HMO Conversions Kentish Town
House to HMO conversions and licence upgrades in Kentish Town, fire doors, detection and shared amenities built to the council's licence standards.
- Rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder
- London guide: £40,000 to £75,000
- Free site survey, itemised quote
HMO conversion in Kentish Town is shaped by licensing more than by planning. Camden's additional licensing designation covers the whole borough from 8 December 2025 to 8 December 2030, so a house shared by 3 or more people from 2 or more households needs a licence here. Terraced houses, 11% of homes against 13% for all houses, are the stock a conversion can start from, and a conversion is built to Camden's HMO standards on room sizes, kitchens and fire safety.
In Kentish Town, 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 Kentish Town: 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. Prices checked September 2026.
Quick estimate from published guides
Guide range: choose above
Planning use classes for a Kentish Town HMO
A Kentish Town house can move from a family home to a small shared house as permitted development, unless something removes that right. Class L of the General Permitted Development Order 2015 permits a change from Class C3 dwellinghouses to Class C4 houses in multiple occupation. The London Plan defines HMOs for three to six people as Use Class C4, and those for more than six people as Sui Generis, which always needs planning permission.
Class L does not allow a single former house to become two or more separate C4 HMOs. An Article 4 direction or a planning condition can also remove the C3 to C4 right, and the London Plan asks boroughs weighing such directions to consider the strategic as well as local importance of HMOs. So before any works are priced, the owner or their agent checks the Kentish Town address with Camden planning.
Housing in Kentish Town
Kentish Town's housing, as the Council Tax list records it, is about 8,940 homes: 13% houses, 87% flats, with 44% pre-1919, 4% interwar and 52% built since 1945.
Licensing a shared house in Kentish Town
Every shared house in Kentish Town let to 3 or more people from 2 or more households needs a licence of one kind or another. GOV.UK defines a large HMO as one rented to 5 or more people who form more than 1 household, and that falls under mandatory licensing. Camden's additional licensing picks up any smaller HMO occupied by 3 or more people forming 2 or more households that mandatory licensing does not cover.
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.
Camden made its current designation on 2 July 2025, and it has applied across the whole borough since 8 December 2025. This is the council's third borough-wide scheme of additional HMO licensing, following one that started in December 2020 and lasted 5 years. GOV.UK warns that letting an unlicensed HMO can bring an unlimited fine. The landlord applies for the licence, and we build the works that let the house meet its conditions.
Camden's HMO room and kitchen standards in Kentish Town
The layout of a Kentish Town HMO is fixed by Camden's HMO standards before a wall is moved. With a separate kitchen, a single sleeping room needs 9m2 and a double 11m2. Where the room also holds kitchen facilities, those minimums become 12m2 and 14m2. Whatever its size, a room may take two people at most, so a large front room in a terrace is still a double, and the room count on the licence follows from that. These Camden minimums sit above the national mandatory licence sizes of 6.51 square metres for one adult and 10.22 for two, with no sleeping room under 4.64.
Kitchens follow the headcount. Under Camden's standards one full set of kitchen facilities serves up to five sharers, and a sixth person brings the need for a second set, with minimum shared kitchen floor areas that grow with the number of sharers. In a narrow terrace that often means a second kitchen on an upper floor, with its own drainage and extraction, and bathrooms and WCs placed so that the existing soil stack can serve them.
Fire safety and sound between lettings in a Kentish Town HMO
Fire safety is the core of the building work in a Kentish Town HMO. The escape route down the stair is protected, with fire doors on self-closers to each letting room and the kitchen, a mains-powered interlinked detection and alarm system, and emergency lighting where the layout needs it. LACORS housing fire safety guidance is the recognised guide for the standard, and building regulations Part B applies where the work is controlled.
Sound between lettings matters too, because each room is someone's home. We insulate partitions and floors between letting rooms with mineral wool and heavier boards, and fit smoke seals and acoustic seals to doors. Camden's HMO standards also warn that making shared accommodation self-contained may need planning permission, so owners should contact planning before putting kitchens or bathrooms into bedrooms. Local Plan Policy H10 resists the self-containment of any part of an HMO, unless specific exceptions apply.
- Protected escape routes through the hall, stair and landings
- Separate WCs and wash basins to the amenity standard
- En-suite shower rooms added to bedrooms
VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for Kentish Town West and Kentish Town East. Counts rounded by the VOA.
Trusted HMO Conversions in Kentish Town
An HMO is inspected against licence conditions and fire standards, not just a building control file, so the work has to be right for the licensing officer as well as the tenants. We give a written quotation after a visit and a written programme that puts the fire separation, detection, kitchens and bathrooms in order. One site manager runs the job, and the alarm, electrical and gas certificates are gathered into one file for the landlord's licence application.
- One point of contact from first survey to handover
- Existing HMOs brought up to licence conditions, fire works first
- Kitchens and bathrooms counted against the council's amenity standard
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FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions about HMO Conversions Kentish Town
How much does an HMO conversion cost in Kentish Town?
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 Kentish Town 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 shared house in Kentish Town need an HMO licence?
Yes, if 3 or more people forming 2 or more households live there. Camden's additional licensing applies to the whole borough and covers any such HMO not covered by mandatory licensing. The current designation came into force on 8 December 2025 and runs until 8 December 2030. The landlord applies, and we carry out the works the licence requires.
How big must bedrooms be in a Kentish Town HMO?
Camden sets the minimums in its HMO standards. With the kitchen in a separate room, a single needs 9m2 and a double 11m2; with kitchen facilities inside the room, 12m2 and 14m2. Two people is the limit for any room, however large. We measure each room on the drawings and again on site before the partitions are built.
Can a Kentish Town house become an HMO without planning permission?
For three to six sharers, yes, provided the Class L right still applies. The Class L permitted development right in the 2015 Order allows a C3 house to become a C4 HMO, but an Article 4 direction or a planning condition can take that right away, so the address is checked with Camden first. Above six residents the use is Sui Generis and planning permission is needed.
Can kitchens or bathrooms be added to bedsits in a Kentish Town HMO?
Not without checking planning first. Camden's HMO standards say the self-containment of shared accommodation may need planning permission, so owners should contact planning before installing kitchens or bathrooms in bedrooms or bedsits. Local Plan Policy H10 also resists the self-containment of any part of an HMO, unless specific exceptions apply. We price and build that work only once the owner confirms the planning position.
How many kitchens does a seven-person Kentish Town HMO need?
Two full sets of kitchen facilities, and planning permission first, because seven sharers is a sui generis HMO. Under Camden's HMO standards a single set is enough for up to five people, and more than five means another set. The second kitchen can be a separate room or on another floor, and we plan its drainage, extraction and fire protection with the rest of the layout.
Can two Kentish Town flats be turned into one HMO?
That is a planning question before it is a building job. Camden's Policy H10 in the Local Plan backs new HMOs only where two or more self-contained homes are not lost, alongside other tests. Turning two flats into one shared house loses two self-contained homes, the case the policy does not support, so the owner or their agent settles it with Camden before we price the works.
What fire safety works does an HMO conversion need?
A protected escape route, fire doors with self-closers to letting rooms and the kitchen, an interlinked alarm and detection system, and emergency lighting where the layout needs it. LACORS housing fire safety guidance is the usual reference for the level of protection, and the licence conditions set the exact standard for the particular house.
What happens if a landlord lets an HMO without a licence?
An unlimited fine is possible, according to GOV.UK, and the council can take its own enforcement action as well. That is why we programme the fire, kitchen and bathroom works to finish before the tenants move in, so the landlord applies with the house already meeting the standards.
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