What is Article 4?
In the UK, an Article 4 Direction is a legal measure or planning control that local authorities or councils can implement to limit the number of HMOs (houses in multiple occupation) in a specific area, or protect conservation areas. In areas without Article 4, property owners automatically have permitted development rights, allowing them to convert single homes or residential properties (C3 use class) into HMOs (C4 use class) without needing planning permission. Article 4 removes this right.
As a landlord or property investor, understanding Article 4 and its restrictions is crucial, as it can determine whether an investment is successful or not. Whether you’re new to property investing or already own multiple rental properties, having a clear grasp of Article 4 is essential.
Change of use directions are usually implemented to limit the number of HMOs in areas with a high concentration of them. By restricting the number of HMOs, local councils can manage further growth and prevent potential overcrowding. In other areas, Article 4 directions are enforced to preserve the quality and character of locations with historical or natural significance, such as conservation areas, national parks, and world heritage sites.
Read our full article on Article 4 directions and why they are needed in our article What is Article 4?
List of All Article 4 Areas in the UK
There are a number of different cities and districts in the UK that have key Article 4 areas, which we have listed below based on current data from Town Planning Expert:
- Ashford: Article 4 Directions
- Basingstoke: Article 4 Directions
- Bath: Article 4 Directions
- Bedford: Article 4 Directions
- Blackburn: Article 4 Directions
- Birmingham: Article 4 Directions
- Bournemouth: Article 4 Directions
- Brighton & Hove: Article 4 Directions
- Bristol: Article 4 Directions
- Canterbury: Article 4 Directions
- Charnwood: Article 4 Directions
- Cheshire: Article 4 Directions West and Chester | Article 4 Directions East
- Cornwall: Article 4 Directions
- Coventry: Article 4 Directions
- Crawley: Article 4 Directions
- Croydon: Article 4 Directions
- Daventry: Article 4 Directions
- Doncaster: Article 4 Directions
- Durham: Article 4 Directions
- Exeter: Article 4 Directions
- Great Yarmouth: Article 4 Directions
- Hastings: Article 4 Directions
- Harlow: Article 4 Directions
- Hull: Article 4 Directions
- Leeds: Article 4 Directions
- Leicester
- Liverpool
- London: Article 4 Directions (City)
- Manchester: Article 4 Directions (City)
- Milton Keynes: Article 4 Directions
- Newcastle: Article 4 Directions
- Nottingham
- Oxford: Article 4 Directions
- Plymouth: Article 4 Directions
- Portsmouth: Article 4 Directions
- Preston: Article 4 Directions
- Reading: Article 4 Directions
- Sheffield: Article 4 Directions
- Southampton: Article 4 Directions
- Somerset: Article 4 Directions
- South Tyneside: Article 4 Directions
- Stevenage: Article 4 Directions
- Sunderland: Article 4 Directions
- Suffolk: Article 4 Directions (East) | Article 4 Directions (West)
- Tendring: Article 4 Directions
- Thanet: Article 4 Directions
- Tunbridge Wells: Article 4 Directions
- Warwick: Article 4 Directions
- Walsall: Article 4 Directions
- Waverley: Article 4 Directions
- West Lancashire: Article 4 Directions
- Welwyn Hatfield: Article 4 Directions
- Winchester: Article 4 Directions
- Wolverhampton: Article 4 Directions
- Worcester: Article 4 Directions
- York: Article 4 Directions
Within this article, we have aimed to provide key data around the main Article 4 HMO areas in the UK, which we’ve linked to above. For all areas, however, we will provide links to specific council websites and maps where possible.
For each different city, there are different rules and regulations regarding Article 4, and in some cases Article 4 doesn’t cover the entirety of a region but sections of a region that have been decided by the local councils. We recommend reading up on the Article 4 Directions that affect your specific area using the links provided above.
Article 4 in Birmingham
Birmingham City Council made a decision to introduce a city-wide Article 4 Direction, which came into force on Monday 8 June 2020. The changes come as a result of a Birmingham City Council report in 2019 stating that there were at least 6,000 HMOs across the city, many of which resulted in high levels of rubbish, over-parking and tenants that avoid being part of the local community. This means that across the entire city, a planning application must be submitted to convert family houses (C3 use class) to small HMOs (C4 use class).
Birmingham Article 4 Map for HMOs
There is some confusion online, as the Council also introduced an Article 4 Cancellation Direction for Selly Oak, Harborne and Edgbaston. However, this is because the new City Wide direction covers these areas, as they previously had Article 4 implemented before this change.
