Landlord said he did not believe council considered there to be an overprovision in the area
Dunluce Avenue, South Belfast, Google Maps
A South Belfast property acting as an illegal HMO for over two and a half years has been refused a licence to continue as a house share residence.
Elected representatives at the April meeting of the Belfast Council Licensing Committee refused an application for a new licence to operate a House of Multiple Occupation for 167 Dunluce Avenue, Belfast, BT9. The applicant was Mr Matthew Baskin.
The property had an HMO licence issued by the council with an expiry date of August 1 2023 under the previous owner. The ownership of the property transferred to Mr Baskin in May 2023 but the council was not made aware of the change of ownership at the time.
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The licence in the name of the previous owner ceased to have effect on the date of transfer, in accordance with law. A council inspection of the property took place on December 4 2025 and officers concluded the property was being occupied as an unlicensed HMO. The council received a HMO licence application from the new landlord that very same day.
By March 2026, 67 percent of all dwelling units in policy area “Ulsterville” was made up of HMOs and other intensive forms of accommodation such as apartments, which in turn exceeds the 20 percent development limit set out in policy. There are 250 licensed HMOs, that is 22 percent of the total housing stock, with a capacity of 1074 persons, in Ulsterville.
A council officer told the Licensing Committee: “On April 13 2026 (the applicant) said at no stage was he aware that the council considered there would be an overprovision of HMOs in the BT9 area, or that this would be a determining factor in refusal.
“(He said) the property supports individuals on modest incomes who face structural barriers in the private rented market. It provides secure well-maintained accommodation where alternatives are limited, and the rental offering is priced at an accessible levy in the context of the current cost-of-living crisis.”
Alliance Councillor Tara Brooks proposed the application be refused. She said: “This has been an unlicensed HMO for two and a half years, and there is clear overprovision in the area.”
Houses of Multiple Occupation, also known as a “house-share” residencies, which landlords lease out to three or more tenants from different addresses, have become increasingly controversial, with some arguing they have negatively affected communities and led to anti-social behaviour in places like the Holylands and Stranmillis in South Belfast, where landlords pack houses with undergraduates, young professionals and others.
Applications for new HMO licences have increased in other parts of the city in recent years. A series of applications have been refused across the city, but many applicants are successfully appealing the decisions via the Planning Appeals Commission.
HMO licence renewal cannot be refused on the basis of overprovision of such properties in an area, but new licences can be refused on this basis.
While the council policy is that HMOs should not account for more than 20 percent of any area of housing management, in reality many streets exceed this, with some in the Holylands reaching over 90 percent. Outside housing policy areas the threshold is 10 percent.
Council officers at the Licensing and Planning Committees at City Hall continue to argue that while overprovision is a problem in areas, HMOs remain an essential mode of housing. Meanwhile some local politicians are airing concerns that HMOs are becoming conflated with immigration levels, amidst a rising tide of racist debate on social media.
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