🏘️ Planning Use Class C4: The Landlord’s Guide to Small HMOs in North West London (2025)

You know the story. A once-single-family home in Kilburn now has five young professionals sharing it — each paying rent, sharing the fridge, and arguing over Netflix. It’s practical. It’s profitable. But is it legal?

This is where Planning Use Class C4 comes in — and if you’re a landlord, investor, or homeowner considering turning your property into a small HMO, this article is for you.

🔗 Contents

• What is Use Class C4?
• What Counts as a Small HMO?
• Do You Need Planning Permission?
• Article 4 Directions in North West London
• Design, Amenity & Fire Safety
• Licensing vs Planning: What’s the Difference?
• Case Study: HMO Conversion in Golders Green
• How We Help at DOR Architects
• FAQs
• Let’s Talk

🧠 What is Use Class C4?

Use Class C4 refers to small Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMOs). That means 3–6 unrelated people living together, each with their own bedroom but sharing kitchen or bathroom facilities.

It sits between Class C3 (your standard home) and sui generis (large HMOs with 7 or more people). C4 is often misunderstood — and that’s where landlords run into trouble.

🏠 What Counts as a Small HMO?

In the eyes of your local council, you might be running an HMO and not even know it. If you’re renting your house to:

• Three or more unrelated individuals
• Sharing cooking and bathroom facilities
• With individual tenancy agreements

— then it likely qualifies as a small HMO under Class C4. Even if everyone gets along like family, the planning office sees it differently.

📑 Do You Need Planning Permission?

That depends on your borough. In many places across North West London — Camden, Barnet, Brent, and Haringey — switching a home from C3 to C4 used to be straightforward. But not anymore.

Thanks to rising concerns over housing quality, bin blight, and parking pressures, many boroughs have brought in extra controls to slow the spread of HMOs. Enter Article 4…

🚫 Article 4 Directions: No More Automatic HMOs

Article 4 Directions remove your permitted development rights. In plain English? You’ll need full planning permission to convert from a standard house (C3) to an HMO (C4), even if you’re only housing four sharers.

North West London boroughs with Article 4 restrictions include:

• Camden – Applies across the entire borough
• Brent – Covers large swathes including Wembley, Kilburn, and Harlesden
• Barnet – Active in areas like Hendon and Burnt Oak
• Haringey – Targeted Article 4 zones in key neighbourhoods

🛠️ Design, Fire Safety & Amenity Standards

Your small HMO needs to meet:

• Minimum room sizes (e.g. 6.51m² for one adult)
• Safe shared kitchen and living areas
• Proper fire protection: FD30 doors, fire alarms, escape routes
• External storage for bins and bicycles
• Natural light and cross-ventilation

📋 Licensing vs Planning — What’s the Difference?

Planning deals with the legal use class (C3 or C4), while licensing focuses on safety, management, and standards. You often need both — and they come from different departments.

📍 Case Study: C3 to C4 in Golders Green

A landlord with a 5-bed house in Golders Green came to us. He wanted to rent to five unrelated professionals, but it was in an Article 4 zone.

We:

• Handled pre-app and full planning submission
• Redesigned the layout with safe escape and fire protection
• Provided bin and bike plans to satisfy Barnet policy
• Secured planning permission and coordinated licensing

👷‍♂️ How DOR Architects Can Help

1. Check Article 4 restrictions for your address
2. Design a compliant layout with proper amenities
3. Submit and manage the entire planning process
4. Prepare licensing plans and liaison

🙋‍♀️ FAQs – Use Class C4

📞 Let’s Talk About Your HMO

Whether you’re regularising an informal HMO, preparing a new rental strategy, or turning a former family home into a legal, high-quality let — we can help.

Book a free consultation with DOR Architects

Let’s turn your shared house into a safe, smart investment — the right way.