Block Management in Exeter
Sixteen Article 4 directions, and an HMO boundary to confirm with the council.
Plymouth Block Management already manages Harris Place and Old Park Avenue in Exeter, and provides block, estate and leasehold management to Exeter RMCs, RTM companies and freeholders on a fixed annual fee with no commission. Since 23 December 2024 an Article 4 direction across 345.8 hectares has required planning permission to turn a house into a small HMO, and a converted block can itself be an HMO under the section 257 test. Central Exeter is 70.3 per cent flats.
Proposals are for developments of 50 or more units. Smaller building? Talk to our team.
Exeter Blocks We Look After
These are developments in and around Exeter that we manage now, with their own boards, budgets and contractors.
- Harris Place, red brick and rendered apartment blocks, EX1
- Old Park Avenue, rendered apartment buildings whose communal stairwells were recently redecorated
Exeter City Council, with a Devon Unitary Planned for 2028
- Local authority
- Exeter City Council
- Authority type
- District, under the county council
- Building control
- Exeter City Council Building Control
- County
- Devon
- Fire and rescue service
- Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service
- Water and sewerage
- South West Water
- From our Plymouth office
- Approx. 46 miles by road
- Setting
- Inland
Page last updated . Sources: ONS Census 2021, accommodation type (TS044); Environment Agency flood map for planning; Historic England, National Heritage List for England; UKHSA UK radon map.
Converted Blocks, the 2023 Article 4 and Listed Terraces
Test Converted Blocks Under Section 257
A block converted into self-contained flats can be an HMO where the conversion did not meet the 1991 Building Regulations and fewer than two thirds of flats are owner occupied. On handover we would check conversion history and occupation against that test.
Leasehold managementConfirm the 2023 Article 4 Boundary
The 2023 direction covers 345.8 hectares, and its precise boundary has to be checked with the council. When handling subletting or change of use requests we would confirm it with the council before giving lease consent.
ConsentsSpecify Works on Listed Terraces Carefully
Single entries such as 1 to 10 Southernhay West cover an entire terrace, and listed building protection covers the whole structure inside and out. We would obtain consent before preparing a Section 20 specification on any listed block.
Major works and Section 20Measure Radon Where the Band Rises
Across the city, 9.8 per cent by area is class 5 at 10 to 30 per cent, while 34.7 per cent is in the lowest band where measurement is not advised. We would check a block's square and recommend communal radon measurement where it is elevated.
ComplianceRoute Surface Water Issues to the County
Devon County Council, not the city, is the Lead Local Flood Authority, and the October 2021 event flooded Longbrook Street to knee level. We would report surface water defects found at inspection to the county, while planning matters go to the city.
InspectionsAn HMO Direction, and Converted Blocks That Are HMOs
Exeter has sixteen Article 4 directions. The one that matters most for block management is the 2023 direction, in force since 23 December 2024. It removes the permitted development right to change a house into a small house in multiple occupation, so planning permission is now required. It covers 345.8 hectares, 11.4 per cent of the built-up area. It replaced a smaller earlier direction near the university, in force from 2011, which covered the St James ward and parts of the Duryard, Newtown, Pennsylvania, Polsloe and St Davids wards.
The precise boundary should be checked with the council. The other fifteen directions are site-specific, the oldest dating from April 1958 at the Strand in Topsham. Separately, a building converted into self-contained flats can itself be a house in multiple occupation. That applies where the conversion did not meet the 1991 Building Regulations and fewer than two thirds of the flats are owner occupied. For a block, that means checking conversion history at handover and confirming the boundary before consenting to any subletting or change of use.
Half of St David's Homes Are Purpose-Built Flats
At the 2021 Census 19.6 per cent of Exeter's 52,551 households were in a purpose-built block, above the England figure of 17.1 and more than double Devon's 9.4. The converted share, at 4.5 per cent, is relatively low, so the flat stock here is disproportionately purpose-built. Central Exeter is 70.3 per cent flats. The variation that matters is between wards.
St David's ward is 50.8 per cent purpose-built flats, half of all homes in it. Duryard and St James has the highest converted or shared house share in the city at 12.5 per cent, and Newtown and St Leonard's is close behind at 11.6 per cent. That is the student and shared-housing signature, in wards the earlier Article 4 direction named. For a block in those wards, subletting requests and HMO status need closer checking.
The Exe Flood Scheme Protects over 3,200 Properties
Exeter's flood risk is fluvial, from the Exe. The Exeter Flood Defence Scheme, a partnership between the Environment Agency, Devon County Council and Exeter City Council, protects more than 3,200 homes and businesses. Devon County Council rather than the city council is the Lead Local Flood Authority. Its action plan records the October 2021 surface water event in which nine properties flooded internally, with Longbrook Street flooded to knee level. Three Environment Agency warning areas cover parts of the city. The River Exe at Exeter area, the largest at 888 hectares, has 45.3 per cent of its extent inside the built-up area.
