 
• Over-saturation of HMOs in Potters Bar negatively impacts the local population and has adverse effects on its infrastructure and public services.   

Submission Plan:

• Once this petition reaches 1,000+ signatures, it will be submitted to:
• Hertsmere Borough Council's Planning & Licensing Committees
• Local MPs and ward councilors
• Hertfordshire Planning and building controls 
• Environmental Health
• Local press and Hertsmere Housing Taskforce

 

LET’S PROTECT POTTERS BAR - BEFORE IT’S TOO LATE 

Please sign and share widely.

Every voice matters.