Article 4 HMO Directions 2026: Every English Council That Restricts Small HMOs

If the house is in one of the 116 English council areas below, turning it into a small HMO needs planning permission. Everywhere else in England, a change from a family house (C3) to a shared house for three to six people (C4) is usually permitted development. This page lists every HMO Article 4 direction PlanWatch could find, with the area it covers, the date it took effect and a link to the council's own source. Every entry was checked against a council website or council document on 2 October 2026.

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TL;DR

• Small HMOs (3 to 6 people) are permitted development in England unless an Article 4 direction or a planning condition removes the right. Large HMOs (7+) always need permission.
• 116 councils have an HMO direction in force. 40 cover their whole area, including Birmingham, Manchester, Nottingham, Bolton, Swale and 35 others. The rest cover named wards or streets, so check the map.
• The pace has picked up. 30 councils switched one on in 2025 or 2026, many with immediate directions that take effect the day they are made.
• 10 more are confirmed or made for a future date, and at least 9 are proposed. Buying now for a future conversion is a planning risk.
• No direction found in Buckinghamshire (including Aylesbury Vale), Tamworth, Luton or Peterborough, whose trial direction expired on 1 January 2026.

Jump to: The table · What Article 4 means · Coming soon · No direction found · Worked examples · Checklist · FAQ

The council-by-council table

Search by council or town, or filter by status. "Whole council area" means every street. "Part of the area" means wards, streets or a mapped zone, so open the council's map before deciding. Each council name links to PlanWatch's live planning applications page for that council. The source link goes to the council's own page or document.

No council in the table matches that. That usually means small HMOs are still permitted development there. Check the council's own Article 4 page before you rely on it.

How to read the "Source" column. "Council source" means we saw both the direction and its date on a council page or document. "Council source, confirm map" means the council confirms the direction but the exact boundary or date needs its map or sealed order, which is usually a PDF. Where a council's own documents disagree, we say so in the date column (Darlington is the example).

What an HMO Article 4 direction actually does

A house in multiple occupation (HMO) is a home shared by three or more people who are not one household and who share a kitchen, bathroom or toilet. Planning law splits them in two:

Class L of Part 3 of Schedule 2 to the General Permitted Development Order 2015 lets a C3 house become a C4 small HMO, and back again, without an application. An Article 4 direction is the legal tool a council uses to switch that right off in a defined area. After that, the change needs planning permission, and the council judges it against its local plan policy, usually a cap on the share of HMOs within a set radius (Canterbury's draft plan uses 10% within 100 metres, and Milton Keynes's draft plan uses 35% within a 100-metre buffer).

Three things an Article 4 direction does not do:

1. It does not ban HMOs. It means an application, and many are granted.
2. It does not close existing ones. A lawful small HMO running before the direction took effect can carry on.
3. It does not replace licensing. Mandatory HMO licensing (five or more people forming two or more households) and any additional licensing scheme run separately under the Housing Act 2004.

Immediate and non-immediate directions

A non-immediate direction is advertised first and takes effect at least 12 months later, which is why Gloucester's confirmed direction does not bite until 3 March 2027. An immediate direction takes effect the day it is made, then has to be confirmed within six months. Bolton (June 2025), Rossendale (September 2025), Hillingdon (December 2025), Wyre (February 2026), Swale (July 2026) and Ribble Valley (August 2026) all used immediate directions. Where a direction takes effect with less than 12 months' notice, owners refused permission in the first year may be able to claim compensation, subject to the statutory conditions and deadlines.

Directions coming into force soon

These are confirmed or made, but not yet operative. If you complete a conversion and start the HMO use before the date, the direction will not catch it. After it, you need permission.

• Redcar and Cleveland: Coatham, from Oct 2026.
• North Lincolnshire: Non-immediate direction made 26 Nov 2025 (see map), from 26 Nov 2026.
• Hartlepool: Proposed non-immediate direction (council) plus a Development Corporation direction, from Winter 2026 (proposed).
• Bristol (new areas): Parts of Brislington, Frome Vale, Purdown, Southmead and Horfield, St George, Westbury Park, from 1 Jan 2027.
• Wyre Forest: Kidderminster (non-immediate, confirmed 2026), from Feb 2027.
• Telford and Wrekin: Direction made 16 Dec 2025 (see notice), from 2027.
• Gloucester: Kingsholm and Wotton, Westgate, Barton and Tredworth, Moreland, Kingsway and Elmbridge (designated area), from 3 Mar 2027.
• Erewash: Confirmed direction (Ilkeston, Long Eaton and surrounding areas; see map), from Mar 2027.
• Hertsmere: Parts of Potters Bar (confirmed), from 6 May 2027.
• Burnley (remaining wards): Six remaining wards; direction made 25 Sep 2026, takes effect if confirmed, from 27 Sep 2027 (if confirmed).

Proposed, not yet made

These councils have approved, consulted on or resolved to pursue an HMO direction, but PlanWatch found no executed direction with an operative date. Treat them as a warning sign, not as law.

