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Barnet, London

HMO conversion drawings in Barnet

Barnet measures HMO concentration by looking at your neighbours: a harmful concentration is 3 of the 10 nearest properties being HMOs. Our HMO conversion drawings in Barnet start from £995 including VAT, prepared by MCIAT chartered architectural technologists, and the first thing we do is count the ten nearest properties around yours.

From £995 (VAT included)

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  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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    Architectural model of a four-storey London stucco townhouse in its terrace, with a portico, area railings, sash windows, a cornice and chimney stacks
    The house as it stands: four storeys over a lower ground floor.Existing Proposed worksAn illustrative model, built for this page.

    How we work on hmo conversion drawings

    Seven steps from first call to approval.

    The same model cut through the middle: every floor, the stair, the chimney breasts, the new mansard, rear extension and basement in section
    Section through the model: every floor on one datum.

    1. Enquiry and constraints check

      We check the property against conservation areas, listed status, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, flood zone and planning history. We choose the right route and send a fixed quote.

    2. Measured survey

      We survey the house on one datum: rooms, levels, boundaries, drains, trees and the neighbours' windows that the 45° and 25° tests depend on.

    3. Design options

      We model the house in Revit and show you options in 3D and plan, with the planning strategy and the precedents in your street.

    4. Design frozen

      You choose an option in writing. Nothing changes after this without your say.

    5. Independent check

      A second chartered technologist checks every sheet against the council's validation checklist and the policy. A senior review signs it off before anything is submitted.

    6. Submission

      We prepare the forms, certificates, fee and documents and submit through the Planning Portal.

    7. Officer liaison

      We answer the planning officer and make any amendments within five working days, at no charge until approval.

    Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.

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    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline

    The Barnet test for an HMO conversion

    Barnet has an Article 4 direction on HMOs, so turning a family house into a small shared house needs a planning application rather than relying on permitted development. The council's guidance defines the harm it is looking for: a harmful concentration of HMOs exists where 3 of the 10 nearest properties are HMOs, as the Local Plan policy on HMOs sets out. The guidance is the shared flat-conversion and HMO part of the Sustainable Design and Development guidance.

    A second measure in the same guidance is a road-level share of 30%. We read the exact wording with you against your own road rather than paraphrase it, because the application can turn on which side of that figure the street falls.

    Our check is practical. We map the ten nearest properties by address, mark the ones the council records as HMOs, and report the count before you commit to a survey. If your house is already at the limit, we say so and discuss other uses before you spend more.

    Upper floors of a large yellow-brick Victorian house in London with chimney pots

    Local figures for Barnet

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    A harmful concentration of HMOs is defined as three or more of the ten nearest properties being HMOs (Policy HOU04 C).3 of the 10 nearest properties—barnet.gov.uk, SDDG SPD Part 3 (flat conversions and HMOs), p.9, para 3.59
    The council has issued an Article 4 direction on HMOs, and HMOs are likely to be resisted on roads where HMOs make up less than 30% of properties.30%—barnet.gov.uk, SDDG SPD Part 3 (flat conversions and HMOs), p.10, paras 3.63-3.64
    Minor application decisions703 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted67.4 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time92.7 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder appeals decided by the Planning Inspectorate413 householder appeals decideddecision dates 1 Jul 2021 to 30 Jun 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder appeals allowed50.6 % of householder appeals alloweddecision dates 1 Jul 2021 to 30 Jun 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions15 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Conservation areas16 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Tree preservation orders718 tree preservation orders published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area28 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Borough CIL residential rate£361.44/m² indexed 2026 (schedule rate £300/m², residential incl. C2, C3, C4 and sui generis HMOs)rate as at 1 January 2026 to 31 December 2026 (Annual CIL Rate Summary 2026)barnet.gov.uk
    Article 4 direction for HMOs (C3 to C4)Yes—barnet.gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Councils bordering Barnet
    Building regulations, layer by layerPart A: structure: Approved Document A: Structure, 2004 edition incorporating 2004, 2010 and 2013 amendments. Part B: fire safety: All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604. Part L: insulation: New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4. Part K: stairs: 2.0 m clear headroom over stairs. Full plans application: Building control body must decide a full plans application within 5 weeks, or longer if agreed in writingPart A: structurePart B: fire safetyPart L: insulationPart K: stairsFull plans applicationABCDE

    Building regulations, layer by layer

    The Approved Documents that shape most house projects, from structure to the application itself.

