IT IS feared that community spirit is breaking down Due to the number of shared houses.

And the concerns that communities are being affected by the increasing number of houses in multiple occupation (HMOs) have led to a review.

If evidence supports those fears tougher rules may be brought in by Brighton and Hove City Council to make it harder to convert family homes into these shared houses.

The council’s Tourism, Development and Culture Committee discussed how to  tackle the spread of shared houses at a meeting at Hove Town Hall.

The review came about in part in response to a petition submitted to a previous meeting of the committee.

Residents asked the council to restrict number the number of HMOs in Bennett Road, Bristol Street and Prince’s Terrace and “preserve our lovely community spirit which is alive and well”.

A property becomes a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) if it’s let as a main or only home and at least three tenants who form more than one family household. The tenants must also be sharing a kitchen, bathroom or toilet to be a HMO

At the moment there are controls on new HMOs in Hanover and Elm Grove, Moulsecoomb and Bevendean, St Peter’s and North Laine, Hollingdean and Stanmer and Queen’s Park.

Now other parts of Brighton and Hove want the same protection to prevent more family homes from being converted into shared houses, a number of which are student houses.

Rottingdean Coastal ward Conservative councillor Mary Mears told the committee how the creep was crossing into her ward.

Councillor Mears said: “It’s already happening, not going to happen, at the lower end of Rottingdean Coastal ward. Arundel Street and Arundel Road already have HMO problems.”

She is pushing for restrictions to include at least part of her ward.

Queens’ Park’s Labour councillor Adrian Morris said: “I do really think this identifies the breakdown of community cohesion.”

East Brighton’s three Labour councillors Warren Morgan, Gill Mitchell and Nancy Platts wrote in support of those residents who raised concerns about the increasing number of shared houses in their area.

The Housing Act 2004 requires landlords of larger HMOs to apply for licences. HMOs that need to be licensed are those which have three or more storeys, and which are occupied by five or more people forming two or more households (ie people not related or living together as a couple), and have an element of shared facilities, (eg kitchen, bathroom, etc).