Buying a house for HMO conversion without checking its planning status is not a shortcut. It is a commercial risk hiding in plain sight. A property can look ideal on paper: strong room demand, a workable layout and an achievable refurbishment budget. Yet if it sits within an Article 4 direction HMO area, the C3-to-C4 conversion may need full planning permission before it can operate as a shared house. A licence, fire-safety upgrades or a five-bedroom layout do not resolve tha