Plans to convert a Chingford family home into a house in multiple occupation (HMO) have been lodged with Waltham Forest Council.
The proposals, put forward earlier this month by Shqiponja Plaku, would repurpose a two-storey home in Lower Hall Lane into an HMO for six tenants. HMOs are properties where individual residents rent rooms and share amenities such as kitchens and toilets.
The applicant describes the property — the middle of three terraced houses — as "comfortable", owing to a loft conversion on the third floor.
Under the layout submitted, one person would live in a single bedroom on the ground floor, which would also hold a communal toilet, kitchen and living room. The first floor would consist of a single bedroom and a two-person bedroom along with a communal toilet, while the loft floor would house a two-person bedroom with an en-suite bathroom.
"Given the acute need for residential accommodations within the borough, the applicant believes this use of the property is appropriate and should be granted permission," a planning statement reads.
HMOs in London can prove controversial with existing neighbours, who sometimes raise concerns about potential overcrowding on the street and antisocial behaviour.
In a bid to head off any such problems, the applicant has submitted an HMO management plan setting out how tenants would handle "property maintenance, noise levels, and neighbourly conduct". Residents would be asked to follow a set of rules, including "treating fellow occupants, neighbouring residents and visitors with courtesy and respect" and "avoiding excessive noise, anti-social behaviour or any activity that may cause nuisance or disturbance to other occupants or neighbouring properties".
