Earls Crescent
Simple HMO Conversion for a Charity
The background
Adapting a family
home for charitable use
Our client, a charity supporting former inmates, brought us a straightforward project: convert a three-bedroom semi-detached house in London into a four-bedroom HMO, with no en-suites, extensions, or dormers. The goal was to keep costs low and maintain a minimal impact on the property while meeting HMO standards and improving the EPC rating to a C.
Project Details
Location: London
Value: £85,000 → £260,000
Rental: £350 pcm → £2,500 pcm
Timeline: 5-6 months
The Numbers
Home Buyer Report: £400
Refurbishment Costs: £85,000
Architect: £10,000
Furniture: £5,000
Annual Rental Income: £30,000 pa
Caption
The brief
Cost-effective HMO with minimal alterations
The task was to adapt the existing rooms to meet local HMO standards, with the existing first-floor bathroom kept intact. This required minimal structural changes and focused on practical adjustments to make the space safe, comfortable, and compliant for future tenants.
The challenges
Improving thermal performance and creating a standardised approach
Thermal performance was a key hurdle. External insulation was too costly, so we suggested internal insulation, although the bathroom posed a challenge since we couldn’t alter it. By insulating the rest of the property and retaining the bathroom as-is, we still managed to achieve a C rating on the EPC, meeting the client’s energy requirements. Another challenge was setting up a standardised workflow and design approach that could be replicated for future projects with the same client. This ensured quality, efficiency, and compliance consistency across multiple properties in the charity’s portfolio.
Caption
Project Timeline
Apr 2018
Found Property
Sept 2018
Exchanged
Apr 2019
Refurb Starts
Sept 2019
Refurb Complete
Oct 2019
Tenants Move in
Project Scope
→ Design Appraisal
→ Existing Drawings
→ Concept Drawings
→ Full Planning Permission Application
→ Building Regulation Drawings & Application
→ Construction Project Management
→ Interior Design
→ Furniture Selection
→ HMO Licencing
→ 3D Virtual Tour
Related Project
Devonshire Road
Location: East Sussex
Value: £500,000 → £900,000
Rental: £450 pcm → £8,100 pcm
Timeline: 12 months