HMO Conversions Brentwood
House to HMO conversions and licence upgrades in Brentwood, fire doors, detection and shared amenities built to the council's licence standards.
- Rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder
- Guide from £40,000 (London-derived)
- Free site survey, itemised quote
An HMO conversion in Brentwood turns a family house into a shared house let to unrelated tenants, or brings an existing HMO up to licence standard. Brentwood Borough Council licenses large HMOs of five or more people in more than one household, and it points landlords to the Essex amenity standards for kitchens, bathrooms and room sizes. The landlord applies for the licence and any planning consent. We build the rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and fire precautions the licence is granted on.
For Brentwood, a light HMO conversion for four to six tenants typically costs £40,000 to £75,000 in construction, or £90,000 to £150,000 with an en-suite to every bedroom (Mayfair Studio and LetCompliance, 2026); a Essex price follows a site visit. GS Renovation Ltd, a building contractor based in Potters Bar, does the work in Brentwood: we build the fire doors, detection, bathrooms and kitchens to the council's HMO standards, the landlord applies for the licence, and a registered electrician certifies the electrics.
Price guide
| Work | Indicative range |
|---|---|
| Light HMO conversion, London, 4 to 6 tenants, construction only (Mayfair Studio) | £40,000 to £75,000 |
| Full HMO conversion with en-suites, London, 5 to 6 beds (Mayfair Studio) | £90,000 to £150,000 |
| 5-bed HMO conversion, London and South East (LetCompliance) | £35,000 to £60,000 |
| Fire safety works, typical 5-bed HMO, UK guide (LetCompliance) | £5,000 to £9,500 |
| En-suite added to one bedroom, London (Mayfair Studio) | £3,500 to £8,000 per room |
| Second shared bathroom, UK guide (LetCompliance) | £4,000 to £9,000 |
Indicative ranges from published cost guides (Mayfair Studio and LetCompliance, 2026), not a quotation. Each row names its source and whether it is a London, UK or England-wide figure. Essex prices follow a site visit. Prices checked September 2026.
Quick estimate from published guides
Guide range: choose above
Planning for a Brentwood HMO: small shared houses and large ones
A change from a family house (use class C3) to a small HMO for three to six unrelated people (C4) is normally permitted development. That right can be removed by a council direction, so check the position for the street before buying. An HMO for seven or more people is sui generis and always needs planning permission. The council's current position on directions is a question for the landlord's planning adviser at the outset.
Where permission is needed, Brentwood Local Plan Policy HP02 requires any change of use between residential use classes, such as house to HMO, to show how it responds to established housing need in the council's latest evidence. That is a planning argument, made by the landlord's adviser. We price the layouts the designer draws for five, six or seven occupants, so the landlord can weigh the planning risk against the rent.
Housing in Brentwood
The Council Tax list puts Brentwood at about 25,620 homes, 32% flats against 68% houses; 11% went up before 1919, 11% between the wars and 78% after 1945.
Converting a Brentwood house into a licensable HMO
Brentwood Borough Council requires a licence for a large HMO, defined as a property occupied by five or more persons living in more than one household, with at least one paying rent. The licence is issued for five years and the property can be inspected during that period. Before granting it, the council must be satisfied the house is suitable, or can be made suitable, for the permitted number of tenants, including bathrooms, toilets and cooking facilities.
The licence application is the landlord's, and Brentwood warns that failing to license brings fines, a criminal record and possible rent repayment orders. Our part is building the house so it passes. That means the fixtures the council counts are in place before the first inspection: enough bathrooms and toilets, a kitchen large enough for the number of occupiers, fire doors, detection and a protected escape route. Missing any of them delays the licence.
The Essex HMO amenity standards set the Brentwood kitchen and bathroom count
Brentwood points HMO landlords to the Essex Approved Code of Practice on amenity standards, which applies to all HMOs whether licensable or not. Under those standards a shared kitchen should normally serve a maximum of 5 persons, and kitchen facilities should be no more than one floor away from the letting. Where a window does not ventilate the kitchen adequately, a humidistat controlled mechanical extractor is required. Each of these sets a fixed point in the layout.
The same standards require at least one bathroom and then bathrooms at a ratio of 1 to 5 persons, with no letting more than one floor from the nearest bathroom. They cite 6.5 square metres for one person, but the national mandatory licence conditions set the floor: 6.51 square metres for one adult, 10.22 for two, and no sleeping room under 4.64. On a three storey house this decides where the second kitchen and extra bathroom go, and the drainage stacks are planned before any partition is built.
Mandatory licensing does not reach a flat in a purpose-built block of three or more self-contained flats; where such a flat is shared, it is the council's additional scheme, if any, that applies.
