Exeter files HMO conversions at 3.2 times the national rate.
Exeter council received 1,325 planning applications in 2025, up 8% on 2024. Of those decided, 90.2% were approved, above the national rate of 87.6%. What sets the city apart is shared housing: HMO conversions made up 3.9% of all applications submitted to Exeter council, against a national average of 1.2%. That is 3.2 times the national rate, the planning signature of a university city where larger homes are split into rooms.
The year in one line
Exeter approves planning applications above the national rate and files HMO conversion applications at 3.2 times the national share, the clearest planning signal of a university city where larger homes are being divided into shared housing.
What Exeter Is Building
Extensions lead, but shared housing sets the city apart.
Home extensions were the most common project type submitted to Exeter council in 2025, at 23.8% of all applications, below the national share of 29.1%. The figure that distinguishes Exeter is HMO conversions: 3.9% of applications, against a national average of just 1.2%. That is 3.2 times the national rate. Demolition applications also featured prominently at 6.5%. This is the application mix of a university city where larger homes are being divided into shared accommodation.
Applications submitted to Exeter council in 2025 (pooled 2024-2025 counts), by project type.
The shared-housing effect
Exeter files HMO conversion applications at 3.2 times the national rate. In a city with a large student and renting population, splitting a house into rooms needs formal planning consent.
The council verdict
Above average approvals, below average refusals.
Exeter council approved 90.2% of the applications it decided and refused 9.8%, about 1 in 10. That refusal rate is below the national average of 12.4%, meaning Exeter is more permissive than most English planning authorities.
About 1 in 10 Exeter applications was turned down, below the national rate.
applications were refused by Exeter council, compared to 1 in 8 nationally. The 90.2% approval rate sits above the national norm of 87.6%.
Exeter vs The National Norm
A university city, by the numbers.
Set Exeter's application mix against the national average and the shared-housing signal is unmistakable. HMO conversions account for 3.9% of applications here, 3.2 times the national share of 1.2%. Most other categories run below the national norm: home extensions, demolition and retrospective applications all sit well under their national shares. The standout is shared housing, not an unusual appetite to build across the board.
Exeter files HMO conversion applications at 3.2 times the national rate. In a city with a large student and renting population, dividing a house into rooms needs formal planning consent.
Each bar is Exeter's share of applications submitted to Exeter council; the marker is the national share. HMO conversions are the city's defining outlier.
Meanwhile, the market
Prices held up alongside the building work.
The shared-housing market shapes the planning work, but it has not held back values: the average Exeter home sold for more than a third of a million pounds in the latest full year.
Exeter's planning data tells a clear story. This is a university city where shared housing drives a disproportionate share of planning applications, at 3.2 times the national rate. Most other categories run below the national norm. The council approves at a higher rate than the national average, and the retrospective application rate is half the national figure. For anyone buying here, the shared-housing market is the feature to understand.
Where the numbers come from
Planning Data
Applications submitted to Exeter council in 2025 (with 2024-2025 pooled data used for category shares), sourced from PlanIt and classified from each application's published description. Shares are each category as a percentage of all applications in scope.
Decision Rates
Approval rate is approvals as a share of approvals plus refusals, computed over the 2024-2025 pooled window for stability. The national benchmarks are computed the same way across all decided applications in England and Wales.
Sales Data
HM Land Registry Price Paid Data for the Exeter area, the latest full year's completions, with growth measured against the previous year.
The Real Applications
Open the planning applications behind the numbers.
These are real applications submitted to Exeter council, from HMO conversions and refusals to extensions and retrospective works. Open any one to see its full record.
61 Danes Road EX4 4LS
A plan to split a ten-person HMO into a seven-person and a five-person HMO was turned down, one of the roughly 1 in 10 applications the council refused.
See this property's full record33 Portland Street EX1 2EG
The council confirmed lawful use of a five-person shared house, the kind of HMO that Exeter files at more than three times the national rate.
See this property's full record38 Pennsylvania Road EX4 6DB
Lawful use was confirmed for an eight-person house in multiple occupation, one of the larger shared homes recorded in the year.
See this property's full record1 Langaton Lane EX1 3SP
A first-floor side extension to create an additional bedroom, the most common project type in Exeter, was granted.
See this property's full record51 Homefield Road EX1 2QX
Permission was granted for a rear dormer enlargement with rooflights, solar panels and a new basement window, a typical Exeter home improvement.
See this property's full record7 Lower Shapter Street, Topsham EX3 0AT
A proposed garage with overflow accommodation was withdrawn by the applicant before the council reached a decision.
See this property's full recordCurious about a home in Exeter?
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