HMO Conversions Deptford

HMO conversion in Deptford is a narrow field, and the rules explain why. Only 15% of homes across the statistical areas covering Deptford and New Cross are houses, and across Lewisham the right to turn a family house into a small HMO without planning permission has been removed. A house also has to pass a 130 square metre floorspace test before a small HMO is even considered. Where a scheme does go ahead, or an existing shared house needs upgrading for its licence, we build it to Lewisham's HMO standards.

If the building is listed, the works themselves are a separate question: anything that affects its character, inside or out, needs listed building consent from Lewisham Council, and carrying it out without consent is a criminal offence.

In Deptford, 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 (indicative London ranges, Mayfair Studio and LetCompliance, 2026). GS Renovation Ltd, a building contractor based in Potters Bar, does the work in Deptford: 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.

Planning permission for a Deptford HMO

Every change from a family house to an HMO in Deptford needs planning permission. Nationally, Class L of the General Permitted Development Order 2015 permits a change from Class C3 dwellinghouses to Class C4 HMOs as permitted development, but Lewisham has removed that right in two steps. Its first small HMO Article 4 Direction has covered the Southern Wards (old ward boundaries) since 7 March 2020, and the second, covering the remainder of the borough, came into force on 19 January 2024.

Shared houses for more sharers fall outside Class C4 entirely. In the London Plan glossary, an HMO for three to six people is Use Class C4, while one for more than six people is Sui Generis. Seven or more sharers in a Deptford house means a planning application on that ground as well. That application is made by the owner or their agent, and we supply a measured survey, a method statement and a programme to back it.

Housing in Deptford

Of the 14,290 homes the valuation list records in Deptford, 9% were built before 1919, 4% between the wars and 84% since 1945; 85% are flats and 15% are houses.

The 130 square metre test on a Deptford house

The floorspace rule rules out many Deptford houses before design starts. Lewisham Local Plan Policy HO8 permits small C4 HMOs in an Article 4 area only where the gross original internal floorspace of the original dwelling is 130 square metres or greater. Lewisham says HMO proposals cannot rely on rear or roof extensions to reach that figure, so the measurement is of the house as first built, not as extended.

With terraced houses at 14% of the stock here, the candidates are the larger houses, such as those in the small Georgian core, and even those need measuring room by room. We can survey the original house and mark out later additions before you commit to design fees. The London Plan also asks boroughs to protect HMOs of a reasonable standard, which matters if you already own a lawful shared house and want to keep it in use.

Licensing a shared house in Deptford

Which licence a Deptford shared house needs turns on how many sharers it will hold. Under GOV.UK's definition, a large HMO is one rented to 5 or more people who form more than 1 household, and that brings in the national mandatory scheme. Below that size, Lewisham runs an Additional HMO licensing scheme, in force since Tuesday 5 April 2022, for homes where three or four people from separate households share a kitchen, toilet or bathroom.

The landlord applies for the licence, and GOV.UK warns that renting out an unlicensed HMO can lead to an unlimited fine. What we do is build the house to the standards the licence sets, so the inspection finds the rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and fire precautions already in place. For an existing Deptford shared house changing its occupancy, we survey against the licence conditions and price only the upgrades that are needed.

Room sizes, kitchens and fire safety in a Deptford HMO

Lewisham's HMO standards fix the layout of a Deptford shared house. They set a minimum single bedroom size of 6.51m2 and a minimum double bedroom size of 10.22m2, and national licence conditions bar any room under 4.64 square metres from use for sleeping. Shared kitchens need at least 6.51m2 for up to five people and at least 11m2 for up to ten, and there must be at least one fixed bath or shower for every five occupants. We set out partitions and bathrooms to those figures before any stud goes up.

Fire safety is the other half of the build. Bedroom doors and the kitchen door become fire doors, detection and alarms are interlinked, and the stair is protected as an escape route, following Part B and the LACORS housing fire safety guidance. Lewisham's standards also expect a licensed HMO to have an EPC rating of E or better unless an exemption applies, so insulation, heating controls and sound insulation between rooms are planned into the same programme.

• Small HMO conversions for three to six sharers
• Service holes sealed so each bedroom and the kitchen stay separate fire compartments
• Thumb-turn bedroom locks that open from inside without a key

VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for Deptford North, Silwood & Pepys and New Cross & Deptford South. Counts rounded by the VOA.

People planning hmo conversions in Deptford may also want bathroom renovation in Deptford, hmo conversions across Lewisham, bathroom fitting in London, how snagging works at handover, hmo conversions across London and House Rewire Cost.

Working With GS Renovation in Deptford

An HMO conversion is judged by the licence inspection, so we build to the standards from the first day on site. Our founder has more than thirty years of hands-on building experience and keeps fire doors, alarms, partitions and bathrooms in order. We work to the planning consent and licence conditions the landlord holds, a registered electrician certifies the wiring and alarms, and gas work goes to an engineer on the Gas Safe Register. You receive a written quotation and programme after we visit.

• Detection laid out to the grade the council's HMO fire guidance sets
• Free, no-obligation quotations
• Sound lining between bedrooms so one sharer does not keep another awake

Checked by Abdelaaziz Saaid, founder and director of GS Renovation Ltd (Companies House no. 14611254).