Fire doors, alarms, sound and energy in a Brentwood HMO
Fire safety is where an HMO differs most from a family house. The recognised guide is the LACORS housing fire safety guidance, and alongside building regulations Part B it usually leads to fire doors with self-closers on every bedroom and the kitchen, a protected stair, and a linked detection and alarm system. Brentwood also reminds landlords that every storey of a rented property needs a smoke alarm and rooms with a solid fuel appliance need a carbon monoxide alarm. National rules have since extended that to rooms with a gas boiler or other fixed combustion appliance.
Sound between lettings matters for tenants who keep different hours, so we add insulation to the partitions and floors between bedrooms where the layout changes. The minimum energy efficiency standard applies to a let HMO as to any rented home, for existing tenancies as well as new ones, so insulation, heating controls and low energy lighting are planned with the EPC in mind. We install the alarm system for the registered electrician to test and certify. Test certificates go into the landlord's licence file.
- Interlinked smoke and heat alarms, mains-wired and graded to the council's HMO fire guidance
- Snagging before the council's licence inspection
- Hard-wearing floors, finishes and decoration for a let house
VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for all 6 statistical areas in Brentwood. Counts rounded by the VOA.
Trusted HMO Conversions in Brentwood
An HMO has to pass an inspection before and during the licence, so we build to the standards the licensing officer checks rather than to the minimum that looks right. We plan the room count, kitchens, bathrooms and drainage with the landlord and their adviser, fit fire doors and alarms, and keep the product records the licensing officer may ask for. A registered electrician certifies the wiring and a registered gas engineer does gas work. You get a written quote after a site visit.
- EPC upgrades done while the walls and floors are still open
- Straight advice on what is and is not worth spending money on
- Finished and snagged before the council's licence inspection
Excellent service. George's knowledge and skills are the best in the market. He knows what he is doing, does really high quality work, gives good…
My husband and I are extremely pleased with the work. The standard of the work is outstanding and Saiid has a great eye for detail and will not leave…
George was very friendly and helpful from start to finish. He worked really hard to ensure our kitchen was installed to a high standard and was…
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about HMO Conversions Brentwood
How much does an HMO conversion cost in Brentwood?
Published figures put a light HMO conversion for four to six tenants at £40,000 to £75,000 in construction, and a full conversion with an en-suite to every bedroom at £90,000 to £150,000 (Mayfair Studio, 2026). A Brentwood house moves within that range with the fire works, the extra bathrooms and the kitchen size. Planning and licence fees are the landlord's and sit outside our quote.
Does a large HMO in Brentwood need a licence?
Yes. Brentwood Borough Council requires a licence for a large HMO, which it defines as a property occupied by five or more persons living in more than one household, with at least one paying rent. The landlord applies. We build the house to the standard the licence needs, including kitchens, bathrooms and fire safety.
How long does a Brentwood HMO licence last?
A Brentwood HMO licence is issued for five years, and the property can be inspected during that period. That means the fire doors, alarms, kitchen and bathrooms have to stay in the condition the licence was granted on. Building them well at conversion stage keeps the maintenance between inspections light.
How many people can share one kitchen in a Brentwood HMO?
Under the Essex HMO amenity standards, which Brentwood points landlords to, a shared kitchen should normally serve a maximum of 5 persons. The kitchen should be no more than one floor away from the letting. A larger HMO therefore often needs a second kitchen on an upper floor, which has to be planned with the drainage.
What is the smallest bedroom allowed in a Brentwood HMO?
The national mandatory licence conditions decide it: 6.51 square metres for one adult, 10.22 for two, and no room under 4.64 square metres may be slept in. The Essex standards Brentwood points to cite 6.5 square metres, but a licence cannot go below the national figure. Measure the usable floor, not the area under a sloping ceiling. Where a room falls short, a partition can often move, and we plan that before the rooms are finished.
Does an HMO kitchen need mechanical extraction?
It does where a window does not give adequate ventilation. The Essex HMO amenity standards require a humidistat controlled mechanical extractor in that case. We fit the extractor and duct it to outside during the first fix, so the cable runs and the wall or roof outlet are hidden before plastering.
Does turning a Brentwood house into an HMO need planning permission?
For seven or more occupants, yes, because an HMO of that size is sui generis. A small HMO for three to six people is normally permitted development unless a council direction removes that right. Where permission is needed, Policy HP02 asks the scheme to show how it responds to established housing need. The landlord's adviser makes that case.
How many bathrooms does a Brentwood HMO need?
The Essex HMO amenity standards require at least one bathroom and then bathrooms at a ratio of 1 to 5 persons, with no letting more than one floor from the nearest bathroom. On that ratio a six person house needs two. We position them over each other where possible so they share a stack.
What fire precautions does an HMO conversion need?
Typically fire doors with self-closers to bedrooms and the kitchen, a protected escape route, a linked smoke and heat detection system, and emergency lighting in larger houses. The LACORS guidance sets the usual standard by house size and layout. The licensing officer confirms the specification, and we install to it before the licence inspection.
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