Article 4 in Bristol
Article 4 Directions affect some areas of Bristol, including both directions in place for conservation areas and those in place for HMOs. There is a lot of detail on the specific restriction in place on the Bristol Council website, which we recommend reading through, but the main affected areas include:
- Henleaze
- Cotham and Redland Conservation Area
- Clifton West
- Redland
- Lawrence Hill, Ashley, Cabot, Cotham, and Clifton East
- Grove Wood, Blackberry Hill
- Land at Sherrin Way
- Clifton Village
- Henbury
- Avonmouth Village
- North Bristol
- South Bristol
- East Bristol
The Bristol Council provides a map that shows the Article 4 Direction areas, and also provides a pinpoint online web mapping tool.
Article 4 in Doncaster
The City of Doncaster Council made the decision to introduce Article 4 for HMOs in 2019. This decision followed a large amount of data collection work that aimed to improve housing quality in the central wards of Doncaster. The Direction applies to land within the areas of:
- Town
- Town Fields
- Wheatley
- Hexthorpe
- Balby
- Wheatley Hills
- Intake
- Belle Vue
The map provided by Doncaster Council shows the Article 4 boundary area:
Doncaster Article 4 Map for HMOs
Article 4 in Leeds
Leeds have implemented an Article 4 direction in certain areas of the city to improve the balance between single-family homes and HMOs. For instance, neighbourhoods like Headingley, Hyde Park, and Woodhouse have an excessive number of HMOs due to the large student population. This situation often forces families out of these neighbourhoods because of the lack of suitable housing. By requiring landlords and developers to obtain planning permission before converting single-dwelling homes HMOs, the Council aims to preserve more single-family residences in specific areas.
As stated on the Leeds Government website, Article 4 affects the following areas:
- Adel and Wharfedale
- Armley
- Beeston Hill and Holbeck
- Bramley and Stanningley
- Burmantofts and Richmond Hill
- Chapel Allerton
- City and Hunslet
- Gipton and Harehills
- Headingley
- Horsforth
- Hyde Park and Woodhouse
- Kirkstall
- Moortown
- Roundhay and Weetwood
The Leeds Council also provide a map of their Article 4 direction plan, which we have included below:
Leeds Article 4 Map for HMOs
Article 4 in Leicester
Article 4 Directions do not cover the entirety of Leicester, but Article 4 Directions have been introduced in some specific areas which could affect you if you are planning to invest in a property in Leicester. The first HMO Article 4 Direction came into force on 20 August 2014 and a later HMO Article 4 Direction covering a greater area of the city came into force on 17 February 2023.
The council website states:
Leicester City Council HMO Article 4 Direction 2021 shall apply to the following 3 areas:-
- Sub-Area —West
- Sub-Area —East
- Sub-Area —South
The following areas covered by the Article 4 Direction made on 8th August 2013 remain unchanged by the Direction:-
- Westcotes
- Clarendon Park
- Central area
The map below illustrates the previous Article 4 areas, with the expanded areas of “West”, “East” and “South”:
Leicester Article 4 Map for HMOs
There are some additional Article 4 areas in Leicester to be aware of, specifically conservation areas, which also includes the following:
- Ashleigh Road Conservation Area
- Aylestone Village Conservation Area (40-42 Old Church Street)
- Belgrave Hall Conservation Area
- Castle Conservation Area (15-21 The Newarke)
- Evington Footpath Conservation Area
- Loughborough Road Conservation Area (Shaftesbury Avenue)
- New Walk Conservation Area (Holy Trinity: the area bounded by Regent Road, Welford Road, Lancaster Road and Waterloo Way)
- South Highfields Conservation Area
- Spinney Hill Park Conservation Area
- Stoneygate Conservation Area
- Westcotes Drive (West End Conservation Area)
- 201-247 Aylestone Road
- 2 Upperton Road, former CPH Building
- Abbey Park Street, Former Shonki Building
- Abbey Mills – 7 June 2013
- 122 – 132 Belgrave Gate, 1 Garden Street
- 53 Oxford Street
We recommend taking a look at HMO Article 4 Direction & Addendum as this contains the full list of specific streets that are affected by the HMO Article 4 Direction.
Article 4 in Liverpool
Since 17th June 2021, an Article 4 directive has been in place in Liverpool restricting the conversion of single dwellings into HMOs. Importantly, this only applies to certain areas of the city.
