Article 4 Directions: Does Your HMO Conversion Need Planning Permission?

In England, turning a family house into an HMO of up to six residents is permitted development, so you do not need to apply for planning permission, unless an Article 4 direction covers it. This guide explains the two use classes, what a direction changes, how to check whether one applies to your property, and what the application costs.

Correct as at 22 October 2026, against legislation.gov.uk and gov.uk. England only; Wales and Scotland have their own rules.

C3, C4 and the permitted development right

The Use Classes Order 1987 sorts buildings into classes by how they are used. Two matter here:

• Class C3, dwellinghouses: use as a dwellinghouse by a single person, or by people regarded as forming a single household.
• Class C4, houses in multiple occupation: use of a dwellinghouse by not more than six residents as a house in multiple occupation. "House in multiple occupation" has the same meaning here as in section 254 of the Housing Act 2004, except that it does not include a converted block of flats to which section 257 applies. In outline, section 254 covers living accommodation occupied, as their only or main residence, by people who do not form a single household.

Class C4 was added on 6 April 2010, and applies in England only.

Changing a building from C3 to C4 is permitted development. Class L of Part 3 of Schedule 2 to the General Permitted Development Order 2015 covers a change of use from C3 to C4, and from C4 back to C3. Article 3 of the Order grants planning permission for permitted development, so you do not have to apply for it.

Class L has one limit worth knowing. It does not permit a change that turns a building used as a single dwellinghouse into two or more separate dwellinghouses.

Seven or more residents

Class C4 stops at six residents. Class L covers changes between C3 and C4 only, so it does not cover a change to an HMO with seven or more residents.

That does not settle whether you need permission. Planning permission is required for "development". A change of use is development only if it is a material change in the use of the building. Whether a particular change is material is a question for your local planning authority, so ask them before you commit. A Lawful Development Certificate, below, is the formal way to ask.

What an Article 4 direction changes

Under article 4 of the 2015 Order, a local planning authority or the Secretary of State can make a direction that the permission granted by article 3 does not apply to a class of permitted development, either across an area named in the direction or for a particular development.

Where a direction covers Class L in your area, the C3 to C4 change is no longer automatic. You need to apply for planning permission like any other change of use.

What an Article 4 direction does not do

It does not ban HMOs. The words of article 4 are that the development "should not be carried out unless permission is granted for it on an application". A direction moves the decision from the national rule to your council's planning application process. It does not decide the application.

It does not deal with licensing. An HMO licence is a separate question under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004. Planning permission is not a licence, and a licence is not planning permission. For which licence applies, see our HMO licence guide and the guide to additional and selective licensing.

How to check whether a direction applies

Directions are made area by area , so the answer depends on the exact address. Check in this order:

1. Your council's planning pages. Search the council's site for "Article 4 direction" and look for the list or map of the areas a direction covers. Find your local council on gov.uk.
2. The national dataset. planning.data.gov.uk is the government's national dataset of Article 4 direction areas. Use it as a starting point only: the page itself warns that "the data may be incomplete and not yet cover all of England". Your council's own list is the one that counts.
3. The council's planning team. If the map is unclear or the property is on a boundary, ask them directly.

For more on when planning permission is needed at all, see gov.uk's planning permission guide.

A Lawful Development Certificate

If you want a formal answer before you buy or convert, you can apply to the local planning authority under section 192 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to find out whether a proposed use of a building would be lawful. The application names the property and describes the use you intend.

You can apply through the Planning Portal. gov.uk also has guidance on Lawful Development Certificates. Check the current fee on the Planning Portal before you apply.

The fee for a planning application

If a direction applies and you need to apply for permission, the fee for a change of use of a single building is £610 from 1 April 2026. Each 1 April the fee rises by any increase in the consumer prices index, up to 10%, without the printed regulations changing, so they show an older figure. The current figures are in the government's annual fee table. Correct as at 22 October 2026.

Check the figure on the Planning Portal's costs page and fee calculator before you apply. Your council can confirm which fee applies to your application.

Once it is let

Planning is a one-off. Once the house is let, the work is recurring: certificates, the licence and its renewal. The free LetSorted tracker builds a checklist for each property you let, HMO licence included. It asks a few questions about each property and emails you before the gas, electrical and energy certificates run out. It records what you tell it. It does not decide whether you need planning permission or a licence; your council does.

Frequently Asked Questions

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

Not where national permitted development applies. In England, changing a house from use class C3 (a dwellinghouse) to class C4 (an HMO with no more than six residents) is permitted development under Class L of Part 3 of Schedule 2 to the General Permitted Development Order 2015. Where an Article 4 direction covers that development in your area, you need to apply for planning permission. Correct as at 22 October 2026.

What is an Article 4 direction?

A direction made by the local planning authority or the Secretary of State under article 4 of the General Permitted Development Order 2015. It switches off a permitted development right, for an area or for a particular development, so that the development should not be carried out unless permission is granted for it on an application. It does not ban HMOs. Correct as at 22 October 2026.

How much is the planning application fee for a change of use to an HMO?

£610 from 1 April 2026, for a single building. The fee can change each 1 April, so check the current figure on the Planning Portal before you apply. Correct as at 22 October 2026.

Does a house shared by seven or more people fall in class C4?

No. Class C4 covers use by not more than six residents, so permitted development under Class L does not cover a change to a larger HMO. Whether that change needs planning permission depends on whether it is a material change of use, which is a question for your local planning authority. Correct as at 22 October 2026.