C3 to C4
Small HMO
Three to six bedroom shared houses, usually a C3 to C4 conversion. Layouts designed around minimum room sizes, shared kitchens and bathrooms, and the standards your council’s licensing team enforces.
Turning a house into an HMO is a planning exercise first and a building project second. Get the use class, layout or fire strategy wrong and the whole investment stalls. As HMO conversion specialists, Xpanza designs HMO conversions with planning strategy, compliant layouts and structural design handled together, so the scheme you submit is one you can build and license.
Each type of HMO brings a different planning route, layout challenge and structural brief. Here’s what we design most.
Three to six bedroom shared houses, usually a C3 to C4 conversion. Layouts designed around minimum room sizes, shared kitchens and bathrooms, and the standards your council’s licensing team enforces.
Seven bedrooms and above, usually sui generis. More complex planning, full fire strategy coordination, and structural alterations to create compliant room layouts from the existing floor plate.
Self-contained bedsits with en-suites and kitchenettes carved from larger houses. Compact layouts where every square metre has to work, with soil pipe runs and service routes designed in from the start.
New-build or full strip-out HMOs designed from a blank canvas. Optimal layouts, future-proofed structure, and planning handled as one coordinated scheme.
An HMO conversion has three hurdles: planning permission for the change of use, a layout that meets licensing standards, and the structural alterations to make it real. Most HMO conversion projects stumble on the first hurdle, because HMO planning rules, Article 4 directions and use classes, C3, C4 and sui generis, vary by council and are widely misunderstood.
Our service covers all three. Planning strategy and applications for the change of use. HMO layout design built around room sizes, amenities, fire escape routes and management standards. Structural design for wall removals, new partitions, en-suite additions and extensions where the scheme needs more space.
You send the property details and your target room count; we produce a coordinated scheme built to clear planning, satisfy licensing and build cleanly. From a single HMO house to a multi-property portfolio, every scheme gets the same coordinated treatment.
The three hurdles we cover
The route for the change of use confirmed early, and the application prepared and tracked through to a decision.
Layouts built around room sizes, amenities, fire escape routes and management standards.
Wall removals, new partitions, en-suite additions and extensions, engineered where the scheme needs more space.
The use class and your council’s rules decide the route. They differ between Wales and England, so we check your property before you commit.
Normally permitted development, unless an Article 4 direction removes those rights.
A council order that removes permitted development rights in a defined area, common in streets with many HMOs. Even a small HMO then needs full planning permission.
Always needs full planning permission, with the planning case and fire strategy built alongside the layout.
Five things that separate a scheme that gets approved, licensed and built from one that stalls.
The planning route is confirmed early, so no money is spent designing a scheme that can’t be approved.
Layouts that draw the most lettable rooms from the floor plate without breaking room size or amenity rules.
Plans drawn to the standards licensing officers check, so the licence application runs smoother.
Alterations engineered upfront, so structural unknowns don’t surface halfway through the build.
Planning, design and structural from a single point of contact, from first scheme to final drawings.
Address, photos and your target room count. We can assess a property you’ve already bought, or one you’re still considering.
Use class, Article 4 and your council’s rules checked before any design work starts, so you know where you stand.
Compliant room layouts, fire escape routes and structural alterations designed together as one coordinated scheme.
Planning application prepared where needed, with plans drawn to the standards licensing officers check.
Straight answers to the questions we’re asked most about HMO conversions, from use classes to licensing. If yours isn’t answered here, call us on 07446 197853.
It depends on the size. A small HMO of three to six occupants, a C3 to C4 conversion, is normally permitted development unless an Article 4 direction removes those rights. Larger HMOs of seven or more occupants are sui generis and always need full planning permission. The rules differ between Wales and England, so we check your property before you commit.
It’s a council order that removes permitted development rights in a defined area, common in streets with many HMOs already. If one covers your property, even a small HMO needs full planning permission. We check this at the start of every project.
Councils set minimum bedroom sizes and standards for kitchens, bathrooms and shared space, and they vary between authorities. We design your layout to your council’s specific standards, so the scheme works for both planning and licensing.
Yes, they are separate. Planning permission covers the use of the building; licensing covers how it’s managed and whether it meets safety and amenity standards. Licensing depends on the size of the HMO and your council’s scheme. We supply compliant HMO plans to support your licence application.
HMO conversion design costs depend on the scheme size and whether you need planning only or the full package through structural. Use our cost calculator for an instant indicative estimate based on our published rate card. Your exact price is confirmed in writing after a free consultation.
Yes. Send us the address, photos and what you’re aiming for, and we’ll assess the planning position before any design work starts, so you know where you stand.
It depends on the size of the scheme and how quickly we receive your information and feedback. Tell us your deadline at the start and we’ll confirm honestly whether we can meet it. Indicative timelines are shown in our cost calculator when you build your estimate.
Send us the property details and your target room count. We’ll check the planning position, quote a fixed fee and get the scheme moving.