Our commercial property solicitors are often asked about commercial property usage by clients. Here we answer your most pressing questions about commercial property use classes. Changing the usage, and whether you can live in a commercial property.
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Commercial property use classes
Commercial property use classes are categories of property usage. For example, A1 classification means the property can be used as a shop and so on – as seen in the table below.
Here’s a list of all the commercial property use classes under the current legislation:
| A1 – shops | B1 – Businesses | C1 – Hotels | D1 – Non-residential institutions |
| A2 – Financial and professional services | B2 – General industrial | C2 – Residential institutions | D2 – Assembly & leisure |
| A3 – Restaurants and cafes | B3 – B7 – special industrial group A-E | C2A – Secure residential institutions | Sui Generis – uses that don’t fall in other categories |
| A4 – Drinking establishments | B8 – Storage and distribution | C3 – Dwelling houses | |
| A5 – Hot food takeaways | C4 – Houses in multiple occupation |
