Warrington Borough Council is moving to extend HMO planning controls across the whole borough, in a step that would force landlords to seek permission before converting more family homes into shared housing.
The council said it wants to expand its proposed Article 4 direction beyond the central wards already earmarked for tighter control. If approved, the wider measure will apply from September 2026 and will sit alongside a new planning document setting standards for HMO space, facilities and management.
Warrington widens Article 4 push on HMOs
The immediate effect for landlords is clear. Converting a house from standard residential use into a small HMO would no longer be something that can usually happen under permitted development rights. Instead, investors would have to make a planning case and face greater scrutiny over concentration, amenity and neighbourhood impact.
Cllr John Kerr-Brown, cabinet member for planning policy and development, said the council was acting because some streets already had too many HMOs, with concerns over parking, noise and neighbourhood character.
Warrington said the draft supplementary planning document will set clearer expectations on how HMOs should be laid out and managed. That matters because landlords may face a double hurdle: gaining planning consent first, then meeting more detailed design and operating standards.
This follows Residential Landlord’s coverage of North Lincolnshire and South Ribble introducing HMO planning controls, which showed how Article 4 powers are spreading well beyond the largest cities. Warrington adds another sign that councils want far more control over where shared housing can expand.
Residential Landlord has also reported on Gloucester’s attempt to tighten HMO conversions, underlining how local authorities are increasingly pairing Article 4 measures with wider planning guidance rather than relying on licensing alone.
For landlords, the practical warning is that strong demand for shared housing no longer guarantees an easy route to supply. Councils are becoming more willing to argue that HMOs still have a role, but only in the right places and at the right density.
That could make existing compliant HMOs more valuable, while raising the bar for new entrants. It may also push some investors towards areas with lighter planning restrictions, which risks concentrating demand in neighbouring districts rather than removing it.
Warrington Borough Council’s announcement says the draft HMO supplementary planning document consultation runs until 24 April, with further decisions on the borough-wide Article 4 extension to follow.
Landlords face a slower route into shared housing
The wider issue is that councils are no longer treating HMOs simply as a licensing matter. Planning policy is now doing more of the work, which means landlords need to think about location, saturation and local politics before they buy.
For investors who specialise in shared housing, that may not kill demand, but it does make speed and flexibility harder. A model that once depended on relatively quick conversion may now involve consultation periods, policy tests and more scope for refusal.
Opinion
Warrington is saying out loud what many councils already believe: shared housing is useful, but only when the council controls where it goes. Landlords who still assume HMO demand alone will carry a scheme through planning are reading the market too narrowly. The planning risk is becoming just as important as the rental yield.
