HMO Conversions Golders Green

HMO conversion in Golders Green means turning a family house into a shared house, or upgrading an existing HMO to meet its licence. Barnet's borough-wide Article 4 direction, in place since May 2016, requires planning permission to be sought for all future HMOs, so there is no permitted route from house to small HMO here. A licence may be needed as well. We build to the approved layout and the licence standards: fire doors, detection, escape routes, shared kitchens and bathrooms, and the sound and energy upgrades that go with them.

In Golders Green, 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 Golders Green: 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.

Barnet's Article 4 direction on HMOs in Golders Green

Any new HMO in Golders Green needs planning permission: a small one because Barnet put a borough-wide Article 4 direction in place in May 2016, and a larger one because it was never permitted development. Without it, Class L would let a family house become a small HMO as permitted development. That is why the route here starts with a planning application, drawn up by the owner or their agent, and why the build waits for the decision.

For an owner in Golders Green this changes which scheme is realistic. The application has to show how many people will live in the house and how the rooms, kitchens and bathrooms are laid out, so the occupancy is fixed before anything is drawn. Class L also does not allow a single house to be used as two or more separate HMOs. Settle the number of sharers with your agent first, because the fire strategy, the kitchens and the licence all follow from it.

Housing in Golders Green

The Council Tax list puts Golders Green at about 7,590 homes, 56% flats against 44% houses; 47% went up before 1919, 26% between the wars and 27% after 1945.

HMO licensing and the Barnet register for Golders Green

A shared house in Golders Green may need an HMO licence as well as planning permission. GOV.UK defines a large HMO, which must be licensed, as one rented to 5 or more people forming more than 1 household, and says a smaller HMO may still need a licence depending on the council area. Barnet publishes a register of properties licensed under its HMO Licensing Scheme, updated monthly, as section 232 of the Housing Act 2004 requires.

Licence conditions set room sizes, kitchen and bathroom numbers and fire safety, so the build has to hit them from the start. Renting out an unlicensed HMO can lead to an unlimited fine. The owner applies for the licence; we build the fire doors, detection, escape route and shared facilities to the layout the licence expects, and hand over the installation certificates the application needs. Licence inspections can follow completion, so we keep the layout as approved.

Fire doors, alarms and room sizes in a Golders Green HMO

Fire safety sets the layout of a shared house in Golders Green more than any other rule. An HMO is a property rented out by at least 3 people who are not from one household but share facilities such as the kitchen or bathroom, so one fire in the kitchen can threaten every tenant. The LACORS housing fire safety guidance is the recognised guide: a protected escape route down the stair, self-closing fire doors to each letting and the kitchen, and interlinked mains-wired detection.

Room sizes are the other fixed point. National minimum bedroom sizes are mandatory conditions of an HMO licence in England: 6.51 square metres for one person over 10, 10.22 for two, and no sleeping room under 4.64. The council's amenity standards set the number of kitchens, bathrooms and WCs for the number of occupants, so ask for the current version. We check each room against both before any partition is built, because one room that falls short can cut the licensed occupancy of the house.

Larger HMOs, CIL and energy rules in Golders Green

A larger shared house in Golders Green moves into a different planning class. The London Plan glossary defines HMOs for three to six people as Use Class C4 and HMOs for more than six people as Sui Generis, which needs its own planning permission. Barnet's revised CIL charging schedule includes C4 use and sui generis HMOs among the residential development it charges, so your agent should check whether the scheme creates chargeable floor space before the numbers are fixed.

Policy also works the other way. London Plan Policy H9 says boroughs should take account of the role of HMOs in meeting housing needs, and that HMOs of a reasonable standard should generally be protected. For an existing HMO, upgrading it to the licence standard is often a better route than removing it. Energy rules can apply as well: where a let HMO is covered by the MEES Regulations, it cannot be let with an EPC rating below E without a valid exemption, so insulation and controls go in with the fire works.

• Service holes sealed so each bedroom and the kitchen stay separate fire compartments
• Bedroom layouts checked against the national minimum room sizes
• Self-closing fire doors and frames to every bedroom and the kitchen

VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for Golders Green North and Golders Green South. Counts rounded by the VOA.

Two or three things usually come up alongside hmo conversions on a Golders Green job: bathroom renovation in Golders Green, hmo conversions across Barnet, what a main building contractor does, what a snagging list covers, hmo conversions anywhere in London and Bathroom Renovation Cost.

Trusted HMO Conversions in Golders Green

We build shared houses to the standard the licence and the planning consent set, and nothing is improvised on site. Fire doors, detection, escape routes, kitchens and bathrooms go in to the approved layout, and sound insulation between lettings is fitted while the floors are open. A registered electrician certifies the wiring and the alarm circuits, and an engineer on the Gas Safe Register does the gas work. Our director, Abdelaaziz Saaid, brings three decades on the tools and is your one contact until the Golders Green house is ready for inspection.

• En-suites placed only where a soil stack can serve them
• One point of contact on the phone, not a call centre
• Existing HMOs brought up to licence conditions, fire works first

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