Article 4 by council › Dacorum
HMO Article 4 in Dacorum
Do you need planning permission to turn a family home into a small HMO in Dacorum? What the council's own direction says, with dates, the map and the source.
No. Dacorum had no HMO Article 4 direction in force when checked.
A small HMO of 3 to 6 people is permitted development in Dacorum, subject to HMO licensing. Checked 28 September 2026.
The council's Article 4 directions page covers employment areas (Maylands, Doolittle Meadows, Park Lane, Northbridge Road and River Park, Icknield Way; in force 15 July 2022, confirmed 21 November 2022) and Hemel Hempstead town centre (confirmed 12 November 2021), all stopping commercial to residential conversion. No HMO or C3 to C4 direction is mentioned.
Check an exact postcode
A direction can cover part of a council, and the national dataset is incomplete. This asks the planning data service for the exact point and falls back to the council's own statement.
What an Article 4 direction means
HMO Article 4 directions remove the permitted-development right to convert a family home (C3) to a small HMO (C4, 3 to 6 people). Inside one, that conversion needs full planning permission. Councils may also run additional licensing (smaller HMOs) or selective licensing (all private rentals) in designated areas. Planning permission and licensing are separate: a licence does not grant planning permission, and permission does not remove the need for a licence.
Sources: Dacorum council, planning.data.gov.uk Article 4 direction areas, gov.uk HMO licensing. Indicative; confirm with the council before you offer.