Liverpool City Council has been using multiple occupancy homes (HMOs) that were refused permission.
A BBC investigation uncovered that no fewer than three properties in the Tuebrook and Kensington areas of the city were used as placements by the local authority.
Council housing chiefs were also found not to have been checking whether the houses had been cleared for planning permission before moving people in to them.
The properties have been the responsibility of Vitality Homes, who claim to have provided ‘safe, supported accommodation’ to over 2,000 people since 2018.
They also insist independent legal advice suggests ‘the appropriate documentation was in place for continued HMO use’ despite the council moving people out of them.
Cllr Joe Dunne, who represents the Liberal Party in Tuebrook, is concerned that the disconnect between council departments has led to the oversight on HMOs.
“On one hand, planning is saying ‘no’, while on the other, housing services are effectively saying ‘yes’ by continuing to refer people into those same properties,” he told the BBC..
“Residents in areas like ours already feel the pressure of overconcentration and poor regulation.
“This only reinforces the perception that rules are not being applied consistently, and that some neighbourhoods are being treated as a dumping ground.”
A council spokesperson responded to the revelations, saying: “Housing Options team are working with the planning team to ensure that all properties used by Vitality Homes have the correct permissions in place.
“Where, or if, this has been found not to be the case, alternative accommodation is being sought.”