HMO Conversions New Barnet

An HMO conversion in New Barnet starts with planning, not building. Barnet Council records a borough-wide Article 4 Direction from May 2016 that requires planning permission for all future HMOs, so a New Barnet house cannot become a shared house of any size without consent. We work for landlords and investors who have that consent, or who are upgrading a lawful HMO to meet licence conditions: fire doors, detection, escape routes, kitchens, bathrooms and room layouts built to the approved plan.

In New Barnet, 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 New Barnet: 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 HMO Article 4 and what it means in New Barnet

Nationally, Class L of the General Permitted Development Order lets a house in Class C3 change to a small HMO in Class C4 without a planning application. In Barnet that right has gone: the council records a borough-wide Article 4 Direction from May 2016 requiring planning permission for all future HMOs, and the Planning Data record gives it a start date of 2016-05-29. A New Barnet house cannot become even a small HMO for three to six people without permission.

The London Plan defines an HMO for three to six people as Class C4 and one for more than six as Sui Generis, which needs planning permission anywhere. Class L also never allowed one house to become two or more separate C4 HMOs. So the planning application your agent prepares has to describe the exact use, the number of occupants and the layout, and that approved layout is what we build. Changing the room count on site afterwards puts the consent at risk.

Housing in New Barnet

Roughly 10,670 dwellings sit on the valuation list for the New Barnet and Hadley Wood statistical areas. 50% are houses and 50% flats, and by age 17% predate 1919, 32% are interwar and 52% post-war.

Licensing an HMO in New Barnet

Planning and licensing are separate tests. GOV.UK defines an HMO as a property rented out by at least 3 people who are not from 1 household but share facilities like the bathroom and kitchen. A large HMO, rented to 5 or more people who form more than 1 household, needs a mandatory licence, and GOV.UK says a smaller HMO may still need one depending on the council area. Renting out an unlicensed HMO can lead to an unlimited fine.

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.

Barnet Council publishes a register of properties licensed under its HMO Licensing Scheme, updated monthly, as section 232 of the Housing Act 2004 requires. When you buy a New Barnet house that has been let as shared rooms, that register is the first place to look. The landlord or their agent applies for the licence. We build to its conditions, and the drawings we work from should show each room's use so the licence and the layout match.

Room sizes, kitchens and fire safety in a New Barnet HMO

Since 1 October 2018 every mandatory licence has required a sleeping room of at least 6.51 square metres for one person over 10 and 10.22 square metres for two, and no room under 4.64 square metres may be slept in. Beyond those, and the council's own amenity standards set how many kitchens, bathrooms and WCs the occupants need. In a New Barnet semi that often drives the layout: a large front reception becomes a bedroom, a second bathroom goes in upstairs, and the kitchen grows into a shared kitchen and dining room. We set the rooms out to the sizes on the approved drawings.

Fire safety shapes the build more than anything else. The staircase becomes a protected route with fire resisting doors and self closers to every room, an interlinked detection and alarm system covers each room and the escape route, and fire-stopping closes every gap around pipes and cables. LACORS housing fire safety guidance is the recognised guide to the level of protection, alongside building regulations Part B and any conditions Barnet Council attaches to the licence.

Enforcement, sound and energy on a New Barnet HMO

Barnet Council says it will take enforcement action against unauthorised and illegal HMO properties. That matters when you buy a tired New Barnet house that has been run as shared rooms without consent. Before we price, your adviser should confirm its lawful use. London Plan Policy H9 says HMOs of a reasonable standard should generally be protected, so a lawful HMO is worth keeping and upgrading, while an unlawful one may have to go back to a family home.

Sound travels between lettings, so we add insulation to the floors and walls between bedrooms and between the kitchen and the rooms above it. Energy rules apply too. Since 1 April 2018 private landlords may not let on new tenancies with an EPC rating of F or G, and since 1 April 2020 they cannot let or continue to let below E, unless an exemption applies. Insulation and heating upgrades fit best while rooms are stripped.

• Emergency lighting on the escape route where the house needs it
• Bedroom layouts checked against the national minimum room sizes
• Sound lining to bedroom walls and party walls

VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for the New Barnet and Hadley Wood statistical areas, which also take in East Barnet and Hadley Wood. Counts rounded by the VOA.

If this is your first project in New Barnet, these are worth a look: bathroom renovation in New Barnet, hmo conversions across Barnet, how building control works in London, how snagging works at handover, how we handle hmo conversions across London and House Rewire Cost.

Why Choose GS Renovation in New Barnet

We suit a landlord converting or upgrading an HMO in New Barnet because we build to the paperwork rather than around it. We work from the approved planning drawings and the licence conditions, fit the fire doors, detection, fire-stopping, kitchens and bathrooms in one programme, and use a registered electrician to certify the alarm and wiring. We hand over the electrical and alarm certificates for your agent to use in the licence application. We do not apply for planning or licences; your agent does, and we give them the programme and details.

• Free follow-up visit after completion if anything needs attention
• Every bedroom measured against the national minimum room sizes
• 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).