Do HMOs need planning permission in Lewisham?

Lewisham has 58 active Article 4 directions 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 Lewisham?

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

Astor Place · Borough Intelligence

Lewisham HMO & Article 4 planning

2373 applications in the last 12 months · Current to 9 November 2026 via the Planning London Datahub — list only, no case papers. · Analysis updated 01 Nov 2026 · Low confidence

Grade – 2373 apps (12 mo)

Compare boroughs Portfolio

Astor analyst's read

Lewisham — 58 active Article 4 directions in our records (1 HMO-specific); 2,373 applications last 12m show active planning market.

Profile

Inner South London, mixed-density residential and commercial stock with conservation-area concentration; suburban character in outer wards.

Planning

58 Article 4 directions recorded in our database with minimal HMO-specific coverage — verify current HMO restrictions directly with council, as designations may have evolved beyond our sync.

Deal angle

HMO play is opaque on available data; strong application volume suggests active market, but absence of granular approval rates and decision timing limits bridging confidence.

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

Free account

Sign up free to unlock the last 2373 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 Lewisham Search applications Look up a specific Lewisham address Compare boroughs Benchmark Lewisham 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 lewisham (2205 apps, 1567 decided).

82%

Approval Rate · 12-mo trend

8.3w

Avg Decision

2373

Apps (12 mo)

Council Profile

Planning stance Unknown — insufficient data

Decision speed Unknown

Article 4 directions (planning.data.gov.uk) 58 directions 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
Other	1006	640	88%	8.4	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Residential Extension / Householder	726	582	82%	7.7	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Commercial / Retail / Food & Beverage	118	67	84%	9.5	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Change of Use	73	59	56%	9.8	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
HMO / House in Multiple Occupation	54	44	36%	9.3	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Prior Approval / Permitted Development	48	41	73%	6.2	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Lawful Development Certificate	42	35	91%	8.5	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Demolition	38	28	71%	12.1	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Listed Building / Heritage	35	24	100%	9.5	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Advertisement / Signage	23	22	77%	8.8	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Tree Works	17	9	100%	5.3	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
New Build Commercial / Industrial	13	9	100%	6.9	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
New Build Residential	9	5	60%	9.9	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Telecommunications	3	2	100%	1.3	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.

Analyst notes & data quality

Run after more applications have been scraped and decided.

HMO Requirements in Lewisham

What it takes to run a House in Multiple Occupation in Lewisham — 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 Lewisham ↗ · 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) across the whole borough 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 Lewisham. 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 Lewisham Council before relying on this. gov.uk: HMO licences ↗

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

HMO conversion (C3→C4)

Requires full planning permission — permitted development rights removed.

borough-wide Relevant to: lender, investor, developer

HMO Restrictions (1)

This restriction applies across the entire borough.

Borough-wide Article 4 (HMO) — Lewisham HMO since 2020

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

Lewisham HMO & Article 4 planning

See the full picture for Lewisham

HMO Requirements in Lewisham

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