Do HMOs need planning permission in Havering?

We do not hold Article 4 records for Havering — no source we read publishes them for this council, which is not the same as there being none. Where no Article 4 direction applies, converting a home to a small HMO (up to 6 occupants) is often permitted development, but Havering council is the authoritative source for whether a direction covers a given address.

When does an HMO need a licence in Havering?

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 Havering. Some councils also run additional or selective licensing schemes covering smaller HMOs; check the current schemes with Havering 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 Havering.

Astor Place · Borough Intelligence

Havering HMO & Article 4 planning

2266 applications in the last 12 months · Current to 23 September 2026 via the council's own planning portal. · Analysis updated 20 Sep 2026 · Low confidence

Grade – 2266 apps (12 mo)

Compare boroughs Portfolio

Astor analyst's read

Havering — high application throughput (2,331 in 12m) but limited approval-rate insight; verify HMO regulatory footprint with council.

Profile

Outer London commuter borough; lower-density suburban stock with family homes and conversion potential.

Planning

no Article 4 restriction is recorded in our data (verify directly with the local authority) in our records; strong application volume suggests active planning environment — verify HMO policy with Havering planning.

Deal angle

Insufficient data for a confident read; activity volume is high but approval climate and regulatory stance unconfirmed.

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

Free account

Sign up free to unlock the last 2266 applications with risk scoring, recent HMLR sold prices, top case officers, and weekly digest emails for any borough you're tracking.

Set up alert Get notified of new applications in Havering Search applications Look up a specific Havering address Compare boroughs Benchmark Havering against neighbours

Map Article 4 zones (oxblood = HMO-related) · application pins · click for detail

–

Investment Grade

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

Insufficient data for havering (2280 apps, 1178 decided).

75%

Approval Rate · 12-mo trend

9.1w

Avg Decision

2266

Apps (12 mo)

Council Profile

Planning stance Unknown — insufficient data

Decision speed Unknown

Article 4 directions (planning.data.gov.uk) None found — check council website to verify.

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
Residential Extension / Householder	1307	645	81%	8.4	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Other	412	305	83%	9.2	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Discharge of Condition	103	5	0%	9.9	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Change of Use	91	46	26%	10.7	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
New Build Residential	85	49	59%	12.5	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
HMO / House in Multiple Occupation	71	33	33%	12.0	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Commercial / Retail / Food & Beverage	68	32	75%	9.2	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Demolition	52	18	78%	13.7	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Lawful Development Certificate	52	16	12%	9.0	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Tree Works	11	11	73%	6.0	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Prior Approval / Permitted Development	10	7	57%	9.3	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Listed Building / Heritage	6	5	80%	8.6	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Advertisement / Signage	4	1	100%	8.0	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
New Build Commercial / Industrial	4	3	100%	7.5	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Telecommunications	4	2	100%	8.1	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.

Analyst notes & data quality

Run after more applications have been scraped and decided.

HMO Requirements in Havering

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

01 · Planning permission

Article 4 status unknown — we hold no records

We hold no Article 4 records at all for Havering — no source we read publishes them for this council, which is not the same as there being none. A direction may be in force, so treat this as unknown and check with the council before assuming a conversion is permitted development.

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

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

We hold no Article 4 records for this borough — no source we read publishes Article 4 data for Havering. That is a statement about our sources, not about the council: a direction may still be in force. Check with the council directly, or the national map ↗, before relying on this either way.

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

Havering HMO & Article 4 planning

See the full picture for Havering

HMO Requirements in Havering

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