    A · Part A: structure
    Approved Document A: Structure, 2004 edition incorporating 2004, 2010 and 2013 amendments
    B · Part B: fire safety
    All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604
    C · Part L: insulation
    New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4
    D · Part K: stairs
    2.0 m clear headroom over stairs
    E · Full plans application
    Building control body must decide a full plans application within 5 weeks, or longer if agreed in writing

    What the drawings must show Barnet officers

    The set shows each floor as it is and as it will be let: bedrooms with their areas marked, shared kitchens and bathrooms, escape routes and the position of alarms. In Barnet we add a neighbour-count plan to the design statement, so the officer sees the concentration test answered on the first page.

    Rooms are also judged against the national figures. Sleeping rooms need Sleeping rooms: at least 6.51 m² (one person over 10), 10.22 m² (two persons over 10), 4.64 m² (child under 10); floor under 1.5 m ceiling height not counted. We design with margin, because a bedroom that falls just short at its stated occupancy leaves the licence and the application both exposed.

    Fire safety shapes the plan from the start: All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604. A licensed HMO has stricter needs again, and the council's licensing team can add conditions, so check its requirements before the layout is fixed.

    Barnet's decision record for small schemes

    A change of use that creates a shared house is usually a minor application. Barnet decided 703 minor applications in the latest year and granted 67.4 per cent, with 92.7 per cent decided in time. For householder cases it granted 80.2 per cent of 1,361 decisions.

    Refusals can be challenged. Over the latest five years the Planning Inspectorate decided 413 householder appeals in Barnet and allowed 50.6 per cent. Householder appeals are not HMO appeals, but the figure shows that officers' decisions here are tested and sometimes overturned. If you receive a refusal, our planning appeals drawings in Barnet can support an appeal.

    Land, trees and protected places

    Barnet has 15 Article 4 directions in all, 16 conservation areas and 718 tree preservation orders. Green Belt covers 28 per cent of the borough. A conversion of an existing house needs no new footprint, but Green Belt or conservation status still affects any rear extension you add to gain rooms; see rear extension drawings for that.

    Historic England lists 651 buildings here and records 9 on the Heritage at Risk Register. A listed house usually needs listed building consent for internal subdivision, which is a separate application with different drawings.

    Costs, levies and licensing

    Barnet's levy applies to HMOs: the borough charges £361.44/m² indexed 2026 (schedule rate £300/m², residential incl. C2, C3, C4 and sui generis HMOs). Whether a conversion without new floor area triggers it depends on the facts, so we flag liability in the next-steps pack. The Mayoral levy sits in band 2 at an indexed £72.73 per square metre.

    Licensing is separate from planning. The national rule is: Licence required for an HMO occupied by 5 or more persons in 2 or more households. The planning route depends on your direction status, and the planning drawings in Barnet are the base for an application.

    If you are considering self-contained units instead, compare flat conversion drawings in Barnet. Nearby, we draw HMO conversions in Haringey and Brent. The borough overview is architectural drawings in Barnet.

    The council's register at https://publicaccess.barnet.gov.uk/online-applications/ shows earlier HMO decisions in your area, and we read it alongside the neighbour count. We then survey, draw layouts in plan and 3D, and a second chartered technologist checks every sheet before issue.

    What you receive

    Building regulations section drawing showing the construction build-up
    Sample drawing. Building regulations section showing construction build-up for a building control check.
    Red-brick mansion blocks and shopfronts on a street corner
    Unit by unit
    Move up and down — the nearest units slide out.

    Other services in Barnet

    HMO conversion drawings nearby

    Questions

    When does Barnet treat HMOs as harmfully concentrated?

    The council's guidance defines it as 3 of the 10 nearest properties being HMOs, under the Local Plan's HMO policy.

    Do I need planning permission for a small HMO in Barnet?

    Yes. Barnet has an Article 4 direction on HMOs, so the national position, C3 to C4 is permitted development unless an Article 4 direction removes it, does not help you here.

    How many minor applications does Barnet grant?

    67.4 per cent of 703 decisions in the latest published year.

    Sources and dates

    City of London skyline glowing at dusk across the Thames under a dramatic orange sky

    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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