Article 4 by council › Torbay

HMO Article 4 in Torbay

Do you need planning permission to turn a family home into a small HMO in Torbay? What the council's own direction says, with dates, the map and the source.

No. Torbay had no HMO Article 4 direction in force when checked.

A small HMO of 3 to 6 people is permitted development in Torbay, subject to HMO licensing. Checked 8 September 2026.

Coversno HMO direction found: the council's Article 4 page lists only Churston (1998) and Polsham (2002) conservation-area orders; Council considered a Torbay-wide C3 to C4 direction in May 2012 and on 2017-07-24 only resolved that officers prepare a further report; no made or confirmed HMO direction foundCouncil pagewww.torbay.gov.uk/planning-and-building-control/apply-for-plNational dataset2 direction areas published, 0 for HMOsChecked8 September 2026

Check an exact postcode

A direction can cover part of a council, and the national dataset is incomplete. This asks the planning data service for the exact point and falls back to the council's own statement.

Is a postcode inside an HMO Article 4 area?

Licensing in Torbay

Mandatory HMO licence: 5 or more people forming 2 or more households sharing facilities.

Additional licensing: none found. Council HMO pages describe mandatory licensing only (five or more tenants forming more than one household); no additional scheme mentioned. A 2017 forward plan item to consider a business case on selective and/or additional licensing shows no resulting scheme on current pages.

Selective licensing: none found. No selective licensing scheme mentioned on the council HMO pages.

Full licensing detail for Torbay

What an Article 4 direction means

HMO Article 4 directions remove the permitted-development right to convert a family home (C3) to a small HMO (C4, 3 to 6 people). Inside one, that conversion needs full planning permission. Councils may also run additional licensing (smaller HMOs) or selective licensing (all private rentals) in designated areas. Planning permission and licensing are separate: a licence does not grant planning permission, and permission does not remove the need for a licence.

See this on every listing.Kerbio puts the Article 4 answer, licensing, the council's HMO register and sold prices on the Rightmove, Zoopla or OnTheMarket page itself. Free for 7 days, then £39 a month.

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Sources: Torbay council, planning.data.gov.uk Article 4 direction areas, gov.uk HMO licensing. Indicative; confirm with the council before you offer.