What is included in hmo conversions?
Turning houses and other buildings into well-planned shared homes. Choose a service for the detail, the rules in each nation and guide prices.
House to HMO conversion
A house to HMO conversion turns a single-family home into a house in multiple occupation: a shared home for unrelated people with private bedrooms and shared kitchen or bathroom space. The works usually cover layout changes, fire separation and detection, extra bathrooms or ensuites, a larger kitchen, electrics, and the paperwork that licensing and building control will ask for.
Small HMO conversions (3–6 sharers)
A small HMO is a shared house for three to six unrelated people. Converting to a small HMO usually means making every bedroom big enough to let, adding a second bathroom or ensuites, enlarging the kitchen, and bringing fire safety up to the level the council expects for the size of house.
Large HMO conversions (7+ sharers)
A large HMO is a shared house for seven or more people. In England it falls outside the C4 use class, so it normally needs planning permission, and a building this size usually needs a more extensive fire alarm, protected escape route and extra kitchen and bathroom capacity.
Commercial and above-shop to HMO
A commercial to HMO conversion turns space that was never a home, such as upper floors over shops or small office buildings, into shared accommodation. These jobs need careful fire separation from the commercial use below, separate access, sound insulation and building control approval.
Guide prices
| Item | UK typical | Per |
|---|---|---|
| Typical 3–4 bed house to a 5–6 bed HMO, all-in | £30,000 – £75,000 | project |
| Conversion works per letting room (walls, linings, electrics, decoration; excludes kitchens, bathrooms and fire systems; our estimate) | £3,500 – £6,500 | 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 |
| Interlinked mains alarm system (Grade D type), small HMO (our estimate from installer guides) | £800 – £2,000 | house |
| Shared bathroom refit | £5,500 – £9,000 | bathroom |
| FD30S fire door leaf into an existing frame, with seals, closer and hinges, fitted | £300 – £600 | door |
| Panel alarm system (Grade A type), larger HMO | £1,750 – £4,500 | house |
Questions
Do I need planning permission to turn a house into an HMO?
It depends on the nation, the council and the number of sharers. In England, three to six unrelated sharers is use class C4, and moving from a family house is usually permitted development unless the council has an Article 4 direction; seven or more normally needs permission. In Wales a change to an HMO always needs permission, in Northern Ireland all new HMOs need it, and in Scotland council policy decides. We check the address before drawings start.
Does a small HMO need a licence?
In England a mandatory licence is needed when five or more people from two or more households share, and smaller HMOs can need one where the council runs additional licensing. Wales still applies a three-storey test, while in Scotland and Northern Ireland every HMO needs a licence. We check the address and tell you which applies before quoting.
Does a seven-bed HMO need planning permission?
In England, normally yes: seven or more unrelated sharers is a sui generis use outside class C4. Wales and Northern Ireland require permission for new HMOs anyway, and in Scotland more than five residents falls outside the houses class. Councils also apply concentration policies, so we check the address first.
Can offices be converted to an HMO without planning?
Some office-to-home changes have permitted development rights in England, but those rights generally create self-contained flats, and HMO use usually needs its own consent. We work from your planning position and flag anything that needs checking.