HMO Communal Space Requirements Explained

 
If you are testing an HMO layout, communal space is often where the scheme starts to come under pressure. 

A floor plan can look efficient on paper, but still create problems if the shared areas are too limited, poorly arranged, or out of step with what the council expects. That can affect licensing, redesign costs, tenant appeal, and the long-term performance of the property. We often see this when the communal or kitchen area is reduced too far to make room for more ambitious bedroom layouts, such as adding ensuites or kitchenette-style features. On paper, that can seem like a sensible trade-off. In practice, it can create much bigger problems if the scheme starts to read less like a shared house and more like a building made up of self-contained or quasi-self-contained units. That can raise concerns with the council and the VOA, and it may also affect mortgage terms, lender expectations, valuation, or your ability to move cleanly out of a bridge arrangement. 

This is usually manageable once you separate the checks in the right order. There is not one simple national answer for HMO communal area size, so the aim is to understand what applies to your scheme before you fix the layout. If you want an early view, you can book a free call with HMO Architects so we can understand the project, your needs, how we may be able to help, and the right next steps. 

Keep reading and you will have a clear way to assess whether your communal space is likely to support the layout you want. 

What counts as communal space in an HMO 

Communal space means the parts of the property that tenants share and use together. In a typical shared house, that often includes the kitchen, dining space, lounge, shared bathrooms, hallways, stairs, and sometimes outdoor space. 

In practice, though, not every shared area carries the same weight. 

What usually matters most is whether the layout gives occupiers enough usable shared amenity for day-to-day living. That is why a proper communal room, an eat-in kitchen, or a well-planned kitchen-diner often matters more than leftover floor area that happens to be outside the bedrooms. 

A common area is not just any space that more than one person can walk through. It needs to function properly for the number of people living in the property. If the only shared area is a cramped kitchen with no sensible place to sit, eat, or spend time, the layout may still feel weak even where individual rooms look workable. 

This also matters when room sizes are being judged. A large ensuite does not solve a small bedroom, and it should not be treated as though it does. In practical terms, ensuite space does not count in the same way as the main usable bedroom area, so a layout with an oversized ensuite and a very small sleeping space can still fail to work. You cannot turn a weak room into a compliant or comfortable one simply by shifting more of the floor area into bathroom space. 

That is where many generic guides stop short. The real question is not the communal area meaning in theory. It is whether the shared space works in the way your HMO will actually be occupied. 

Typical communal areas in a shared house 

Most HMOs will rely on one or more of these shared spaces: 

• a communal kitchen 

• a kitchen-diner 

• a separate lounge or communal room 

• shared bathrooms and WCs 

• entrance halls, stairs, and landings 

• utility areas, bin storage, cycle storage, or outdoor areas where relevant 

Some layouts perform well with an open-plan kitchen, dining and living arrangement. Others work better with a separate communal room. It depends on the number of occupiers, the size of the house, the likely tenant profile, and what the local council expects. 

Spaces that do not count for much on their own 

Awkward circulation space does not usually make up for a weak shared layout. 

A wide landing, a long hallway, or a room that only works as a passage space may still count as a communal area in the literal sense, but that does not mean it provides useful shared amenity. The same applies to conservatories, sheds, or outdoor areas if they are being used to patch over a poor internal arrangement. 

This matters because communal spaces are judged on usability, not just presence. A layout that says there is a communal area may still fall short if tenants cannot cook, eat, relax, and move around the property in a practical way. 

What the national rules do and do not say 

There is no single national rule that tells you exactly how much HMO communal space every property must provide. National requirements set an important baseline, but they do not answer the whole layout question for you. 

For example, minimum sleeping room sizes in licensed HMOs are one part of the picture. They matter, but they are not the same thing as communal space requirements. A scheme does not become acceptable just because the bedrooms meet the minimum threshold. 

The wider layout can still be judged on amenity, crowding, and suitability for the number of occupiers. That is one reason why a plan that seems to work from a room-size point of view can still run into problems once the whole house is assessed. 

