HMO Conversions Finchley

HMO conversion in Finchley starts with planning, not building work. Since May 2016 a Barnet direction under Article 4 has applied across the whole borough, and any new HMO now needs a planning application, so the national right to turn a family house into a small shared house does not apply here. Once the owner has consent and the licence position is clear, we build to the licence standards: room layouts, kitchens and bathrooms for the occupancy, and the fire safety that lets tenants escape.

In Finchley, 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 Finchley: 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 Finchley HMO under Barnet's Article 4

In Finchley, a house cannot become a small HMO without planning permission. The 2015 General Permitted Development Order, through Class L, lets a C3 house become a C4 shared house for three to six people, but Barnet's Article 4 Direction switches that right off everywhere in the borough. The national Planning Data record gives it a start date of 29 May 2016. Barnet has also warned that unauthorised and illegal HMOs face enforcement, so no work should begin before consent is in hand.

Above six occupants, the London Plan glossary puts an HMO in the sui generis category, and that needs planning permission in every borough. Policy H9 of the plan asks boroughs to weigh what shared houses contribute to housing need, and to protect those of a decent standard. For a Finchley owner, that makes the standard of the rooms, kitchens and bathrooms part of the planning case, and the owner or their agent makes the application before we price the build.

Housing in Finchley

Of the 19,250 homes the valuation list records in Finchley, 38% were built before 1919, 26% between the wars and 36% since 1945; 59% are flats and 41% are houses.

Licensing a Finchley HMO alongside planning

Licensing runs separately from planning in Finchley. On the GOV.UK definition, a house is an HMO once 3 or more tenants from more than one household share a kitchen or bathroom. When 5 or more people from more than 1 household live there, it is a large HMO and a mandatory licence applies, and GOV.UK notes that smaller ones can also need licensing in some council areas. The landlord applies to Barnet Council; we build to the conditions.

One exception matters here: a flat in a purpose-built block of three or more self-contained flats falls outside mandatory licensing, although a council's additional scheme can still cover it.

Each month Barnet updates its public register of houses licensed under the HMO Licensing Scheme, a duty set by section 232 of the Housing Act 2004. That register is worth reading before buying a Finchley house to convert, because it shows which nearby properties already hold licences. Letting an HMO without the licence it needs risks an unlimited fine, according to GOV.UK, so the conditions are confirmed before the layout is drawn, not after the builders leave.

Rooms, kitchens and bathrooms in a Finchley shared house

The layout of a Finchley HMO is set by the licence conditions. Since October 2018 national minimum room sizes have been mandatory licence conditions in England: 6.51 square metres for one adult and 10.22 square metres for two, and no room under 4.64 square metres may be used for sleeping at all. The council's amenity standards then set how many kitchens, bathrooms and WCs the house needs for its number of occupants. The rooms are drawn to Barnet's current standards, which the landlord confirms as part of the licence application.

The VOA dates 38% of Finchley homes before 1919, and a house of that age often has generous front rooms and a narrower back addition. A second kitchen or an extra shower room often goes into that back addition or a box room, which fixes the drainage routes early. Permitted development under Class L never allows one former C3 house to become several separate C4 HMOs, so each house is planned as a single HMO.

Fire safety, sound and energy in a Finchley HMO

Fire safety is the core of a Finchley HMO build. The recognised guide is the LACORS housing fire safety guidance, alongside Part B of the Building Regulations and the council's own HMO fire conditions. In a typical two-storey house that means fire doors with self-closers to every bedroom and the kitchen, a protected escape route down the stair to the front door, interlinked smoke and heat detection, and emergency lighting where the route needs it.

Sound between lettings matters too, because tenants keep different hours. Walls and floors between bedrooms get acoustic insulation while ceilings are open, and plumbing runs away from sleeping rooms. Energy counts as well: GOV.UK says that since 1 April 2020 landlords cannot let properties covered by the MEES Regulations with an EPC rating below E without a valid exemption. Insulation and heating are therefore fitted while the house is stripped, and the EPC is renewed at the end.

• Separate WCs and wash basins to the amenity standard
• En-suite shower rooms added to bedrooms
• Snagging before the council's licence inspection

VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for all 5 statistical areas in Finchley. Counts rounded by the VOA.

If you are weighing up options for your Finchley property, it is worth reading bathroom renovation in Finchley, hmo conversions across Barnet, bathroom fitting in London, what a kitchen fit covers, hmo conversions across London and Kitchen Renovation Cost.

Working With GS Renovation in Finchley

An HMO build is judged by the licensing officer and the fire strategy, not by the finish alone. We build to the planning consent and the licence conditions your agent confirms, sequence the fire doors, detection and separating work before decoration covers them, and coordinate the registered electrician for the alarm and emergency lighting. You get one programme, one point of contact and the certificates the licence application asks for at handover.

• Kitchens and bathrooms counted against the council's amenity standard
• Straight advice on what is and is not worth spending money on
• EPC upgrades done while the walls and floors are still open

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