What is HMO (C3 to C4) Article 4 Direction?

Landlords wishing to convert a property into a House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) must always check whether the local council requires property owners to obtain planning permission.

Permitted Development

Permitted development rights allow the landlord to convert a C3 residential dwelling into a C4 small House in Multiple Occupation (less than 7 separate households) without obtaining planning permission.

To limit the number of HMOs in a specific geographical area, Local Authorities now have the power to remove permitted development rights for Change of Use from C3 (single family dwelling) to C4 (house in multiple occupation) through the use of an Article 4 Direction.

Landlords must now apply for planning permission if they are wanting to turn a former family home into an HMO in an Article 4 Direction area. It is vital that investment landlords are aware of the Local Authorities approach to Article 4 Directions before they invest in any HMO property.

Importantly Article 4 Direction's can apply to all aspects of permitted development and therefore not all Article 4 will effect the change of use from C3 to C4.

Article 4 Map

To make your life easier, Article 4 Map has been designed to find and collate the latest article 4 maps in England, so you don’t have to. We constantly monitor each of the councils for changes to article 4 including upcoming areas so you can plan ahead.

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