Do HMOs need planning permission in Greenwich?

Greenwich has 1 active Article 4 direction in our records. Where an Article 4 direction applies, permitted development rights to convert a home (use class C3) to a small HMO (C4) can be removed, so a full planning application is required. Coverage varies — verify with the council before relying on this.

When does an HMO need a licence in Greenwich?

Nationally, a property let to 5 or more occupants forming 2 or more separate households and sharing a kitchen, bathroom or toilet must hold a mandatory HMO licence — this applies in every council in England, including Greenwich. Some councils also run additional or selective licensing schemes covering smaller HMOs; check the current schemes with Greenwich council.

What are the minimum room sizes for a licensed HMO?

A mandatory HMO licence enforces national minimum sleeping-room floor areas: 6.51 m² for one person aged over 10, 10.22 m² for two people over 10, and 4.64 m² for a child under 10. These are national statute and apply in Greenwich.

Astor Place · Borough Intelligence

Greenwich HMO & Article 4 planning

3062 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 – 3062 apps (12 mo)

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Astor analyst's read

Greenwich — 3,049 applications in 12 months; 1 HMO-specific A4 direction on record.

Profile

Outer South London, mixed suburban and regeneration-zone character, moderate density with riverside and housing estate stock.

Planning

1 active Article 4 direction in our records (HMO-related); council verification recommended given substantial application throughput and incomplete data sync.

Deal angle

High application volume suggests active market; single A4 entry may mask additional HMO controls — check directly with council before committing bridge capital.

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

1 Article 4 direction recorded for Greenwich, 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.

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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 greenwich (3056 apps, 1802 decided).

76%

Approval Rate · 12-mo trend

9.0w

Avg Decision

3062

Apps (12 mo)

Council Profile

Planning stance Unknown — insufficient data

Decision speed Unknown

Article 4 directions (planning.data.gov.uk) 1 direction recorded — HMO restrictions apply. Full breakdown ↓

Investment Assessment

HMO viability Unknown — see Article 4 status — Article 4 restrictions apply, see below ↓

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
Residential Extension / Householder	911	668	71%	7.9	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Other	904	465	84%	8.5	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Discharge of Condition	521	251	90%	11.3	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
HMO / House in Multiple Occupation	220	113	48%	10.9	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Commercial / Retail / Food & Beverage	102	57	88%	9.7	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Lawful Development Certificate	79	52	73%	7.6	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Change of Use	72	44	66%	10.2	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Demolition	59	42	71%	12.2	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Listed Building / Heritage	46	34	76%	8.8	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
New Build Residential	45	24	62%	9.2	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Prior Approval / Permitted Development	38	21	62%	6.6	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Advertisement / Signage	26	20	65%	9.6	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Telecommunications	14	6	33%	8.3	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Tree Works	12	0	0%	4.6	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
New Build Commercial / Industrial	5	4	100%	9.7	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Mixed Use Development	2	1	100%	24.3	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.

Analyst notes & data quality

Run after more applications have been scraped and decided.

HMO Requirements in Greenwich

What it takes to run a House in Multiple Occupation in Greenwich — 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 Greenwich ↗ · Article 4 directions ↗

01 · Planning permission

Planning permission required for small HMOs

An Article 4 direction removes permitted development rights for small HMOs (C3→C4) in 1 designated area in our records — converting a family home to a small HMO needs full planning permission here. Confirm whether your property falls within the designated area.

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 Greenwich. 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 Greenwich Council before relying on this. gov.uk: HMO licences ↗

Article 4 Directions in Greenwich planning.data.gov.uk

HMO conversion (C3→C4)

Requires full planning permission — permitted development rights removed.

1 designated area Relevant to: lender, investor, developer

HMO Restrictions (1)

Check the direction document to confirm the geographic extent.

Article 4 (HMO) — Greenwich HMO since 2018

HMO Conversion (C3→C4)

Converting a family home (C3) to a small HMO of up to 6 people (C4) requires full planning permission — permitted development rights have been removed.

Relevant to: lender, developer, investor

View direction document ↗

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

Greenwich HMO & Article 4 planning

See the full picture for Greenwich

HMO Requirements in Greenwich

Article 4 Directions in Greenwich planning.data.gov.uk