Professional and co-living HMO refurbs

In short: A professional or co-living HMO refurbishment creates a higher-specification shared home: ensuite bedrooms, well-designed shared kitchens and lounges, good sound insulation, and finishes aimed at working tenants. Some rooms may include a small kitchenette, which brings its own fire and licensing points to plan for.

What do professional and co-living HMO refurbs include?

Ensuite to every room where space allows
Designer communal kitchen and lounge
Sound insulation between rooms
Kitchenettes in rooms where the layout allows
Smart heating and lighting controls
High-quality fire doors and finishes
Bike and bin storage
Interior design and furnishing coordination

When do landlords need it?

Town-centre houses near transport links
Moving from student or budget lets to professional sharers
Larger houses with room for ensuites

What rules apply in each UK nation?

The law differs between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and councils publish their own HMO standards on top. These are the points that usually matter for this work.

England

Mandatory HMO licence for 5 or more people in 2 or more households (since October 2018); councils can add additional licensing for smaller HMOs.
Licensed HMOs must meet national minimum bedroom sizes: 6.51 m² for one person aged 10 or over, 10.22 m² for two, and 4.64 m² for a child under 10.
National rules ask for an adequate number of bathrooms, WCs and basins and suitably located kitchens; numeric ratios are set by each council.
Fire precautions follow a risk assessment; the LACORS Housing – Fire Safety guide (2008) is guidance, not law, but many councils base their standards on it.

All HMO rules for England

Wales

Mandatory licence for HMOs with 3 or more storeys and 5 or more people in 2 or more households; Wales did not adopt England’s 2018 change.
England’s national room sizes do not apply in Wales; councils set their own room standards.
Kitchen and bathroom ratios are set in each council’s HMO standards.
Fitness for human habitation rules require mains-powered, interlinked smoke alarms on every storey and CO alarms where there is a gas, oil or solid-fuel appliance.

All HMO rules for Wales

Scotland

Every HMO needs a council licence: 3 or more people who are not all from one or two families, sharing basic amenities. Licences last up to 3 years.
Room sizes are set by each council; East Lothian, for example, uses 6.5 m² for a single room with a shared lounge and kitchen, and 10 m² without.
Kitchen, WC and bathroom ratios come from council standards; one WC and one bath or shower per 5 people is a common figure.
The tolerable standard requires interlinked smoke alarms in the main living room and circulation spaces and a heat alarm in the kitchen; licensed HMOs must meet the council’s higher standard.

All HMO rules for Scotland

Northern Ireland

A licence is needed where 3 or more people forming more than two households live as their main home and pay rent; the NI HMO Unit at Belfast City Council licenses for every council.
Space and amenity standards come from the HMO (Living Accommodation Standard) Regulations (NI) 2019 and the licence conditions.
Kitchens, bathrooms and WCs must meet the 2019 living accommodation standard regulations and licence conditions.
The NIFRS HMO Fire Safety Guide (July 2026) usually expects Grade D1 interlinked detection in smaller shared houses and a Grade A system with more than 6 occupants or over 200 m².

All HMO rules for Northern Ireland

How much do professional and co-living HMO refurbs cost?

UK typical budget ranges. See local pages for regional guides.
Item	UK typical	Per
Full refurbishment per letting room, with a share of communal areas (excludes kitchens, bathrooms and fire systems; our estimate)	£4,000 – £9,000	letting room
Ensuite shower room added to a bedroom	£4,000 – £10,000	ensuite
Communal HMO kitchen with extra cooking and sink capacity (our estimate from domestic ranges)	£8,000 – £18,000	kitchen
Acoustic upgrade to a party or partition wall	£900 – £2,000	wall

Typical time on site: 8–16 weeks. Your fixed price follows a site visit; use the guide-price tool for a figure for your house.

How the job runs

Free site visit and measured survey.
Itemised written quote and programme.
Works with one point of contact and photo updates.
Handover with certificates, drawings and photos.

Questions about professional and co-living HMO refurbs

Do kitchenettes in rooms change the fire requirements?

Often, yes. Cooking in bedrooms usually means a heat detector in the room and a higher standard of fire separation. We plan it with the fire risk assessment and council standards.

Is co-living treated differently from an HMO?

If unrelated people share facilities, it is normally an HMO, whatever it is called. Larger schemes can also raise planning questions.

Can every room have an ensuite?

Only where the room is still big enough after the ensuite is taken out and drainage can be reached. We check both before designing.

Do you do the interior design?

We coordinate finishes and fittings with you, and can work with your interior designer or furnishing supplier.

What do professional and co-living HMO refurbs include?

When do landlords need it?

What rules apply in each UK nation?

England

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland

How much do professional and co-living HMO refurbs cost?

How the job runs

Questions about professional and co-living HMO refurbs

Related services

Where we work

England

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland

Planning HMO works?