Promoted by Nicola Dinan at Millbank Tower, 21-24 Millbank, London, SW1P 4QP, on behalf of Reform UK at the same address. Reform UK Hertsmere is an approved local branch of Reform UK.
Potters Bar’s HMO Article 4 Direction: Too Little, Too Late? | Reform UK Hertsmere
Potters Bar’s HMO Article 4 Direction: Too Little, Too Late?
Potters Bar’s Article 4 Direction will require planning permission for new small HMOs—but not until 6 May 2027. Reform UK Hertsmere is asking why residents must remain exposed to further uncontrolled conversions throughout the waiting period.
Article Summary
At a Glance
The key points you need to know.
What This Means For Residents
From 6 May 2027, new small HMOs in Potters Bar will require planning permission. Until then, qualifying conversions can continue without a planning application and will not be caught retrospectively. Reform UK Hertsmere will campaign for transparent monitoring during the waiting period and robust enforcement once the Direction begins.
Key Facts
✓The Potters Bar Article 4 Direction takes effect on 6 May 2027.
✓It covers all four Potters Bar wards, including Bentley Heath & The Royds.
✓It requires planning permission for future changes from family homes to small C4 HMOs.
✓It does not ban HMOs or guarantee that an application will be refused.
✓Small HMOs established before the commencement date will not retrospectively require planning permission.
✓The council selected a non-immediate Direction because it considered this reduced potential compensation risk.
What Happens Next
Reform UK Hertsmere will demand monthly publication of HMO licensing, planning, complaint and enforcement data up to May 2027.
We will also press the council to prepare a strong planning policy governing concentration, parking, waste, amenity, management and the loss of family homes—and begin collecting evidence for protection across the rest of Hertsmere.
The Full Story
Hertsmere Borough Council has confirmed an Article 4 Direction covering Potters Bar in response to growing concern about the concentration of Houses in Multiple Occupation.
It is a step in the right direction—but it will not take effect until 6 May 2027.
Until then, family homes can continue to be converted into small HMOs under permitted development rights, without the council considering parking, waste, neighbourhood concentration or the cumulative impact on residential amenity through a planning application.
Reform UK Hertsmere believes residents are entitled to ask why meaningful action came so late and why the council has accepted another year of exposure after the scale of the problem was already known.
What will Article 4 actually do?
The Direction covers these four wards:
✓Potters Bar Parkfield
✓Potters Bar Oakmere
✓Potters Bar Furzefield
✓Bentley Heath & The Royds
Once it takes effect, converting a family home into a small C4 HMO will require planning permission.
That will allow the council to consider the proposed location, concentration of HMOs, parking, waste arrangements and effect on neighbouring properties before deciding whether a conversion is acceptable.
However, Article 4 does not prohibit HMOs. It merely removes the automatic permitted-development route. Applications can still be approved.
HMOs can provide lower-cost accommodation, but poorly managed properties and excessive concentrations can place unacceptable pressure on family neighbourhoods. Reform UK Hertsmere believes residents, tenants and responsible landlords deserve firm regulation and effective enforcement.
Its effectiveness will therefore depend upon the strength of Hertsmere’s planning policies and whether the council is prepared to enforce them.
Why does it not begin until May 2027?
The council chose a non-immediate Article 4 Direction.
Its stated reason was that introducing an immediate Direction could expose the council to compensation claims from property owners affected by the sudden removal of permitted-development rights. Council officers advised that the non-immediate route presented less financial and legal risk.
That explains the council’s choice, but it does not remove the consequences.
The council’s own website confirms that small-HMO conversions can continue under permitted development until 6 May 2027. Any qualifying HMO established beforehand will not retrospectively require planning permission and may continue operating.
Owners may seek a Lawful Development Certificate by providing evidence that the HMO use began before the Direction took effect.
This creates an obvious risk of a rush to establish further HMOs before the deadline.
Reform UK Hertsmere will demand transparent monthly reporting throughout this period, showing new licence applications, suspected small HMOs, planning and building-control activity, complaints, inspections and enforcement action.
Why was action not taken sooner?
Potters Bar residents did not suddenly discover this problem in 2026.
A petition opposing the unregulated over-concentration of HMOs was submitted in October 2025 after years of growing concern. Petitioners reported an increase from three licensed HMOs in 2021 to 75 by July 2025, with 15 further licence applications pending.
The council first responded to petitioners in February 2026. Residents were dissatisfied and had to take their case to Cabinet before the Article 4 Direction was progressed.
Reform UK Hertsmere believes the administration was too slow to recognise the seriousness of the situation. Residents should not have needed a major petition and repeated appearances before the council to secure basic planning protection.
Why only Potters Bar?
The council says the evidence currently supports a focused Direction for Potters Bar. It has also warned that a wider Direction might not be supported by the Secretary of State and could displace conversions towards the boundaries of the protected area.
But displacement is precisely why the rest of Hertsmere cannot be ignored.
If tighter controls apply in Potters Bar, landlords and developers may increasingly target Borehamwood, Bushey, Elstree, Radlett, Shenley and other communities.
Reform UK Hertsmere is calling for borough-wide monitoring immediately and the evidence necessary to extend planning protection wherever significant concentration or harm emerges.
Waiting until another town reaches Potters Bar’s position would repeat the same failure.
Article 4 must be enforced
Requiring a planning application achieves little if unauthorised conversions are not identified.
The council must maintain an accurate HMO database and compare information held by planning, licensing, council tax, environmental health, building control, waste services and the emergency services.
Suspected unauthorised conversions must be investigated promptly. Planning conditions must be monitored. Lawful Development Certificate applications must be rigorously checked against credible evidence.
Reform UK Hertsmere will not accept an Article 4 Direction that exists only on paper.
Reform UK Hertsmere will make irresponsible HMO operation harder, pursue unlicensed landlords and protect established communities with stronger licensing, inspections and enforcement.
