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Lambeth, London

HMO conversion drawings in Lambeth

In Lambeth the HMO rules change depending on which ward the house stands in. Our HMO conversion drawings in Lambeth start from £879, and the first thing a chartered technologist does is place your address against the two layers that matter to a landlord: the planning direction and the licensing scheme.

From £679 drawings + £200 survey (£879 total), no VAT to add

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  • £2m PI insured
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  • Fixed fees, no VAT to add

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
Pick the council that decides your application.
A few lines: what you want to build, and anything the council has already said.
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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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    Streatham has its own planning rule

    The council's news item on the new controls describes a non-immediate Article 4 direction for Streatham Common & Vale and Streatham St Leonard's. Under it, turning a standard dwelling into a small HMO of three to six occupiers needs planning permission, with the date set out as from 11 August 2025 (two Streatham wards).

    A direction like this is drawn around named wards, so the answer for a house in Brixton or Clapham is not the answer for a house in Streatham. We read the direction against your address before you commit to a survey, and we say plainly if the permitted route is still open or not.

    Where permission is needed, the officer judges the shared house on its merits. Our drawings show the layout room by room so that the judgement is made on measured facts.

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

    Local figures for Lambeth

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    A non-immediate Article 4 direction in the Streatham Common & Vale and Streatham St Leonard's wards means changing a standard dwelling to a small HMO (three to six occupiers) needs planning permission from 11 August 2025.from 11 August 2025 (two Streatham wards)—love.lambeth.gov.uk, Love Lambeth news, 1 August 2025, article text
    Additional HMO licensing applies borough-wide to any property occupied by three or more individuals that mandatory HMO licensing does not capture; the scheme came into force on 9 December 2021. Fees are charged per habitable room for up to five years.borough-wide since 9 December 2021—lambeth.gov.uk, Council page: Additional HMO licensing, scheme summary
    Minor application decisions748 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted79.9 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time92.5 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Conservation areas64 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Borough CIL residential rate£602/m² (Zone A Waterloo and Vauxhall Nine Elms); £422/m² (Zone B Kennington, Oval and Clapham); £301/m² (Zone C Brixton, Herne Hill and Tulse Hill); £241/m² (Zone D Streatham, Streatham Hill and West Norwood)indexed rate 1 Jan to 31 Dec 2026 (residential incl. co-living)lambeth.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 Lambeth
    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

    Licensing covers the whole borough

    Licensing is not limited to Streatham. The council's page says the additional scheme is borough-wide since 9 December 2021 and applies to any property occupied by three or more people that mandatory licensing does not already capture. Fees are charged per habitable room, so every bedroom you add to the plan changes the licence cost as well as the rent roll.

    That makes the room count a financial decision. We model each option, such as five bedrooms against six, and show the floor areas beside it, so you can weigh yield against licence cost before the layout is fixed.

    The licence application is a separate piece of work. Our HMO licence application pack covers it once the layout is settled.

    What the drawing set contains

    For a planning application we produce the existing and proposed floor plans, elevations if anything outside changes, and a room schedule with the area of each bedroom. Fire detection and escape routes are marked, because the licensing officer reads the same sheets.

    Lambeth is full of tall, narrow Victorian terraces, and the usual design question is the staircase. A shared house needs a protected route down, which can decide whether the top floor lets as a bedroom or stays as storage.

    If the loft is part of the plan, see loft conversion drawings in Lambeth; if you are weighing self-contained flats instead, see flat conversion drawings in Lambeth.

    The council's record on small schemes

    A shared house is decided as a minor application. Lambeth decided 748 minor applications in its latest published year, granted 79.9 per cent and decided 92.5 per cent on time. These cover all minor schemes, not HMOs alone.

    The borough has 64 conservation areas. A house inside one can face extra limits on any extension or loft that you add to gain rooms, so check the street before pricing a larger scheme.

    Levy by zone

    Lambeth charges its residential levy by zone, and the rates are £602/m² (Zone A Waterloo and Vauxhall Nine Elms); £422/m² (Zone B Kennington, Oval and Clapham); £301/m² (Zone C Brixton, Herne Hill and Tulse Hill); £241/m² (Zone D Streatham, Streatham Hill and West Norwood). A conversion that adds no floor area may not be chargeable, but an extension in the same scheme can be, and the zone depends on the address.

    Neighbouring boroughs with their own HMO rules include Southwark. For the wider picture see architectural drawings in Lambeth.

    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.
    Upper floors of a large yellow-brick Victorian house in London with chimney pots
    Unit by unit
    Move up and down — the nearest units slide out.

    Other services in Lambeth

    HMO conversion drawings nearby

    Questions

    Is there an HMO Article 4 direction in Lambeth?

    Yes, for two wards. The council's news item names Streatham Common & Vale and Streatham St Leonard's, with the date given as from 11 August 2025 (two Streatham wards).

    Do I need an HMO licence in Lambeth if planning is not needed?

    Licensing is separate. The additional scheme is borough-wide since 9 December 2021, so a shared house of three or more people usually needs a licence whatever the planning position.

    How many minor applications does Lambeth grant?

    79.9 per cent of 748 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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