The Article 4 Direction was introduced in Wards of the city where HMO numbers had reached a certain level and therefore greater control was needed. These were:
- Anfield
- Central
- Greenbank
- Kensington And Fairfield
- Picton
- Princess Park
- Riverside
- Tuebrook and Stoneycroft
- Wavertree
- Kirkdale Ward bounded by Leeds Street, Vauxhall Road, Ford Street and Scotland Road
- Church Ward bounded by Heathfield Road, Queens Drive, Allerton Road and Rutherford Road
The below map, sourced from Liverpool Council’s interactive Article 4 map, shows where the direction is in place, illustrated by the darker area:
Liverpool Article 4 Map for HMOs
Article 4 in London
London is a dynamic and densely populated city that is unlike any other in the UK. Given very high property prices in the city as well as a diverse and dense population and high demand for housing, it’s no wonder Article 4 restrictions have been put in place in areas of London.
London is split into various different inner city and borough councils which all have their own restrictions and Article 4 Directions in place. In order to keep things simple, its best to think of London’s boroughs in three groups based on their Article 4 status for HMOs:
- Fully subject to Article 4
- Partial subject to Article 4
- No Article 4 in place
Fully subject to Article 4
Areas of London fully subject to Article 4 directions include:
- Barking and Dagenham
- Barnet
- Brent
- Bexley
- Croydon
- Enfield
- Greenwich
- Havering
- Hounslow
- Newham
- Redbridge
- Tower Hamlets
- Waltham Forest
Partially subject to Article 4
Areas of London partially subject to Article 4 directions include:
- Bromley
- Ealing
- Haringey
- Hillingdon
- Lewisham
- Merton
- Southwark
Below is a map which illustrates the areas affected by Article 4 restrictions:
London Article 4 Map for HMOs
We’ll be publishing a future article on Article 4 in London specifically to provide more granular details on handling Article 4 Directions in London. Stay tuned!
Article 4 in Manchester
Manchester City have an Article 4 Direction in place targeted at HMOs specifically which affects the whole Manchester City Council area. This means that in Manchester, the council must grant you planning permission when changing your rental property from a typical home for a single household to a small HMO (Houses in Multiple Occupation.)
Article 4 has also been rolled out across various boroughs in Manchester for similar reasons to other cities: to keep HMO properties under control and ensure that there is still an even spread of residential houses.
The main areas in Greater Manchester affected by HMO Article 4 Directions are:
There are also some conservation-specific directions in other boroughs. The below map illustrates the area of Manchester City that is affected by Article 4 directions:
Manchester City Article 4 Map for HMOs
Article 4 in Nottingham
Article 4 has has been implemented within Nottingham City due to both limited housing supply as well as various conservation areas in the city, and there are 2 main types to be aware of:
- HMOs
- Directions restricting work to specific properties
With regards to HMOs specifically, Nottingham has implemented an Article 4 direction which covers the whole of the Nottingham City Council jurisdiction, as illustrated in their Article 4 map below, which came into force in March 2012:
Nottingham Article 4 Map for HMOS.
Areas where Article 4 is in place to protect conservation areas also includes:
You can apply for planning permission to turn a normal family home into a HMO if it is in an Article 4 area, however it’s extremely unlikely that your planning application will be approved. As stated on the website:
“It is highly unlikely that you will be granted planning permission for a change of use from C3 (family) to C4 or Sui Generis (HMO) in Nottingham.”
We recommend you either purchase properties outside the Article 4 areas, or to purchase existing HMOs within the Article 4 area (however if you do this, you need to make sure the properties have planning permission already granted).
We also recommend reading up on the planning guidance for HMOs in Nottingham on the official council website, as some specific questions related to purchasing existing HMOs and licensing are fully addressed there.
Wider areas of Nottinghamshire also have Article 4 directives, including Beeston and Beeston Rylands in Broxtowe, heritage areas in Ashfield and conservation areas in Bassetlaw.
Article 4 Area Checker
Being able to check whether or not the property you are looking at fall within an Article 4 area is a crucial step for compliance and planning permission.
HMO Checker is a tool designed by us specifically for HMO property sourcing and analysis. Within this tool is a designated Article 4 area checker, so you can check instantly whether or not the property you are looking at falls within an Article 4 area.
Alternatively, if you are looking to speak with a qualified expert about your investment and all things Article 4, please feel free to reach out to our team and we’ll be happy to help.