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. For a house in Brighton we start with a measured survey, check the council’s written HMO standards for the number of sharers, and then price each item separately. With students as well as working sharers renting in Brighton, we plan bigger jobs for the gap between academic-year tenancies where we can.
- Area
- East Sussex, England
- Postcodes
- BN1, BN2 and BN3
- Location
- 47 miles south of London
- Council
- Brighton & Hove City Council
- Pricing region
- South East
What does house to HMO conversion in Brighton involve?
- A communal kitchen sized for the number of sharers
- Layout drawings showing bedrooms, kitchens, bathrooms and the escape route
- Extra bathrooms, shower rooms or ensuites
- Rewiring or upgrades, with an electrical certificate
- Fire doors, fire-rated linings and an interlinked fire alarm
Which rules apply in Brighton?
The rules below are the England-wide position for this kind of work. Councils add their own standards and schemes on top, so we always check the address in Brighton before we price.
- Under the Renters’ Rights Act, civil penalties reach £40,000 for offences such as running an unlicensed HMO.
- Floor area under a ceiling lower than 1.5 m does not count towards the room size, and many councils set larger sizes.
- National rules ask for an adequate number of bathrooms, WCs and basins and suitably located kitchens; numeric ratios are set by each council.
- 7 or more sharers is a sui generis large HMO and normally needs planning permission.
Brighton & Hove City Council: local HMO schemes
| Article 4 (HMO) | In force across the council area City-wide C3-C4 Article 4 Direction confirmed Jan 2020 and in force June 2020 (replaced the 2013 five-ward direction). |
|---|---|
| Additional licensing | In force across the council area Additional licensing across all 23 wards 1 Jul 2024-30 Jun 2029. |
| Selective licensing | In force in part of the council area Kemptown, Moulsecoomb & Bevendean, Queen's Park, Whitehawk & Marina 2 Sep 2024-1 Sep 2029. Central Hove & Regency designation (made 6 Jul 2026, due 20 Oct 2026) is paused pending a legal challenge. |
Schemes change. Check the council’s current pages for the exact address in Brighton before you buy or start work. Source: Brighton & Hove City Council HMO licensing page, checked 2026-10-31.
How much does house to HMO conversion cost in Brighton?
| Item | UK typical | Local guide | Per |
|---|---|---|---|
| Typical 3–4 bed house to a 5–6 bed HMO, all-in | £30,000 – £75,000 | £33,600 – £84,000 | project |
| Conversion works per letting room (walls, linings, electrics, decoration; excludes kitchens, bathrooms and fire systems; our estimate) | £3,500 – £6,500 | £3,900 – £7,300 | letting room |
| Ensuite shower room added to a bedroom | £4,000 – £10,000 | £4,500 – £11,200 | ensuite |
| Communal HMO kitchen with extra cooking and sink capacity (our estimate from domestic ranges) | £8,000 – £18,000 | £8,950 – £20,150 | kitchen |
| Interlinked mains alarm system (Grade D type), small HMO (our estimate from installer guides) | £800 – £2,000 | £900 – £2,250 | house |
These are typical ranges including VAT, adjusted for South East, where costs run above the UK average. The fixed price for a house in Brighton follows a site visit.
How long does it take?
Most jobs of this kind take 6–14 weeks. If a council deadline applies in Brighton, tell us at the first call so the programme is built around it.
For student houses in Brighton, booking by spring is the safest way to make the summer gap.
When do Brighton landlords need it?
Typical reasons for this work in Brighton:
- A council has said an existing shared house needs works before a licence
- You have bought, or are buying, a house to let to sharers
Questions about house to HMO conversion in Brighton
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.
How far do you travel from Brighton?
We cover the whole of East Sussex and work UK-wide. For Brighton the nearest towns on our list are Hove (1 miles), Portslade (3 miles), Rottingdean (4 miles).
Which council covers HMOs in Brighton?
Brighton is covered by Brighton & Hove 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 does house to HMO conversion cost in Brighton?
Our guide ranges for South East 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.
House to HMO conversion near Brighton
- Hove · 1 mi
- Portslade · 3 mi
- Rottingdean · 4 mi
- Burgess Hill · 9 mi
- Worthing · 10 mi
- Seaford · 11 mi
- All of East Sussex
Other HMO services in Brighton
- Small HMO conversions (3–6 sharers) in Brighton
- Large HMO conversions (7+ sharers) in Brighton
- HMO fire safety upgrades in Brighton
- Ensuite installation in Brighton
- Communal kitchen refits in Brighton
- Layout changes and room reconfiguration in Brighton
- Extensions for extra rooms in Brighton
- Void and between-tenancy refurbs in Brighton