• Basildon: Cabinet approved plans for HMO directions (Nov 2025); no operative date published.
• Breckland: Immediate direction considered by Cabinet in 2026; check operative date with the council.
• Eastbourne: Council's 2025 HMO SPD says it is seeking to introduce a direction; check status.
• Gedling: Netherfield area.
• North Tyneside: Proposed direction for listed wards (July 2026 report).
• Reigate and Banstead: Proposed borough-wide direction.
• South Kesteven: Council resolved (Nov 2025) to introduce a district-wide direction.
• Stockton-on-Tees: Borough-wide non-immediate direction being pursued.
• Three Rivers: Proposed district-wide direction.

Councils where we found no HMO direction

These areas get a lot of searches from landlords and investors, so here is what we found:

Reported elsewhere but not verified by us: some lists include Bradford (district-wide proposal), Cornwall (Falmouth), East Staffordshire (Burton upon Trent), Stockport (Cabinet decision in September 2026) and development-corporation areas. We could not find a council source confirming a direction in force, so they are not in the table. If you are buying there, ask the council directly.

Worked examples

Example 1: a terrace in Swale. You buy in Sittingbourne in August 2026 planning a five-bed shared house. Swale's immediate, borough-wide direction took effect on 21 July 2026, so you now need planning permission. Without it, the council can take enforcement action, and the property is unlikely to get a licence without the planning position resolved.

Example 2: a semi in Aylesbury. A four-person shared house is a small HMO. PlanWatch found no C3 to C4 direction in Buckinghamshire, so the change is likely permitted development, subject to any planning condition on that property and to licensing. A seven-person house would need planning permission anywhere.

Example 3: Gloucester before and after March 2027. A house in Kingsholm that starts operating lawfully as a small HMO on 1 February 2027 is ahead of the direction. The same conversion started on 4 March 2027 needs an application. Keep dated evidence of when the HMO use began.

Example 4: an existing HMO in Bolton. It was let to four sharers before 13 June 2025, so the direction does not remove it. The practical step is evidence: tenancy agreements, council tax records and a licensing history. A lawful development certificate for the existing use turns that evidence into a council decision you can show a buyer or lender.

Before you buy: a five-step check

1. Find the council and the map. Use the table, then open the council's direction and boundary map. Ward-based directions often stop mid-street.
2. Check the property's planning history for conditions that remove permitted development rights, and for previous HMO refusals nearby. Search the address on PlanWatch.
3. Read the local HMO policy. It usually caps concentration within a radius and sets space and amenity standards.
4. Check licensing separately. Mandatory licensing applies at five or more people; additional and selective schemes vary by council.
5. Watch the street. New HMO applications nearby can push a street over the concentration cap and change the answer for you. A PlanWatch postcode alert flags them as they are submitted.

Related reading: planning permission for flats and HMOs explains the use classes and licensing in detail, and change of use planning permission covers other conversions.

Methodology

Starting from published lists, council planning-policy pages and committee papers, PlanWatch searched each English local planning authority's own website for an Article 4 direction removing Class L(b) (C3 to C4) rights. An entry appears in the table only where a council web page or council document confirms the direction. 49 of the 135 entries show the date and area on the council source; the rest confirm the direction, but the exact boundary or date sits in the sealed order or map. Statuses are as at 2 October 2026. Directions change, and a direction can be cancelled or replaced, so always check the council's current page before relying on this table. Spotted an error? Comment below and we will correct it.

Official Sources

• GOV.UK: When is permission required? (Article 4 directions)
• The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015
• The Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987
• Planning Portal: application fees in England from 1 April 2026

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need planning permission to turn a house into a small HMO?

Not usually in England. It is permitted development under Class L, unless an Article 4 direction or a planning condition removes the right, or the HMO will house seven or more people.

How many councils have an Article 4 direction for HMOs?

116 English councils have one in force as of 2 October 2026, 40 of them covering their whole area. 10 more are confirmed or made for a later date and at least 9 are proposed.

Does Aylesbury Vale or Buckinghamshire have an HMO Article 4 direction?

We found none. Buckinghamshire's Article 4 list is site-specific, and its draft HMO policy covers large HMOs. Check the council's page before buying.

Does Tamworth have an HMO Article 4 direction?

We found none. Tamworth consulted in 2026 on additional licensing for smaller HMOs, which is a licensing change, not a planning one.

Does an Article 4 direction close existing HMOs?

No. A lawful HMO use that started before the direction took effect can continue. Keep the evidence, or get a lawful development certificate.

How much does a planning application for a C3 to C4 change of use cost?

The national fee for other changes of use is £610 in England from 1 April 2026. Confirm with the council before submitting.

Is a large HMO affected by Article 4?

Large HMOs (seven or more people) always need planning permission, so Article 4 makes no difference to them.

Do Wales and Scotland use Article 4 for HMOs?

No. Wales already requires permission for a house to small HMO change, and Scotland and Northern Ireland run different systems.