Letter: Why Is Our Council Ignoring the Erosion of Family Housing?

Published on: 19 Jun, 2026
Updated on: 19 Jun, 2026

Guildford HMO map

From Tamsin Mayhead

Guildford Residents for Responsible HMOs organiser

In response to: Who Will Champion Residents Concerned By HMOs Now?

I would like to thank former councillor Fiona Davidson for her letter on the subject of Houses of Multiple Occupancy or HMOs.

This is indeed a serious concern, and it is exactly why we are now working hard to gather the necessary information, evidence, and residents’ support to encourage the council to introduce appropriate restrictions going forward and help achieve a better balance for the area.

In researching other councils, it has become clear that Guildford is one of the few large university towns that appears to be taking little action to address the continued erosion of family housing. It is difficult to understand why, in 2023/24, the council chose to overlook its own data identifying streets at high risk and did not act.

Implementing protective measures such as “Article 4 directions”, percentage limits, and “sandwich” or block rules, would not prevent all HMOs, but would instead help manage their distribution. This would ensure a more balanced and sustainable environment for everyone in the community.

We would welcome any help or information others might have to help us. We are in contact with Cllr Howard Smith (Lab, Westborough).

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