Converting a house into an HMO usually needs drawings for three separate things: planning, building regulations and the council's HMO licence. Whether you need planning permission depends on how many people will live there, the current use of the property, and whether the council has an Article 4 direction in place.
It depends on the size of the HMO. A small HMO, with three to six unrelated people sharing facilities, falls within use class C4. Changing a family house (class C3) to a small HMO is normally permitted development, so planning permission is not needed unless permitted development rights have been removed.
A large HMO, with seven or more occupants, is classed as sui generis. That always needs a planning application, and councils assess it against their policies on amenity, room sizes, refuse storage, cycle parking and the concentration of HMOs in the area.
Many London boroughs have Article 4 directions that remove the permitted development right to change a house into a small HMO, either across the whole borough or in particular wards. Where one applies, even a three-person HMO needs full planning permission.
Before you buy or start work, give us the property address and we will check the council's Article 4 map, its planning history and similar applications in the area.
Building regulations approval is usually needed where the conversion involves building work, such as new partitions, new bathrooms, structural alterations or a loft conversion. The main issues are fire safety (Approved Document B), which covers escape routes, fire doors and fire detection, plus sound insulation, ventilation and drainage.
Our building regulations drawings set out the layout, the fire strategy and the construction details. Where structural calculations are needed, we arrange a structural engineer so the whole package goes to building control together.
Possibly. Mandatory licensing applies to HMOs with five or more people forming two or more households, and many London boroughs run additional or selective licensing schemes that cover smaller HMOs too. Licensing is separate from planning and building regulations, and councils set their own minimum room sizes and amenity standards.
Licence applications often need a floor plan showing room sizes, kitchen and bathroom facilities, and fire safety measures. We can prepare this alongside the planning and building regulations drawings.
Sources: GOV.UK: HMO licensing; GOV.UK: Approved Documents (Part B fire safety, Part E sound and Part F ventilation).
Potentially. The planning requirements depend on the existing use of the property, the number of proposed occupants and whether the council has an Article 4 direction in place. Separate HMO licensing requirements may also apply.
A small HMO has three to six unrelated occupants and falls within use class C4. A large HMO has seven or more occupants, is classed as sui generis and always needs planning permission.
Yes. We can carry out an initial assessment of your proposal, including the council's planning policies, planning history, local restrictions and similar applications nearby. Planning permission can never be guaranteed, as the final decision is made by the local planning authority.
Yes. Where the conversion needs structural calculations, we arrange a structural engineer and coordinate the calculations with our drawings.
Send the address, the number of bedrooms and how many tenants you plan for.
Get a quote
Before you commit, it is worth understanding what it costs and seeing why homeowners choose us. You can search the site to find the right fit, or contact us to talk it through. When you are ready, get a quote for your project — most homeowners have a fee in minutes — or contact us and an architectural technologist will be in touch.
Each area page carries the local planning authority, conservation-area position, postcode districts and typical housing stock for that address.
