Article 4 Direction Checker: Is This Address in an Article 4 Area?

An Article 4 Direction removes permitted-development rights in a defined area: most importantly for landlords, the right to convert a house to a small (C4) HMO without a full planning application. This tool checks a postcode against the official Article 4 map on planning.data.gov.uk and gives you a plain in/out verdict, with any nearby designations listed. It is an area/point-level reading of the national map, not a property-level planning decision, and the exact scope of rights removed varies by council, so we always tell you to confirm the direction's wording with the local planning authority. No signup. England (the national planning-data platform). For HMO investors this is a deal-killer to check before you offer; the £109.90 Investor Pro report ties it to 15+ other checks on the address.

No signup. Uses planning.data.gov.uk Article 4 Direction areas (England). Scotland & Wales keep separate planning registers.

This check runs on screen, no signup. The full property report is £9.99 Lite / £24.99 Complete. One report, one price, no subscription.

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  • One-off

    No subscription

    Pay once for each report you buy.

  • Named

    Sources & coverage

    Every report names its sources and the checks it could not run.

  • GB

    England, Wales & Scotland

    Coverage varies by nation and source, and is stated.

  • £9.99

    Reports from

    Lite £9.99, Complete £24.99.

From this free check to the full report

The free tool answers one question. The report covers the whole address.

  1. No signup

    Use the free tool

    Run the tool above. The answer shows on this page, with nothing to sign up for.

  2. Before you pay

    Pick the house and the report

    Choose the exact address, then Lite (£9.99) or Complete (£24.99). One-off, no subscription.

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    Get the full report

    The report for that address is emailed to you, with every source named and any check it could not run stated.

Frequently asked questions

What is an Article 4 Direction?
It's a planning tool that lets a council remove specific permitted-development rights in a defined area, so changes that would normally be automatic need a full planning application instead. Councils use them to control HMO conversions, extensions, demolition, cladding or shopfront changes in sensitive areas. The one that matters most to landlords removes the right to convert a house (C3) to a small HMO (C4) without applying for permission.
How do I check if a property is in an Article 4 area?
Enter the postcode above and we check it against the Article 4 Direction areas published on the government's planning.data.gov.uk map, returning whether the point falls inside one and what's mapped nearby. Because councils publish and update these directions themselves, a clear result is a strong signal rather than a legal guarantee. Always confirm with the local planning authority before you commit.
Why does Article 4 matter for an HMO?
Outside an Article 4 area you can usually convert a house to a small HMO (up to six sharers) under permitted development, with no planning application. Inside one, that right is removed: you must apply for planning permission, and the council can refuse it. So Article 4 is an earlier and harder gate than licensing: it can stop the HMO scheme before you ever get to a licence.
Is a clear result a guarantee there's no Article 4 here?
No. Not every council has published its directions to the national platform, and boundaries are tight, so a clear result means the postcode isn't inside a mapped Article 4 area, not that one can't exist. Treat it as a strong first check and confirm the position for the exact plot with the local planning authority.
Does this cover Scotland and Wales?
The Article 4 map here is the England planning-data platform. Scotland and Wales run their own planning systems and registers, so this check is for English addresses; for Welsh or Scottish properties, check with the local council directly.

Check the whole address

Search an address in England, Wales and Scotland, see the available area data, then choose an emailed report for the property.

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