Full HMO refurbishment across County Antrim

In short: A full HMO refurbishment brings a tired or non-compliant shared house back up to standard in one project: strip-out, repairs, new kitchens and bathrooms, fire safety, electrics, heating, decoration and flooring. In County Antrim we survey first, price each item separately and hand over the certificates and photos a council asks for.

Nation: Northern Ireland
Pricing region: Northern Ireland
Postcode areas: BT
Main towns: Lisburn, Newtownabbey, Castlereagh, Carrickfergus, Ballymena

What does full HMO refurbishment in County Antrim involve?

Heating and hot water upgrades
Strip-out and making good
Decoration, flooring and furniture-ready rooms
New or refitted kitchens and bathrooms
Fire doors, detection and escape route upgrades
Condition survey and schedule of works

Which rules apply in County Antrim?

Licences usually last 5 years, and landlords must also register with the NI landlord registration scheme.
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.
HMO licence conditions require a satisfactory EICR at least every 5 years.
Licence conditions and council enforcement cover disrepair, damp and mould in licensed HMOs.

In Northern Ireland, licensing is run centrally by the NI HMO Unit, and all new HMOs need planning permission and building control approval from the local council.

How much does full HMO refurbishment cost in County Antrim?

Regional adjustment for Northern Ireland. Planning budgets: see our prices page.
Item	UK typical	Local guide	Per
Full refurbishment per letting room, with a share of communal areas (excludes kitchens, bathrooms and fire systems; our estimate)	£4,000 – £9,000	£3,600 – £8,100	letting room
Communal HMO kitchen with extra cooking and sink capacity (our estimate from domestic ranges)	£8,000 – £18,000	£7,200 – £16,200	kitchen
Shared bathroom refit	£5,500 – £9,000	£4,950 – £8,100	bathroom
Interlinked mains alarm system (Grade D type), small HMO (our estimate from installer guides)	£800 – £2,000	£720 – £1,800	house
Full rewire, 4–5 bedroom house	£6,000 – £12,000	£5,400 – £10,800	house

Typical time on site: 4–12 weeks. For a figure for your house, try the guide-price tool.

Full HMO refurbishment by town in County Antrim

Questions about full HMO refurbishment in County Antrim

Will you deal with the council’s list of works?

Yes. If you have a schedule of works or an improvement notice, we price against it item by item and give you evidence of completion.

Do you provide certificates at the end?

Yes: electrical and fire alarm certificates, and building control completion where it applies.

Do you carry out full HMO refurbishment across County Antrim?

Yes, across the whole of County Antrim, including Lisburn, Newtownabbey, Castlereagh.

Who licenses HMOs in County Antrim?

HMO licensing in County Antrim, as everywhere in Northern Ireland, is run by the NI HMO Unit at Belfast City Council. Planning and building control are handled by the local council.