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HMO Article 4 directions in England

An Article 4 direction removes the right to turn a family house into a small HMO without planning permission. This page lists every HMO Article 4 area that English councils publish to the government’s planning data service, grouped by council and refreshed every week. To see the boundaries, open the HMO licensing map with Article 4 areas switched on.

Last reviewed 12 November 2026

Councils with HMO Article 4 areas

Councils
64
Article 4 areas
981
Last checked
12 Nov 2026

From planning.data.gov.uk, checked weekly. England only, and only councils that publish to the national dataset.

64 councils

Recently added areas

  1. Butterfield Green and Business park (2022) (opens in a new tab) · LutonAdded 15 Sept 2026 · effective 1 Aug 2022
  2. Capability Green (2022) (opens in a new tab) · LutonAdded 15 Sept 2026 · effective 1 Aug 2022
  3. Land adjoining Hayling Drive and its approaches from Wigmore Lane (1975) (opens in a new tab) · LutonAdded 15 Sept 2026 · effective 9 Jul 1975
  4. Land at Kingsway (2023) (opens in a new tab) · LutonAdded 15 Sept 2026 · effective 6 Oct 2023
  5. Land at Percival Way, Prince Way and President Way (2023) (opens in a new tab) · LutonAdded 15 Sept 2026 · effective 6 Oct 2023
  6. Land at the junction of Putteridge Road and Hitchin Road (2023) (opens in a new tab) · LutonAdded 15 Sept 2026 · effective 6 Oct 2023
  7. Land at the south end of Hayhurst Road and Stanton Road (1960) (opens in a new tab) · LutonAdded 15 Sept 2026 · effective 11 Jan 1960
  8. Land to the north of the junction between Wigmore Lane and Eaton Green Road (2023) (opens in a new tab) · LutonAdded 15 Sept 2026 · effective 6 Oct 2023
  9. Land to the north-west of Osborne Road (2023) (opens in a new tab) · LutonAdded 15 Sept 2026 · effective 6 Oct 2023
  10. Luton Town Centre and Surrounds (2023) (opens in a new tab) · LutonAdded 15 Sept 2026 · effective 6 Oct 2023

What an HMO Article 4 direction does

In England, changing a house from a family home (use class C3) to a small HMO (use class C4, three to six unrelated people sharing) is normally permitted development under Class L of Part 3 of the General Permitted Development Order 2015. A council can remove that right for a defined area with an Article 4 direction. Inside the area, the change of use then needs a full planning application, which the council judges against its local HMO policies (often a cap on the share of HMOs in a street or neighbourhood).

Large HMOs, with seven or more people, are sui generis and need planning permission everywhere, with or without a direction. A direction is also separate from HMO licensing: a licence does not grant planning permission, and planning permission does not replace a licence. More background: Article 4 direction explained.

How to check a specific address

  1. Find the council in the list above and open it to see each area and when it took effect.
  2. Use Show on the map to check whether the address falls inside a boundary. Areas can be a whole district, a group of wards or a single street.
  3. Confirm with the council’s planning team before you buy or convert. The national dataset is a guide, not a legal record, and boundaries can be drawn more precisely in the direction itself.
  4. If the property was already lawfully used as an HMO before the direction took effect, that use can usually continue. Keep evidence of the date it started (tenancy agreements, licence, council tax records), and consider a lawful development certificate.

Councils that are not in this list

Councils are not required to publish their Article 4 directions to the national dataset, and several with long-standing city-wide HMO directions do not appear here yet. If your council is missing, it does not mean there is no direction. Check the council’s planning policy pages, or read our council guides for Leeds, Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Bristol, Brighton, Coventry, Liverpool, Southampton, Oxford, Northampton, Lambeth, Brent and Ealing.

Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland

  • Wales has its own C4 small HMO use class and Welsh councils can make Article 4 directions, but the national dataset above covers England only. Check the Welsh council’s planning pages, and see HMO licensing in Wales.
  • Scotland and Northern Ireland have no C4 use class, so HMO Article 4 directions do not apply. Change of use is handled through the normal planning system, alongside HMO licensing: Scotland, Northern Ireland.

Where this data comes from

Every week we download the Article 4 direction area dataset from planning.data.gov.uk, run by the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government. We keep areas that withdraw the C3 to C4 permitted development right (Class L) or whose direction text is about HMOs, and drop directions about other things such as shopfronts or demolition. Each area links to its record on planning.data.gov.uk. Dates are as the council published them; a few areas have no effective date.

Frequently asked questions

Does an Article 4 direction stop me letting my house as an HMO

It means you need planning permission to change a family house into a small HMO in that area. An HMO that was lawfully in use before the direction took effect can usually carry on.

Is Article 4 the same as additional HMO licensing

No. Article 4 is planning: whether the use is allowed. Licensing is housing law: whether the HMO is safe and well managed. Many areas have both, and you may need planning permission and a licence.

How often is this list updated

Weekly, from the government’s planning data service. A direction appears here once the council publishes it to that service, which can be months after the council adopts it.

Why does a council show hundreds of areas

Some councils publish one record per street or property rather than one boundary for the whole direction. Open the council to see each area, or view them on the map.