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

4192 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 – 4192 apps (12 mo)

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Astor analyst's read

Richmond upon Thames — 4,148 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, affluent suburban character, mixed Victorian terrace and modern residential stock, low-density family homes.

Planning

no Article 4 restriction is recorded in our data (verify directly with the local authority) recorded in our database; verify HMO regulatory status directly with Richmond council as coverage may be incomplete.

Deal angle

Thin insight data prevents confident bridging/HMO read; council verification essential before deal structuring.

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

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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 (4120 apps, 1949 decided).

99%

Approval Rate · 12-mo trend

6.0w

Avg Decision

4192

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	2043	784	99%	5.8	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Residential Extension / Householder	1325	792	100%	6.4	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Commercial / Retail / Food & Beverage	323	190	99%	5.7	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
HMO / House in Multiple Occupation	94	40	100%	5.5	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
New Build Residential	80	37	95%	7.0	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Change of Use	45	22	95%	6.9	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Advertisement / Signage	42	22	100%	7.1	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Demolition	41	22	95%	5.5	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Listed Building / Heritage	33	14	100%	5.3	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Tree Works	31	7	100%	5.2	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Lawful Development Certificate	28	2	100%	5.5	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Telecommunications	14	5	20%	6.7	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Discharge of Condition	11	6	100%	5.1	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
Prior Approval / Permitted Development	7	3	67%	7.2	unknown	Insufficient data for AI assessment.
New Build Commercial / Industrial	3	3	100%	10.6	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: 20 SEP 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