Falkirk Council to continue to monitor HMOs despite low number

The report was compiled after concerns about their use in the area.

HMOs are houses or flats that are shared by three or more people who are not members of the same family – most commonly for student accommodation.

Labour councillor Alan Nimmo, who represents Grangemouth, had asked for the report in August, saying he had been contacted by constituents who were anxious about recent applications to create new HMOs in the town.

His motion called for a report to determine if there were “grounds for considering if there is an over concentration of HMOs in Grangemouth (or part of it) and in any other communities in the council area”.

The result of that investigation was presented to a recent meeting of Falkirk Council executive.

Members heard that currently there are 28 licences across the council area; 13 in Falkirk North; eight in Grangemouth; three in Falkirk South; and two each in Lower Braes and Bonnybridge & Larbert.

Of these, 23 of the licences are held by Falkirk Council, NHS Forth Valley and a housing association, mostly providing supported accommodation.

One is held by a care home, with four further privately held licences.

By way of comparison, according to the report, in 2024 the Stirling Council area recorded 763 licences; Edinburgh 6325; and Glasgow 3364.

The 2024 figure for the whole of Scotland is 15,274, with many of those found in university towns, for use as student accommodation.

But the report highlighted that HMO’s also provided much-needed housing for some people on low incomes and are often used by young professionals and mobile workers.

Overall, the report found that the number of licences in the council area has fallen from 41 in 2010, a reduction of 29 per cent.

And it noted that the planning application figures tell a similar story; since 2010, there have been only 15 applications for change of use to an HMO, 11 of which have been granted, two withdrawn, one refused, and one pending.

Scottish Government planning rules recognise that too many HMOs can have negative effects on community, such as increasing house prices, reducing availability for non-HMO residents and leading to a high number of transient residents and less community cohesion.

However, the report concluded that the low number of applications in the Falkirk area did not justify creating an over-provision policy.

Due to the concerns raised in the community, however, the numbers will continue to be monitored.

Councillors heard that much of the concern over HMOs was caused by the belief that they are primarily used for homeless people.

Chief executive Kenneth Lawrie said that some of the concern around HMOs is “probably linked to broader concerns in our communities which we are all aware of” – including asylum seekers currently being housed in the Cladhan Hotel.

“Concerns about HMO’s may relate to that but as we can see from the data and numbers in the report, it’s not a significant issue in terms of numbers in Falkirk at the current time,” he added.