Do HMOs need planning permission in Richmond upon Thames?

We do not hold Article 4 records for Richmond upon Thames — 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 Richmond upon Thames council is the authoritative source for whether a direction covers a given address.

When does an HMO need a licence in Richmond upon Thames?

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

Astor Place · Borough Intelligence

Richmond upon Thames HMO & Article 4 planning

4012 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 – 4012 apps (12 mo)

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Astor analyst's read

Richmond upon Thames — 4,012 applications in 12 months; no Article 4 restriction is recorded in our data (verify directly with the local authority) in our records (verify with council).

Profile

Outer South West London borough, characterised by suburban family housing, conservation areas, and riverside amenity protection.

Planning

no Article 4 restriction is recorded in our data (verify directly with the local authority) recorded in our database; council records should be verified for any HMO or C3/C4 conversion restraints.

Deal angle

Insufficient data for a confident read; approval rates and refusal patterns not available in our records.

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

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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 richmond (3936 apps, 1850 decided).

99%

Approval Rate · 12-mo trend

6.0w

Avg Decision

4012

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
Other	1975	744	100%	5.7	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Residential Extension / Householder	1221	729	100%	6.5	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Commercial / Retail / Food & Beverage	315	193	99%	5.8	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
HMO / House in Multiple Occupation	103	40	100%	5.5	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
New Build Residential	83	41	95%	7.5	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Advertisement / Signage	44	22	100%	7.1	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Change of Use	41	23	100%	7.5	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Demolition	38	20	95%	5.6	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Listed Building / Heritage	31	14	100%	5.2	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Tree Works	27	7	100%	5.2	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Lawful Development Certificate	25	1	100%	6.0	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Telecommunications	12	4	50%	8.2	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Discharge of Condition	11	7	100%	4.9	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Prior Approval / Permitted Development	9	4	75%	5.8	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
New Build Commercial / Industrial	1	1	100%	2.3	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.

Analyst notes & data quality

Run after more applications have been scraped and decided.

HMO Requirements in Richmond upon Thames

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

01 · Planning permission

Article 4 status unknown — we hold no records

We hold no Article 4 records at all for Richmond upon Thames — 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 Richmond upon Thames. 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 Richmond upon Thames Council before relying on this. gov.uk: HMO licences ↗

Article 4 Directions in Richmond upon Thames planning.data.gov.uk

We hold no Article 4 records for this borough — no source we read publishes Article 4 data for Richmond upon Thames. 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 // RICHMOND UPON THAMES // DATA SYNC: ACTIVE // PORTAL: VERIFIED // ANALYSIS: 01 NOV 2026

Richmond upon Thames HMO & Article 4 planning

See the full picture for Richmond upon Thames

HMO Requirements in Richmond upon Thames

Article 4 Directions in Richmond upon Thames planning.data.gov.uk