Astor Place · Borough Intelligence

Cambridge HMO & Article 4 planning

1020 applications in the last 12 months · Current to 24 September 2026 via the council's own planning portal. · Analysis updated 20 Sep 2026 · Low confidence

Grade – 1020 apps (12 mo)
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Astor analyst's read

Cambridge — 794 applications in 12 months; 18 active Article 4 directions in our records, none flagged HMO-specific.

Profile

University town, mixed density, dominated by Victorian terrace stock, conservation areas, and student accommodation.

Planning

18 active Article 4 directions in our records (HMO-specific designation not yet captured); council verification recommended for current HMO regulatory footprint.

Deal angle

Insufficient data for a confident read — approval rate, decision timings, and council stance not available; volume signal alone (794 applications) does not determine bridging or HMO viability.

ASTOR UNDERWRITING UNIT // AI SYNTHESIS // VERIFY WITH COUNCIL BEFORE ACTING

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Map Article 4 zones (oxblood = HMO-related) · application pins · click for detail
18 Article 4 directions recorded for Cambridge, but their polygon geometry isn't published on planning.data.gov.uk yet — the directions below are real (sourced from the metadata feed) and only the map overlay is empty. Coverage will fill in as the LPA uploads boundary data.
Open full map ↗

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Investment Grade

A: select with confidence · B: selectable with discipline · C: case-by-case · D: avoid unless exceptional

Insufficient data for cambridge (971 apps, 47 decided).

68%
Approval Rate · 12-mo trend
4.5w
Avg Decision
1020
Apps (12 mo)
Council Profile
Planning stance Unknown — insufficient data
Decision speed Unknown
Article 4 directions (planning.data.gov.uk) 18 directions recorded — restrictions apply. Full breakdown ↓
Investment Assessment
HMO viability Unknown — see Article 4 status
Commercial conversion Unknown
Timing outlook by type
Householder
Data unavailable
Change of use
Data unavailable
Major development
Data unavailable
Prior approval
Data unavailable
Application types breakdown
Type Count Decided Approval Avg weeks Risk Investor notes
Other 556 30 67% 4.5 unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Residential Extension / Householder 182 7 86% 4.2 unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
New Build Residential 42 1 0% 3.6 unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Telecommunications 35 0 0% 3.7 unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Commercial / Retail / Food & Beverage 34 3 67% 5.3 unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Lawful Development Certificate 24 2 100% 4.8 unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Listed Building / Heritage 24 0 0% 6.3 unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Change of Use 23 0 0% — unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Discharge of Condition 13 0 0% 4.4 unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Demolition 12 1 100% 3.9 unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
HMO / House in Multiple Occupation 11 0 0% — unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Prior Approval / Permitted Development 5 0 0% — unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Advertisement / Signage 5 0 0% — unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Tree Works 4 2 0% 5.2 unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Mixed Use Development 1 1 100% 3.7 unknown
Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Analyst notes & data quality
Run after more applications have been scraped and decided.

HMO Requirements in Cambridge

What it takes to run a House in Multiple Occupation in Cambridge — whether you need planning permission, the licence the property must hold, and the statutory minimum room sizes. Verify current details with the council before committing.

Full guides: HMO licensing in Cambridge ↗ · Article 4 directions ↗

01 · Planning permission
No HMO Article 4 in our records

No HMO Article 4 direction in our records for this borough. Where no direction applies, converting a home to a small HMO (C4, up to six occupants) is usually permitted development — but coverage can be incomplete, so verify with the council before relying on this.

See the full Article 4 picture below ↓
02 · Licence to operate
Mandatory HMO licence National
5 or more occupants forming 2 or more separate households

Any HMO occupied by five or more people making up two or more separate households (sharing a kitchen, bathroom or toilet) must hold a mandatory HMO licence. This applies in every council in England, regardless of the number of storeys.

No Additional or Selective licensing scheme in our records for Cambridge. Many boroughs operate schemes that extend licensing to smaller HMOs or all rented homes, and these change on five-year cycles — check the council's current designation via the gov.uk licence finder ↗.
03 · Minimum room sizes
One person aged over 10 6.51 m²
Two people aged over 10 10.22 m²
One person aged under 10 4.64 m²
Any sleeping room ≥ 4.64 m²
Kitchen, bathroom & WC standards

Licensed HMOs must provide adequate, well-located cooking, washing and toilet facilities for the number of occupants, plus safe gas/electrics, working fire detection and proper waste storage. The exact ratios (occupants per bathroom, per WC, kitchen size) are set by each council in its own HMO amenity standards — confirm the figures with the borough before committing to a scheme.

Minimum room sizes and the mandatory-licensing threshold are national law (Licensing of Houses in Multiple Occupation (Mandatory Conditions of Licences) (England) Regulations 2018), sourced under the Open Government Licence v3 — they apply in every council. Licensing designations shown are those in our records; verify the current position and exact amenity standards with Cambridge Council before relying on this. gov.uk: HMO licences ↗

ASTOR UNDERWRITING UNIT // CAMBRIDGE // DATA SYNC: ACTIVE // PORTAL: VERIFIED  // ANALYSIS: 20 SEP 2026