It names low-lying parts of the city from Cowley Bridge to Topsham, including St David's, Bonhay Road, Exwick, St Thomas, Marsh Barton, Alphington and Countess Wear. A second names riverside locations including St Andrew's Road, The Quay, Mill Road and Countess Wear Road, and a third names vulnerable riverside locations including Exwick Mills and the Mill on the Exe. For a block in those areas, flood exposure should be disclosed to insurers, and surface water defects reported to the county rather than the city.
Twenty Conservation Areas and over 1,800 Listed Buildings
Exeter has 20 conservation areas, including Central, Southernhay and the Friars, St David's, St Leonard's, Longbrook, Pennsylvania, Riverside, Topsham and twelve more. 19 of them lie inside the city's built-up area, and the twentieth, Topsham, is a separate built-up area of its own. The largest wholly within the city is St Leonards at 80.9 hectares, designated in May 1978.
Nine were designated between 2004 and 2009. The council publishes an adopted appraisal and management plan for every one of the twenty, and a programme to update them is under way. For a block in a conservation area, the appraisal should be read before any external repair or window replacement is specified.
Exeter City Council records over 1,800 listed buildings in the city. It notes that all three grades receive the same legal protection, covering the whole structure inside and out. The National Heritage List has 762 entries inside the built-up area, of which 22 are Grade I and 69 Grade II*. The council's figure is higher because a single Exeter entry, such as 1 to 10 Southernhay West or 13 to 24 Southernhay West, can cover an entire terrace.
The Grade I buildings include the cathedral, the Guildhall, Rougemont Castle, the Bishop's Palace and its gatehouse, Mol's Coffee House, four separate entries on Cathedral Close, St Nicholas' Priory, the Custom House and Quay House. For a block in a listed terrace, listed building consent can be needed for internal as well as external work, so it should be secured before major works are specified.
Radon Measurement Depends on the Address in Exeter
Exeter's radon risk varies by address. Across the 80 one-kilometre squares over the built-up area, 34.7 per cent of the city by area is in the lowest band. There, under 1 per cent of homes are at or above the action level and radon measurement is not advised except in basements and other underground spaces.
A further 38.4 per cent is class 2, 11.2 per cent class 3, 5.9 per cent class 4 and 9.8 per cent class 5, at 10 to 30 per cent, and in all of those measurement in ground-floor and below-ground spaces is advised. For a block, the address rather than the city decides whether communal areas should be measured.
Exeter Still Runs on Plans from 2005 and 2012
Exeter is governed by an old development plan. The council describes it as made up of the core strategy adopted in 2012 and the Exeter Local Plan First Review of 2005, guiding development to 2026. A replacement, the Exeter Plan for 2021 to 2041, was submitted for examination on 26 September 2025, and hearings were held in March and May 2026. There is no made or emerging neighbourhood plan anywhere in the city. For a block, any extension, conversion or change of use is judged against those older city-wide policies.
Four Unitary Councils for Devon Are Planned for April 2028
Exeter City Council is due to be replaced under the Devon reorganisation, with April 2028 the target subject to Parliament approving the order, so planning and building control for an Exeter block will move to a new authority.
Exeter Blocks Before the Tribunal
| Development | Issue | Decided |
|---|---|---|
| Rose Duryard, Lower Argyll Road | Appointment of a manager | 1 April 2025 |
| Flats 4 to 44 Powhay Mills, Tudor Street | Section 20 consultation | 3 December 2024 |
Exeter Fees, from 46 Miles Away
Management is a fixed annual fee, quoted for the building and agreed before we start. We take no commission and no third-party incentives, so the fee is the whole of what we earn from the building. Taking a block on carries a one-off start-up fee, set by size:
| Block size | Fee |
|---|---|
| Start-up fee, up to 10 units | £420.00 |
| Start-up fee, up to 25 units | £540.00 |
| Start-up fee, 50 units and above | £660.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. See the full price list and changing your managing agent.
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Near Exeter
Topsham (Exeter City Council): Exeter's oldest Article 4 direction sits on The Strand, outside the city's flood defence scheme.
Exeter Districts and Villages
Pinhoe, St Leonards, Heavitree, Exwick, Alphington, Countess Wear, Cranbrook, Broadclyst.
Exeter Questions on HMOs and the Flood Scheme
Who Handles Surface Water Flooding Near Our Exeter Block?
Devon County Council, as the Lead Local Flood Authority, rather than Exeter City Council. Its action plan records the October 2021 surface water event in which nine properties flooded internally, with Longbrook Street flooded to knee level. Planning and building control remain with the city council at the Civic Centre.
What Does Listing Mean for Works to an Exeter Block?
Exeter City Council records over 1,800 listed buildings and notes that all three grades receive the same legal protection, covering the whole structure inside and out. One list entry, such as 13 to 24 Southernhay West, can cover an entire terrace, so a flat there is part of a listed building. Where major works would affect its character, listed building consent should be in place before they are specified.
Around Exeter and the Exe
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