It is also important to keep separate the different systems that affect an HMO: 

• Licensing looks at whether the property is suitable for occupation by the number of people proposed, including amenity standards and room use. 

• Planning looks at the use of the property and, depending on the project, the acceptability of the development or change of use. 

• Building regulations deal with technical design and construction matters such as fire safety, structure, sound, drainage, and ventilation. 

• Management duties cover the ongoing condition and upkeep of common areas and shared facilities. 

These overlap in real life, but they are not the same test. If you mix them together, it becomes much harder to judge whether your communal space is actually right. 

Bedroom size rules are not the same as communal space rules 

This distinction needs to be clear. 

A compliant bedroom schedule does not tell you that the shared parts of the house are good enough. Equally, extra communal space does not automatically solve a bedroom that is too small where minimum sleeping room sizes apply. 

If you are reviewing an HMO communal area size issue, treat bedroom sizes and communal space as linked but separate checks. Our guide to HMO minimum room sizes will help you separate those two issues. 

Communal space cannot be judged in isolation 

You also need to look at how the whole property works together. 

A kitchen may seem adequate on its own, but become strained once you factor in occupancy, dining space, storage, appliance provision, circulation, and whether there is anywhere else for tenants to spend time. In some layouts, a kitchen-diner is enough. In others, a separate communal room may be the stronger answer. 

That is why the layout has to be tested as a living arrangement, not just as a list of rooms. 

Why local council standards often decide the answer 

For most live HMO projects, the local council’s standards are what usually decide whether the shared layout is acceptable. 

Many councils publish HMO amenity guidance setting out what they expect for shared kitchens, dining space, lounges, bathrooms, refuse storage, occupancy levels, and in some cases whether a separate communal room is needed. They may also take a view on whether a kitchen-diner can replace a lounge, how bedroom sizes are assessed where shared space is limited, and whether outdoor amenity space is relevant to the scheme. 

This is where many landlords and investors get caught out. A figure or rule taken from one council area is often repeated online as if it applies everywhere. It does not. 

The safest approach is to use national guidance for the baseline, then check the current standards for the council area where the property is located. That is why you should be careful with any article that gives one neat figure for HMO communal space requirements without showing whose standard it reflects. 

Planning, licensing and management are not the same test 

This topic often becomes muddled because the same room can matter in different ways. 

A communal room may help the property function better for licensing purposes. A yard or garden may be relevant in planning policy or local design guidance. Shared hallways and stairs are also common areas that must be maintained properly during occupation. 

Those are related points, but they are not interchangeable. 

If your project involves a conversion or change of use, you may also need to consider how planning and building regulations affect the layout more broadly. That is separate from the council’s HMO amenity standards, even though the design decisions will influence both. Our guide to HMO planning permission explains that part of the process separately. 

How to check if your layout has enough communal space 

The best way to approach this is in a set order. 

Step 1: Confirm the occupancy and licence position 

Start with the basics. 

How many people will live in the property? How many households will that create? Will the property need an HMO licence, and if so, what type? This guide on whether your property needs an HMO licence is a useful place to start. Is the layout aimed at professional sharers, students, or another tenant group? 

Until those points are clear, it is hard to judge whether the proposed communal areas are enough. 

Step 2: Check the council’s current amenity standards 

Once you know the likely occupancy, check the current guidance for the local authority. 

This is usually the most important source for a live decision on communal area size, communal room expectations, kitchen provision, and shared facilities. Do not rely on an older PDF, a forum post, or another council’s standards unless you have checked whether they still apply locally. 

If the council guidance is unclear, that is the point to verify it directly before the layout is fixed. 

Step 3: Test the kitchen, dining and living arrangement together 

Look at the shared layout as one system. 

Ask whether tenants will be able to cook, eat, store food, move around comfortably, and spend time in the property without every activity competing for the same limited space. A plan can technically include communal spaces, but still feel cramped or inconvenient in daily use. 

This is often where the difference shows between a layout that merely fits and a layout that performs well. 

Step 4: Sense-check the layout commercially 

Good compliance decisions are not always good commercial decisions. 

