Two councillors have called for a probe into shared homes after four “HMO” plans were submitted for two streets in a matter of weeks.

Cllrs Shakeel Hussain and Sufi Mubeen, who represent the Ropner ward on Stockton Council, say residents are concerned after proposals were put in for four homes of multiple occupation (HMOs). If approved, the seven to 10-bed houses on Shaftesbury Street and Cranbourne Terrace would accommodate up to 35 people in total.

The councillors argue such homes can harm and unbalance communities, spark decline and make residents feel threatened, with increased crime, anti-social behaviour, litter and noise. They say residents have even been forced to sell their homes and move out.

Cllr Hussain said: “There’s been an influx of HMOs. They’ve been on the increase.

“I think we’re at a tipping point at the moment. We’ll eventually get to a point where the majority of a street becomes HMOs. It’s a very big problem within our ward because we’re so close to the town.

“When we’ve spoken to residents, they’ve said there’s no respect for the area.”

He expressed concern about whether HMOs would be kept up to standard or tenants vetted, and about non-local landlords: “They don’t feel the impact it has on the community. They’re just trying to maximise the revenue rather than looking at the quality they’re giving to tenants.

“Some residents feel threatened… It has moved people out. People who own their homes, they’re desperate to leave because of the decline of the area.

“If you’ve got three HMOs and you’ve got 30 single people living there, it’s changing the diversity and the nature of the population of that area.

“When you go down to these streets it doesn’t resemble a normal community. It resembles something different… where some residents fear that they have to do a risk assessment before they step out of the door.

“Although they do help alleviate housing problems, I think it gets to a point where there has to be a fine balance, where you have people who own homes, families, and people who live in HMOs, who are primarily single, and they are more people of a transient nature, coming and going more frequently.”

He has objected to some of the HMO schemes under consideration for the two streets, also raising issues of loss of privacy and open space, property devaluation, health, access, traffic and over-development. He said residents opposed the plans and too many HMOs had already contributed to decline.

With the four HMO schemes under consideration – after another plan for an eight-bed HMO on Shaftesbury Street was withdrawn in July – Cllr Hussain says the time has come for a rethink: “I think there should be a look into HMOs, maybe how many HMOs are allowed in one street.

“There should be a ratio in a residential area, a proportion that should be allocated if there’s going to be HMOs and you can’t go above that. We believe the council should look at the issues of HMOs licences and what the pros and cons are, how many should be allowed.

“We believe there should be a full review of existing HMOs, the quality and the service they provide and the kind of impact they’re having on the community they’re in, how applications are approved.”

Cllr Mubeen pointed to practical issues like parking, cleanliness, kitchen and bathroom facilities: “It’s just a small space. It’s very hard to provide these things in one building. It looks like the landlords try to make more money out of one house.

“In residential areas we already have a problem, people suffering on a daily basis. We have anti-social behaviour problems, noise problems.

“HMO applications are increasing on a daily basis. That’s a big concern for us and the community.”

One resident objected to two of the plans, saying on the council’s planning portal that people in HMOs “struggled to reside in peace and harmony with fellow residents” and referring to worries over fires, crime, drugs, noise, waste, rats, traffic, landlords, residents’ health and wellbeing, the street’s reputation and “unfamiliar and concerning individuals”.

The objector said: “As a long-term resident of the street, I have not witnessed any of the HMO properties being a success and of benefit to the locals.

“The more HMO properties and its occupants we have on the street, the more we feel we cannot leave our own homes due to the fear of being the victims of a violent crime.”

Another objector said: “Cranbourne Terrace is already a hotspot for antisocial behaviour, drug dealing, stealing, drug abuse taking place on a daily basis and has been reported on many occasions… Another HMO would just add to the problem which has severely degraded the area already.”

Cleveland Police commented on one of the plans, suggesting the developer get in touch to discuss good security measures: “Whilst HMOs have the potential to increase the risk of crime and disorder locally… these risks can be significantly reduced when the premises are well managed and tenants are suitably vetted.”

A Stockton Council spokesperson said: “We are aware of the concerns raised by councillors regarding homes in multiple occupation and officers are exploring a number of options as to how this can be looked at. In addition to this, in the same way members of the public can object, councillors are able to register their concerns about planning applications by submitting their views via the planning portal.”

A spokesperson for Pyramid Architectural Design, agent for one of the Shaftesbury Street applications, said: “Whilst we do appreciate the perceived issues raised by those who have commented on our and other planning agents’ applications for HMOs in this location, Pyramid are always acting on behalf of our clients, who we trust to have the best interests of the property and its location at heart.

“There is a clear need for single-person residencies in Stockton and other planning authorities locally. Our clients aim to meet this need by converting empty and derelict property, lifting it into future viable use, while providing much-needed homes.

“Proposals create single-person homes which exceed the minimum standards, ensuring they are fully compliant with all relevant planning, licensing, and building control legislation. We do recognise the reservations of those making comment, there are clearly social and economic issues which dictate an area’s demographic, though this is not something we as planning agents can control.

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“HMOs do not invite these issues, they already exist in the area, this is due to many factors outside our control. There is clearly a demand for properties of this type and occupancy rates are always high.

“Our clients envisage that HMOs will be home to contractors primarily. It would never be the intention of either Pyramid or our clients to provide anything but high-standard living accommodation which fits policy and local need.”

Endeavour Design, which acts as agent for the other three plans, has declined to comment.