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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 Redbridge

HMO drawings in Redbridge, from £945 fixed

Redbridge has needed planning permission for every small HMO since 6 December 2019, and the council warns that a pre-2019 certificate of lawfulness only counts if the HMO was running by that date. Since 18 September 2023 every HMO in the borough needs a licence as well.

HMO drawingsfrom £795 drawings + £150 survey (£945 total)
Council fee£610
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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 Redbridge Council asks of a HMO conversion

From the council's Article 4 Direction on C4 HMOs (borough-wide, non-immediate) (adopted 6 December 2019 (in force)).

  • Redbridge's borough-wide Article 4 direction came into force on 6 December 2019, so an HMO for 3 to 6 unrelated people needs planning permission; HMOs of 7 or more unrelated people need permission anyway. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
  • The council says a proposed certificate of lawfulness for a C3 to C4 conversion issued before 6 December 2019 is valid only if the conversion and HMO use took place before the direction came into effect. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
  • An HMO of up to 6 people that existed before 6 December 2019 does not need planning consent retrospectively, but one that began operating after that date must obtain it. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
  • Redbridge approved a borough-wide additional HMO licensing scheme on 30 May 2023, in force from 18 September 2023 to 17 September 2028, extending licensing to all HMOs. (source, checked 25 October 2026)

What Redbridge HMO conversion drawings have to show

In Redbridge the date matters as much as the layout. If you hold an old certificate of lawfulness for a house-to-HMO change, the council says it only counts if the HMO use actually began before 6 December 2019. Where it did not, we prepare a full planning application, with existing and proposed plans showing the bedrooms, shared rooms and occupancy.

Where an HMO has been running since before December 2019, the question is evidence rather than design: tenancy agreements, council tax records and licence history that show the use began in time. For a new HMO, the drawings go to planning first, then to licensing, since every HMO in the borough has needed a licence since September 2023.

PS2 · at a glance

Redbridge: 991 householder decisions

Redbridge
Approvals, prior approvals included82.8%

821 of 991 granted. London: 85.8%.

Decided within 8 weeks96.3%

680 of 706 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 Redbridge

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

HMO drawings across London · Redbridge planning rules · every price

Answers

Redbridge HMO conversion questions

Is my old Redbridge certificate of lawfulness for an HMO still valid?
Only if the HMO use began before 6 December 2019. Redbridge says a proposed lawfulness certificate for a C3 to C4 change issued before that date is valid only if the conversion and use took place before the Article 4 direction came into effect. Otherwise a planning application is needed.
Does an existing HMO in Redbridge need planning permission now?
Not if it housed up to six people and existed before 6 December 2019: the council says those do not need consent retrospectively and usually receive a five-year licence. An HMO that began operating after that date must obtain planning consent. HMOs of seven or more people always need permission.
Do all HMOs in Redbridge need a licence?
Yes. Redbridge approved a borough-wide additional licensing scheme on 30 May 2023, in force from 18 September 2023 until 17 September 2028, extending licensing to all HMOs of three or more people sharing a toilet, washing or cooking facilities. The council advises applying even while planning questions are being resolved.

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02
Existing drawingsThe building as it stands
£175
03
Proposed drawingsYour scheme, revised until right
£225
04
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05
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Total, planning application£795
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