A scheme that squeezes in one more bedroom may reduce the quality of the communal area so much that it becomes harder to let, harder to manage, or more exposed to voids and complaints. On the other hand, giving the property enough shared amenity can support stronger tenant appeal and smoother day-to-day operation. 

That is why the final test is not just whether the layout might pass. It is whether it is still a good property once people start living in it. 

Common mistakes that lead to redesigns, delays or weaker schemes 

Most problems here start with assumptions made too early in the project. 

Copying another council’s standards 

A common example is using a dimension, ratio, or amenity rule from one borough and treating it as a national answer. 

That can push you in the wrong direction in both ways. You might sacrifice lettable space unnecessarily, or you might design a layout that later needs reworking because the local council expects something different. 

Trading away shared space too aggressively 

This often happens when the layout is being driven almost entirely by room count. 

The extra bedroom can look attractive in the appraisal, but the wider arrangement may become less robust. If the kitchen is undersized, the dining provision is poor, or there is no sensible communal room where one is needed, the property may become harder to approve and less attractive to tenants. 

Leaving the check too late 

Communal space should be tested early, ideally before purchase is committed or before the design is pushed too far. This is often where a pre-buy feasibility study can add real value, by helping you understand whether the layout is likely to work before you commit to the property or spend money on the wrong design direction. 

If the issue only appears after measured surveys, planning work, or detailed design, you usually have fewer options and more sunk cost. 

Before you finalise the layout, check these points 

Before you proceed, make sure you can answer the following clearly: 

• the occupancy you are designing for 

• the licensing position and the route that applies 

• the local council’s current amenity standards for shared space 

• how well the kitchen, dining and living areas work together 

• any planning or building regulations issues affecting the design 

• the scheme’s commercial viability once realistic shared space is factored in 

If any of those points are still uncertain, that is a sign to verify them before you commit further. 

Need a second view on the layout? 

If you are weighing up room numbers against usable communal space, a quick review at the right stage can save a lot of wasted design effort. 

You can book a free call with HMO Architects to talk through the project, your needs, how we can help, and the right next steps. The aim of the call is to understand the property, your needs, the constraints, how HMO Architects can help, and the right next steps before you move further. 

A useful next read is our guide to HMO minimum room sizes, because bedroom standards and communal space issues are often confused on the same project. You may also want to read our guide to HMO kitchen requirements if you are testing whether the shared layout works properly in practice. 

If your scheme is still at appraisal stage, our Project Feasibility service may also help you test the layout early. If you are further on and need drawings developed properly, see our Architectural Design service. 

You can also browse our free resources, including guides and templates for HMO landlords and investors, at HMO free guides and templates. 

For occasional practical updates, you can join the HMO Masters newsletter. 

FAQs 

Do all HMOs need a living room? 

Not always as a separate room. What matters is whether the property provides enough usable shared amenity for the number of occupiers and whether that arrangement matches local standards. In some layouts, a kitchen-diner may cover that role. In others, a separate communal room may be the better or expected solution. 

Is there a national minimum communal area size for HMOs? 

There is not one simple national figure that answers every HMO communal area size question. National rules set part of the baseline, but local standards and the way the layout works in practice usually shape the real answer. 

Can a kitchen-diner count as communal space? 

Often yes, but it depends on the size, usability, occupancy level, and what the local council accepts. You should check the current local guidance rather than assume every kitchen-diner arrangement will be treated the same way. 

Does outdoor space count as communal space? 

It can be relevant, but it should not automatically be treated as a substitute for usable indoor shared amenity. Whether it matters, and how much, depends on the scheme and the local context. 

Can I make bedrooms smaller if I provide more communal space? 

That is not a safe assumption. Bedroom size rules and communal space checks should be treated as separate issues, especially where minimum sleeping room sizes apply. 

What should I check first before buying or redesigning an HMO? 

Start with likely occupancy, licensing position, and the local council’s current amenity standards. Once those are clear, you can test whether the layout works both for compliance and for the way tenants will actually use the property.