There is a big difference between HMO licensing and planning permission, warned Des Taylor of Landlord Licensing & Defence.

“The council wants to ensure HMOs comply with planning restrictions within Article 4 areas.”

However, sadly, he said that most council planning departments will try their utmost to deny a Certificate of Lawful Use (CLU).

Having a ‘refusal to licence’ on your record would be a problem, as landlords have to declare this on every licence application afterwards.