HMORefurbishment
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Extra rooms and layouts

Layout changes and room reconfiguration

Moving walls, splitting or merging rooms and relocating kitchens to make an HMO work.

  • Free site visit and measured survey
  • Built to the council’s HMO standards
  • Certificates and photos at handover
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New stud walls forming extra bedrooms on a landing during a house-to-HMO conversion
In short: HMO layout reconfiguration changes the internal plan of a shared house so the rooms, kitchens and bathrooms work together: moving or adding walls, splitting oversized rooms, merging undersized ones, or moving the kitchen off the escape route. Each change is checked against room sizes, the fire strategy and building rules.

What do layout changes and room reconfiguration include?

  • Measured survey and options drawings
  • New stud walls and door openings
  • Removing or altering walls with structural design
  • Moving kitchens off the escape route
  • Merging undersized rooms
  • Re-routing services
  • Fire separation for new rooms
  • Making good and decoration

When do landlords need it?

  • Rooms below the size standard
  • A kitchen on the escape route
  • A layout that wastes space

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

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • Building regulations cover structural changes, new partitions, ensuite drainage, fire-resisting construction and notifiable electrical work.
  • National rules ask for an adequate number of bathrooms, WCs and basins and suitably located kitchens; numeric ratios are set by each council.

All HMO rules for England

Wales

  • England’s national room sizes do not apply in Wales; councils set their own room 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.
  • Building regulations cover structural work, partitions, drainage, fire-resisting construction and electrics; confirm with building control whether the conversion is a material change of use.
  • Kitchen and bathroom ratios are set in each council’s HMO standards.

All HMO rules for Wales

Scotland

  • 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.
  • 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.
  • A building warrant may be needed for a change of use or for installing a fire alarm system; check with the council’s building standards service.
  • Kitchen, WC and bathroom ratios come from council standards; one WC and one bath or shower per 5 people is a common figure.

All HMO rules for Scotland

Northern Ireland

  • Space and amenity standards come from the HMO (Living Accommodation Standard) Regulations (NI) 2019 and the 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.
  • New HMOs need building control approval as well as planning permission.
  • Kitchens, bathrooms and WCs must meet the 2019 living accommodation standard regulations and licence conditions.

All HMO rules for Northern Ireland

How much do layout changes and room reconfiguration cost?

UK typical budget ranges. See local pages for regional guides.
ItemUK typicalPer
New stud wall and door forming a room, per room (our estimate)£1,500 – £3,500room formed
Conversion works per letting room (walls, linings, electrics, decoration; excludes kitchens, bathrooms and fire systems; our estimate)£3,500 – £6,500letting room

Typical time on site: 1–4 weeks. Your fixed price follows a site visit; use the guide-price tool for a figure for your house.

How the job runs

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

Questions about layout changes and room reconfiguration

Can you split a large room into two letting rooms?

If both new rooms meet the size standard, have natural light and ventilation, and the fire strategy allows, yes.

Why move a kitchen off the escape route?

Kitchens are where most fires start. Guidance usually prefers that escape routes do not pass through or open directly from a kitchen without protection.

Do I need building control for new walls?

Non-structural partitions often do not on their own, but changes affecting fire safety, structure or drainage usually do. In an HMO conversion they are normally part of the building control application.

Can you work from my sketch?

Yes. We turn it into measured drawings and check it against the standards before you commit.

Related services

Where we work

Choose a nation and area for local rules, postcodes and regional prices.

England

Wales

Scotland

Northern Ireland

Planning HMO works?

Free site visit, then a fixed written quote itemised against your council’s standards.

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