HMO Conversions Staines-upon-Thames

An HMO conversion in Staines-upon-Thames turns a family house into a shared house for unrelated tenants, or brings an existing HMO up to the council's standards. Spelthorne's two Article 4 directions now mean planning permission is needed in every ward to convert a house into any HMO, whatever its size. The borough runs only the mandatory licensing scheme. We build the rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and fire protection to the planning consent and the handbook standards.

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.

For Staines-upon-Thames, 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 (Mayfair Studio and LetCompliance, 2026); a Surrey price follows a site visit. GS Renovation Ltd, a building contractor based in Potters Bar, does the work in Staines-upon-Thames: 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.

Staines and Staines South wards now need permission for any HMO

Spelthorne's first HMO Article 4 Direction, removing the C3 to C4 permitted development right, covers the Staines, Stanwell North, and Ashford North and Stanwell South wards. It was made on 21 August 2024, confirmed on 18 February 2025 and came into effect on 29 August 2025. The Staines ward was therefore caught first, and turning a family house there into a small shared house has needed planning permission since that date.

A second direction covers the remaining wards, including Staines South, and came into effect on 13 March 2026 after being confirmed on 17 December 2025. Since both took effect, planning permission is required in every Spelthorne ward to convert a house into any HMO, whatever its size. For a landlord in Staines-upon-Thames, that means the programme cannot start until the owner or their agent holds the planning permission, and we plan the build from that date.

Housing in Staines-upon-Thames

Staines-upon-Thames has about 10,840 homes on the Council Tax list: 10% pre-1919, 21% interwar and 68% post-war, with flats making up 37% and houses 63%.

Room sizes and kitchens in a Staines-upon-Thames shared house

Spelthorne's HMO handbook sets a minimum sleeping room size of 6.51 square metres for one person, matching the national mandatory licence conditions. Those also set 10.22 square metres for two adults and bar any room under 4.64 square metres from use for sleeping. The handbook requires a shared kitchen of at least 10 square metres for six to ten occupiers, with a minimum kitchen width of 1.8m. On a Staines-upon-Thames terrace or semi, those figures usually decide how many bedrooms the layout can honestly hold, so they are measured on the survey before any partition is drawn or any bedroom count is promised.

Spelthorne applies the handbook standards to smaller HMOs that do not need a licence as well as to licensed ones. A three or four person house is therefore still built to the handbook's room sizes and to the kitchen standard for its occupancy. We set out the partitions to the approved plan, check each room against the drawing before plastering, and keep the kitchen run long enough for the worktop, cooking and sink positions the layout needs.

Licensing in Staines-upon-Thames is the mandatory scheme only

Spelthorne runs only the mandatory HMO licensing scheme under Part 2 of the Housing Act 2004, and has no additional or selective licensing schemes. As a result, HMOs with three or four occupants in Staines-upon-Thames do not need a licence, although converting a house to one still needs planning permission and must meet the handbook room sizes. An HMO with five or more people forming two or more households falls under the mandatory scheme, and the landlord applies for that licence, not the builder.

A licence application must include a floor plan showing room sizes, fire protection measures and the kitchen, toilet and bathroom facilities. We supply the as-built layout and the specification of fire doors, detection and escape routes so that plan matches what was built. Since April 2024 licences run for one, three or five years according to a risk rating, and an HMO lacking the planning permission it needs is an example where only a 1-year licence may be granted.

Fire doors, alarms and escape in a Staines-upon-Thames HMO

Fire safety is the heaviest part of an HMO build, and it is what the licence floor plan has to show. In a Staines-upon-Thames semi or terrace, the stair becomes the protected escape route: each bedroom gets a self-closing fire door, the stair enclosure is lined to resist fire, and an interlinked alarm system covers every room. Where the works are notifiable, building control checks the same escape route under Part B. LACORS housing fire safety guidance is the recognised guide for how much protection a house of that size and occupancy needs.

Any HMO with seven or more occupants needs planning permission regardless of location, and a house of that size may need a fuller alarm system and escape lighting under the LACORS guidance. We agree the fire specification with the owner's designer before strip-out, then fit the doors, seal every gap where cables and pipes cross a fire boundary, and leave the alarm commissioning records with the owner. Sound insulation between bedrooms and an energy upgrade for the EPC are planned in the same programme.

• Bedroom layouts checked against the national minimum room sizes
• Electrics extended to every bedroom, certified by a registered electrician
• Large HMO conversions for seven or more, once planning is granted

VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for Staines Town, Staines South East and Staines South West. Counts rounded by the VOA.

Two or three things usually come up alongside hmo conversions on a Staines-upon-Thames job: bathroom renovation in Staines-upon-Thames, hmo conversions in Weybridge, what a main building contractor does, kitchen fitting in London, hmo conversions anywhere in London and Getting Planning Permission.

Why Choose GS Renovation in Staines-upon-Thames

A shared house has to pass three separate tests: the planning consent, the licence standards and building control. We build to the consented layout, measure every room before plastering, and fit the fire doors, detection and escape route in the order that lets each stage be inspected. Electrical work is certified by the registered electrician and gas work is done by an engineer on the Gas Safe Register, and you receive the as-built plan and alarm records ready for the owner's licence application.

• En-suites placed only where a soil stack can serve them
• Existing HMOs brought up to licence conditions, fire works first
• Free follow-up visit after completion if anything needs attention

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