Article 4 by council › North Yorkshire
HMO Article 4 in North Yorkshire
Do you need planning permission to turn a family home into a small HMO in North Yorkshire? What the council's own direction says, with dates, the map and the source.
No. North Yorkshire had no HMO Article 4 direction in force when checked.
A small HMO of 3 to 6 people is permitted development in North Yorkshire, subject to HMO licensing. Checked 28 September 2026.
Read the council's HMO pages (county-wide and Scarborough); they cover mandatory and selective licensing (Scarborough town selective licensing from 1 June 2024) and make no mention of an HMO Article 4 direction. Legacy Scarborough Article 4 documents on the council domain concern St Nicholas and Whitby solar panels, not HMOs. Press reports of councillors calling for a Scarborough HMO Article 4 are not confirmed on a council page.
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: North Yorkshire council, planning.data.gov.uk Article 4 direction areas, gov.uk HMO licensing. Indicative; confirm with the council before you offer.