Liverpool HMO controls have taken effect in five defined areas of the city from 5th November 2026. Liverpool City Council has made immediate Article 4 Directions requiring planning permission for a change from a dwellinghouse to a small house in multiple occupation (HMO) in those areas.
The Liverpool HMO controls affect mapped parts of the city, including areas around Kirkdale, Tuebrook, Old Swan, Penny Lane and Sefton Park. They do not immediately cover every property in Liverpool. A separate Direction for other mapped areas is intended to take effect on 5th November 2027, subject to confirmation.
If you own or are considering buying a property, I would check the actual map before assuming which date applies. The change removes a permitted development right for certain future conversions. It does not amount to a ban on shared homes, and the council says existing HMOs established before the relevant Direction took effect are not affected by the change.
Where Liverpool HMO controls apply now
The council has published five separate immediate Directions with maps. You can read the five immediate Directions and maps together. The areas described in its consultation are:
- Area 1: Kirkdale West and East, Everton North, County, Walton, Orrell Park and part of Fazakerley North and West
- Area 2: part of Tuebrook Larkhill
- Area 3: Old Swan East, part of Old Swan West and part of Stoneycroft
- Area 4: part of Penny Lane and part of Calderstones
- Area 5: St Michaels, Sefton Park and part of Festival Gardens
These descriptions are a starting point, not a substitute for the red line on each Direction map. A ward name does not necessarily mean that the whole ward is covered. The council’s consultation page contains the individual Directions, public notices and plans.
The council explains that, in some places, the other part of a ward is already covered by an earlier Direction. Elsewhere, it says parts have been excluded from the immediate areas. I would therefore check both the new and existing mapped areas for the property, rather than relying on a street or ward name alone.
What permission is needed?
The Liverpool HMO controls remove the relevant permitted development right for a change from Use Class C3, a dwellinghouse, to Use Class C4, a small HMO. This usually covers a shared home occupied by between three and six people who do not form a single household and share facilities.
Permitted development is permission granted nationally for specified development, provided its conditions are met. An Article 4 Direction withdraws a specified right within its defined area. A planning application can still be made and the council will assess it against the development plan and other relevant considerations.
As the council puts it, the Directions “would not prevent the development of HMOs”. The practical change is that the relevant conversion requires a planning application before it takes place. Planning Geek’s guide to Use Class C4 explains more about small HMOs and how Article 4 controls interact with planning.
The Direction is specific to the change of use described in its schedule. Do not assume it automatically removes every permitted development right associated with a property. Equally, the absence of this particular restriction does not settle every planning question about a proposed conversion.
A later date for other areas
The council has also made a separate non-immediate Direction for the area shown on its own plan. The sealed Direction and map says it will come into force on 5th November 2027 if confirmed. The document is dated 3rd November 2026.
That future date matters. It would be wrong to say that the Liverpool HMO controls already remove the right across the entire city. For an address outside the immediate areas, check the earlier Directions as well as the future map, and assess the planning position at the relevant time. The later Direction is subject to the statutory process and confirmation.
The council’s immediate Area 1 Direction is also sealed on 3rd November, but specifies 5th November as its commencement date. The date the document was made and the date its controls take effect are different things. The council’s planning page links to all five immediate Directions and its interactive map.
Existing shared homes and evidence
The council says a home already lawfully operating as a small HMO before the relevant Direction took effect is not affected by the change. That does not make every claimed existing use lawful automatically. The facts, any planning history and evidence of when the use began can matter.
If you need formal evidence of an existing lawful use, a lawful development certificate may be relevant. A licence and planning permission are separate matters, so an HMO licence should not be treated as a substitute for checking planning status. Our guide to lawful HMOs considers the evidence and planning issues.
For an intended conversion, I would be particularly careful about assuming that a purchase, a planning enquiry or building work alone establishes that the relevant change of use has happened. The council advises anyone who has already started a conversion to establish whether the works and occupation are lawful. Individual circumstances should be checked against the facts.
Consultation runs until 26th November
The council is consulting on both the immediate and the non-immediate Directions from 5th to 26th November 2026. Residents, landlords, tenants, businesses and others can respond using the online survey linked from the consultation page or write to the council.
The consultation does not postpone the immediate Liverpool HMO controls: the council says those Directions came into effect on 5th November. It will consider responses before deciding whether to confirm them and the separate non-immediate Direction. Each immediate Direction states that it will remain in force until 5th May 2027 and will then expire unless the council confirms it before the end of that six-month period.
The council says larger HMOs for seven or more people already need planning permission across Liverpool. Whether a particular proposal requires permission also depends on the existing lawful use and the proposed use. Its planning and licensing requirements should be checked separately.
For the current dates of Liverpool HMO controls and links to Directions elsewhere, see our HMO Article 4 table. Liverpool’s own plans remain the best place to check the precise boundary for an individual address.
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