HMO Conversions Twickenham

HMO conversion in Twickenham is the job of adapting a family home for sharers, or bringing an existing HMO up to Richmond's licence standards. Once five or more occupiers from at least two households share its amenities, a mandatory Richmond HMO licence is required, and the council publishes its own Minimum Amenities Standards for Houses in Multiple Occupation 2020. With 59% of Twickenham homes houses and 38% of all homes built before 1919, the starting point can be a period family house. We build the rooms, kitchens, bathrooms and fire protection to the licence conditions the landlord is working towards.

In Twickenham, 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 Twickenham: 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.

Planning for a Twickenham HMO: C4, sui generis and Class L

The planning route for a Twickenham HMO turns on head count. The London Plan glossary defines an HMO for three to six people as Use Class C4 and one for more than six as sui generis. Class L of the General Permitted Development Order lets a C3 house become a C4 HMO as permitted development, though it stops short of letting a single former dwelling be split into several separate C4 HMOs.

Once seven or more people occupy an HMO, Richmond says a planning application is needed. Boroughs can remove the Class L right with an Article 4 Direction, and the London Plan asks boroughs weighing such a direction to consider why HMOs matter across London, not only locally. Before buying or designing, the landlord or their agent should confirm with Richmond whether any direction covers the Twickenham address, because that decides whether a small HMO needs an application at all.

Housing in Twickenham

The Council Tax list puts Twickenham at about 14,480 homes, 41% flats against 59% houses; 38% went up before 1919, 35% between the wars and 26% after 1945.

Licensing a shared house in Twickenham under Richmond's scheme

In Twickenham, a mandatory Richmond HMO licence is needed once a house or flat is home to five or more occupiers from at least two separate households sharing amenities. Nationally, GOV.UK treats a property as an HMO when 3 or more tenants from outside 1 household share facilities, and says smaller HMOs can need licensing in some council areas. It is the landlord who applies, and we build to the standards it will carry.

A 90-minute in-depth pre-application advice session on HMOs is available from Richmond, which is worth booking before the layout is fixed, because the officer's view of room sizes and amenities can move walls. Letting without a required licence risks an unlimited fine, according to GOV.UK. For a Twickenham landlord the sensible order is advice, layout, licence application, then the build, with our programme tied to the date the licence inspection is expected.

Kitchens, living rooms and bedrooms to Richmond HMO standards

Under Richmond's HMO standards a shared kitchen needs at least 7 m2, rising to 11 m2 as a kitchen/diner, and its worktop must reach 1500 x 600 mm, or 1000 x 600mm where one occupier uses it. A living room needs 11m2, or 18m2 when it is combined with the kitchen. Richmond says these are minimums, not the ideal state, so a Twickenham layout that only just scrapes each figure leaves no room for error on site.

Bedrooms follow the national mandatory licence minimums of 6.51m2 for one adult and 10.22m2 for two, with no sleeping room under 4.64m2. Where a bedsit has its own kitchen facilities, Richmond adds 3.5m2 to its minimum bedroom sizes. Floor beneath a ceiling lower than 1.5m does not count towards any room. In a Twickenham house with rooms under the eaves or a sloping rear addition, that rule can take a planned bedroom below its minimum, so we measure every room at the survey before partitions are drawn.

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.

Fire safety, sound and energy in a Twickenham HMO

Fire safety is the heart of an HMO build in Twickenham. A shared house needs a protected route out from each bedroom to the exit, self-closing fire doors on the rooms that open onto it, and a linked detection and alarm system sized to the number of storeys and occupants. Building regulations Part B, Richmond's HMO fire standards and the LACORS housing fire safety guidance together set the specification, and we build to the specification the designer and licensing officer agree.

Sound between lettings matters more than in a family home, because each room is someone's private space. Upgraded ceilings and resilient partitions between bedrooms cut disputes and help retain tenants. Energy is the other legal floor: since 1 April 2020 a let under the MEES Regulations has needed an EPC rating of E or better, unless a valid exemption is registered. If you are upgrading an existing larger HMO, Richmond Local Plan Policy 14 protects those of a reasonable standard.

• Snagging before the council's licence inspection
• Separate WCs and wash basins to the amenity standard
• Emergency lighting on the escape route where the house needs it

VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for Twickenham Marble Hill, Twickenham North, Twickenham Town and Twickenham West. Counts rounded by the VOA.

Related reading for Twickenham landlords planning hmo conversions: bathroom renovation in Twickenham, hmo conversions across Richmond upon Thames, bathroom fitting in London, what a snagging list covers, our London hmo conversions page and Kitchen Renovation Cost.

The GS Renovation Difference in Twickenham

An HMO build succeeds when the rooms, kitchens and fire protection meet the licence standard the first time the officer visits. We work from the layout your designer or agent agrees with Richmond, measure every room against the standards before partitions go up, and run the build as one programme from strip-out to the fire alarm commissioning. A registered electrician certifies the installation and the alarm system. You apply for the licence, and we give you the measured room schedule, certificates and programme you need.

• Article 4 and licence position checked before a room is priced
• Existing HMOs brought up to licence conditions, fire works first
• Registered in England, Companies House no. 14611254

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