An HMO kitchen refit designs and installs a shared kitchen with enough sinks, cookers, worktop, storage and fridge space for everyone in the house. In Cambridge, a place of roughly 150,000 people, the work is planned around the HMO rules for England and the council’s written HMO standards. With students as well as working sharers renting in Cambridge, we plan bigger jobs for the gap between academic-year tenancies where we can.
- Area
- Cambridgeshire, England
- Postcodes
- CB21, CB22, CB23 and CB24
- Location
- 30 miles south-east of Peterborough
- Council
- Cambridge City Council
- Pricing region
- East of England
What do communal kitchen refits in Cambridge involve?
- Fridge and freezer space
- Electrics, sockets and lighting
- Extra sink, hob and oven where the numbers need it
- Lockable food storage for each sharer
- Kitchen designed to your council’s amenity standards
Which rules apply in Cambridge?
Communal kitchen refits in Cambridge must satisfy national law for England, the council’s written HMO standards and, where walls, drainage or fire separation change, the building rules. In short:
- Council standards often step up at 5 and 6 sharers, for example a separate WC at 5 and a second bathroom from 6.
- Smoke alarms on every storey with living accommodation and CO alarms by fixed combustion appliances (other than gas cookers) are required by law.
- BS 7671, the wiring standard, calls for arc fault detection devices in HMOs on new socket circuits, such as rewires and consumer unit changes.
- The Fire Safety Order 2005 applies to the common parts of HMOs, enforced by the fire and rescue authority.
Cambridge City Council: local HMO schemes
| Article 4 (HMO) | Proposed No small-HMO Article 4 direction in force; after a 2026 petition the council said (July 2026) it is building the case for one. No direction made yet. |
|---|---|
| Additional licensing | No scheme found |
| Selective licensing | No scheme found |
Schemes change. Check the council’s current pages for the exact address in Cambridge before you buy or start work. Source: Cambridge City Council HMO licensing page, checked 2026-10-31.
How much do communal kitchen refits cost in Cambridge?
| Item | UK typical | Local guide | Per |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communal HMO kitchen with extra cooking and sink capacity (our estimate from domestic ranges) | £8,000 – £18,000 | £8,500 – £19,100 | kitchen |
| Interlinked mains alarm system (Grade D type), small HMO (our estimate from installer guides) | £800 – £2,000 | £850 – £2,100 | house |
These are typical ranges including VAT, adjusted for East of England, where costs run above the UK average. The fixed price for a house in Cambridge follows a site visit.
How long does it take?
Allow 1–2 weeks on site for a typical job. Drawings, approvals and long-lead items such as kitchens or fire door sets are booked before we start.
For student houses in Cambridge, booking by spring is the safest way to make the summer gap.
When do Cambridge landlords need it?
Landlords in Cambridge most often ask us for this when:
- A licence condition about kitchen facilities
- Tired kitchens that are putting tenants off
Questions about communal kitchen refits in Cambridge
How big does an HMO kitchen need to be?
Councils set their own standards, usually as a minimum floor area and a number of sinks, cookers and worktop lengths per number of sharers. We design to the standard for your address.
Which postcodes in Cambridge do you work in?
All of them, including CB21, CB22, CB23 and CB24, and the surrounding parts of Cambridgeshire.
Which council covers HMOs in Cambridge?
Cambridge is covered by Cambridge City Council. We read the council’s written HMO standards before pricing, and you should check the licence position for the exact address.
How much do communal kitchen refits cost in Cambridge?
Our guide ranges for East of England are in the table on this page, and the guide-price tool gives a figure for your house. A fixed written quote follows a free site visit.
Communal kitchen refits near Cambridge
- Newmarket · 13 mi
- Ely · 15 mi
- Huntingdon · 16 mi
- Haverhill · 16 mi
- Saint Neots · 16 mi
- Letchworth Garden City · 21 mi
- All of Cambridgeshire
Other HMO services in Cambridge
- Shared bathroom and shower room refits in Cambridge
- Student HMO refurbishment in Cambridge
- Full HMO refurbishment in Cambridge
- Fire alarm and detection systems in Cambridge
- Layout changes and room reconfiguration in Cambridge
- House to HMO conversion in Cambridge
- Commercial and above-shop to HMO in Cambridge
- Large HMO conversions (7+ sharers) in Cambridge