Two Victorian terraced houses on a London street, one painted white and one in yellow stock brick, with bay windows
Floor plan drawings, pencil sketches of a house, a scale rule and a protractor spread across a desk
Photo: Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels

HMO drawings · London Borough of Barnet

HMO drawings in Barnet, from £945 fixed

Barnet has needed planning permission for every new small HMO since 29 May 2016. An HMO that was already running before that date can be confirmed with a lawful development certificate backed by robust evidence. New schemes are judged against Local Plan policies CDH01 and HOU04.

HMO drawingsfrom £795 drawings + £150 survey (£945 total)
Council fee£610
Get your fixed feeFFP-01 · Rev A
Our fixed fee£795
Council fee, paid to your council£548
Our fee + council fee£1,343
CoverageAll 33 boroughs

Householder application fee, paid to your council at submission.

Plus the Planning Portal's own charge if the application goes through the Portal: up to £149 including VAT, depending on the application type, and some types have none (source).

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Starts at£150
Boroughs33/33
Stages5

Photo: Huy Phan / Pexels

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Two Victorian terraced houses on a London street, one painted white and one in yellow stock brick, with bay windows
A London terrace. Photo: Huy Phan / Pexels.

What Barnet Council asks of a HMO conversion

From the council's Small Houses in Multiple Occupation (HMO) Article 4 Direction (adopted 29 May 2016 (in force)).

  • Since 29 May 2016 planning permission has been needed anywhere in Barnet to use a house as a small HMO, where between 3 and 6 unrelated people share basic amenities such as a kitchen or bathroom; a property does not have to be altered to count as an HMO. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
  • A small HMO that existed before 29 May 2016 does not need planning permission; a lawful development certificate can confirm this, and the council asks for robust evidence of the existing use to support it. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
  • A planning application for a small HMO is considered against Barnet's Local Plan, in particular Policy CDH01 Promoting High Quality Design and Policy HOU04 Specialist Housing, with further guidance in the Residential Design Guidance SPD. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
  • HMOs with more than 6 unrelated occupants are sui generis and always need planning permission. (source, checked 25 October 2026)

What Barnet HMO conversion drawings have to show

Barnet's page offers two routes, and the drawings follow whichever applies. If the house was already a small HMO before 29 May 2016, the job is a lawful development certificate for the existing use, built on robust evidence: tenancy agreements, council tax records and licence history, with floor plans showing the layout as it has been let.

For a new HMO, the planning drawings are judged against policies CDH01 and HOU04 and the Residential Design Guidance SPD. The proposed plans show each bedroom with its area and occupancy, the shared kitchen, bathrooms and living space, and refuse and cycle storage, so the officer can see the house works for the number of people proposed.

PS2 · at a glance

Barnet: 1,361 householder decisions

Barnet
Approvals, prior approvals included80.2%

1,091 of 1,361 granted. London: 85.8%.

Decided within 8 weeks95.2%

1,081 of 1,136 applications, prior approvals excluded.

Source: MHCLG PS2, 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026. Dark tick: London.
An open-plan living room with an exposed brick wall, a sofa and a dining table under pendant lights
An open-plan ground floor: knocking rooms together is where a beam, and structural calculations, come in. Photo: Max Vakhtbovych / Pexels.

What it costs in Barnet

  • HMO drawings: from £795 drawings + £150 survey (£945 total), plus £610 to Barnet Council.
  • Where a change of use application is required.

HMO drawings across London · Barnet planning rules · every price

Answers

Barnet HMO conversion questions

Do I need planning permission for a small HMO in Barnet?
Yes, anywhere in the borough since 29 May 2016. Barnet's Article 4 direction removed the right to change a house into a small HMO for three to six unrelated people sharing a kitchen or bathroom. The house does not need any building work to count as an HMO.
My Barnet HMO existed before 2016. How do I prove it?
Barnet says a small HMO that existed before 29 May 2016 does not need planning permission, and a lawful development certificate can confirm it. The council asks for robust evidence of the existing use, such as tenancy agreements, council tax records and licences, with plans showing the layout as let.
Which Barnet policies apply to an HMO application?
The council names Local Plan Policy CDH01 Promoting High Quality Design and Policy HOU04 Specialist Housing, with further guidance in the Residential Design Guidance SPD. HMOs for more than six people are sui generis and always need planning permission, whatever the Barnet direction says.

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Get my fixed fee020 7131 9703
01
Measured surveyWithin five working days
£150
02
Existing drawingsThe building as it stands
£175
03
Proposed drawingsYour scheme, revised until right
£225
04
Planning application packForms, statements, OS plans
£125
05
Submission and agent servicePortal submission, queries handled
£120
Total, planning application£795
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