Sefton council is introducing borough-wide measures to control the conversion of properties to Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs).
It approved an Article 4 Direction covering the whole of Sefton.
This will remove permitted development rights for converting a house anywhere in Sefton into a small HMO without planning permission.
Owners will have to apply for planning consent before making such changes, allowing the council to consider the potential impact on the local community.
Owners of larger properties already have to apply for planning permission before conversion to an HMO.
Article 4 Directions are already in place covering Bootle, Litherland, Waterloo and Southport, and in December, Sefton council confirmed another covering for Aintree.
This latest decision will mean the whole of Sefton will be covered.
A five-week public consultation was carried out on the introduction, and no objections were received.
The Secretary of State for Housing approved the proposal.
A council spokesperson says: “This as we all know does not stop houses of multiple occupation.
“What it does do is gives the community a voice and a say in what they would like to see in their neighbourhood and it drives up quality standards which is absolutely the right thing to do.”
This article is taken from Landlord Today