HMO Conversions New Cross

HMO conversion in New Cross is tightly controlled, and the controls come before the building work. Across Lewisham the permitted development right to turn a house into a small HMO has been removed, so every new small HMO needs planning permission, and the council adds a minimum floorspace test. Goldsmiths, University of London is on the doorstep, but it is the planning and licensing position, not demand, that decides whether a scheme can go ahead. We build to the consent and the licence standards.

In New Cross, 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 Cross: 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.

Article 4 and the floorspace test for a New Cross HMO

Every change from a dwellinghouse (C3) to a small HMO (C4) in New Cross now needs planning permission. Lewisham's first small HMO Article 4 Direction has covered the Southern Wards (old ward boundaries) since 7 March 2020, and a second covering the rest of the borough came into force on 19 January 2024. Nationally, Class L would allow a C3 to C4 change as permitted development, but the Article 4 directions remove it across the borough.

Policy HO8 then allows a small C4 HMO in an Article 4 area only where the original dwelling's gross internal floorspace is 130 square metres or greater, and rear or roof extensions cannot count towards it. That can rule out a small New Cross terrace before any drawing is made. We measure the original house at survey, excluding later additions, so you can see where the scheme stands before you pay for a planning application.

Housing in New Cross

Take the 12,080 or so homes the valuation list gives New Cross: 72% flats, 28% houses, 43% from before 1919, 2% interwar and 49% post-war.

Large HMOs, sui generis use and the London Plan in New Cross

The number of occupants sets the 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. A New Cross house for seven or more sharers therefore needs full planning permission as a use of its own, whatever the Article 4 position. The same rules also stop one C3 house being split into two separate C4 HMOs under Class L.

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 owner upgrading an existing HMO rather than creating a new one, that points towards investment in the building rather than conversion back. We carry out upgrade works to an existing New Cross HMO while tenants remain, room by room, where the licence holder can arrange access.

Which licence a New Cross shared house needs

Licensing then sets the standard of the finished house. GOV.UK defines a large HMO as one rented to 5 or more people who form more than 1 household, and that falls under the national mandatory scheme. Lewisham's Additional HMO licensing scheme came into force on Tuesday 5 April 2022 and applies where three or four people who are not one household share a kitchen, toilet or bathroom. So an HMO in New Cross, from three sharers upwards, needs a licence under one scheme or the other.

The landlord applies for the licence, not the builder, and GOV.UK says renting out an unlicensed HMO can lead to an unlimited fine. Lewisham's HMO standards expect a licensed HMO to have an EPC rating of E or better unless an exemption applies, so insulation, glazing and heating belong in the New Cross conversion programme. We build to the layout on the licence application and give you a dated record of the works for the licence file.

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

Lewisham's HMO standards turn the layout into fixed sizes. A single bedroom must be at least 6.51m2 where the house has separate kitchen, bathroom and living space, and a double bedroom at least 10.22m2, matching the national mandatory conditions, which also bar sleeping in any room under 4.64m2. A shared kitchen must be at least 6.51m2 for up to five people and 11m2 for up to ten, with at least one fixed bath or shower for every five occupants. In a New Cross terrace we mark these out on the floor before partitions go up, so the licence inspection holds no surprises.

Fire safety in an HMO follows Part B, the council's HMO fire standards and the LACORS housing fire safety guidance, which is the recognised guide. That usually means fire doors with self-closers to each bedroom, a protected escape route down the stair, interlinked detection and emergency lighting where the risk calls for it. Sound between lettings matters too, so we upgrade separating floors where bedrooms sit over kitchens. A registered electrician certifies the alarm and wiring in the New Cross house.

• En-suite shower rooms added to bedrooms
• Large HMO conversions for seven or more, once planning is granted
• Hot water sized for several sharers showering at once, with any gas work by a Gas Safe registered engineer

VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for New Cross Gate, New Cross South and Telegraph Hill. Counts rounded by the VOA.

Two or three things usually come up alongside hmo conversions on a New Cross job: bathroom renovation in New Cross, hmo conversions across Lewisham, bathroom fitting in London, how snagging works at handover, hmo conversions anywhere in London and Small Bathroom Ideas.

Working With GS Renovation in New Cross

You get a builder who works from the licence standards as well as the drawings. We measure the original house before you commit, set out every room to the minimum sizes, and build the fire doors, detection and escape route the fire strategy asks for. You get a written programme with the building control and licence inspection points marked. Our founder has more than thirty years of hands-on experience. A registered electrician certifies the alarms and wiring, and a registered gas engineer does any gas work.

• Article 4 and licence position checked before a room is priced
• Kitchens and bathrooms counted against the council's amenity standard
• One point of contact on the phone, not a call centre

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