HMO Design Appraisal

Is Your HMO Conversion Worth It?

Just because you CAN do it, doesn't mean you SHOULD

Our expert team can take care of the full HMO development journey for you, from concept, planning & building control, through to construction.

HMO Architect offers many services to support you every step of the way, such as; pre-purchase advice calls, HMO licence renewal and interior design to the highest quality to suit your needs and ideas.

HMO Conversions are complex developments and require great understanding, professional expertise and a detailed execution plan.

Buying an HMO without a thorough understanding of your proposed designs and whether you need Planning Permission to meet your investment goals can be risky.

If a property doesn’t work as an HMO, you need to know as early as possible so you can avoid costly mistakes.

What if you buy the property and don’t get Planning Permission for an HMO Conversion (Change of Use)?

Or cannot fit in 6 rooms as you originally thought and can only fit 5 rooms? How would that impact your cash flow?

Is your rental income and GDV/DUV (Done Up Value) estimate correct? What happens if your calculations are way off?

The Solution?- Get A Design Appraisal

HMO Design Appraisal - How It Works

Step 1:

HMO Architect will have Kick-Off Meeting with you to discuss your project at a high level and collect relevant details like:

Address and Postcode
Pictures, floor plans, measurements
Link to the property on Rightmove / Zoopla etc.
Confirm Project Brief

Step 2:

HMO Architect will complete a detailed and thorough study, exploring and assessing critical items like:

Public Transport
Property Location
Conservation Area
Flood Risk
Article 4 in the Local Area
Local HMO Standards
Optimised Layout
Waste Management And Bike Storage
Planning Success Rate
Ordnance Survey Map (Additional £100 + VAT)

We conclude with the likelihood of Planning Success and Recommendations and Advice on how to proceed with your project.

Note: You can also use the HMO Design Appraisal to support your Pre-Planning Application.

Step 3:

HMO Architect will arrange a Design Appraisal Review Call with you to go through the Design Appraisal and help you make the best decision that fits your investment goals.

HMO Design Appraisal - Packages

Basic

^{From £} 397 _+VAT

Kick-Off Meeting ( 1 hour )
Sketch Plan ( 1 Scheme )
HMO Licensing Requirements
Building Regulation Requirements
Waste Management Plan
Bikes Enclosure Plan
12-20 Working Days

Purchase Now

Regular

Premium

^{From £} 997 _+VAT

Everything in Regular
High Level Cost Estimation
Market Analysis & Comparables
Rental Evaluation
Screenshots from Rightmove
GDV Estimate
Consultants cost estimation
20 Working Days

Purchase Now

** The above pricing applies for up to 6 Bed HMOs. For 7 Bed+ HMOs, please get in touch for Custom Pricing.

"Really grateful to Ryan & Giovanni for their help and guidance. This HMO Design Appraisal saved me thousands in fees and lending costs. Without the design study, I'd have proceeded with the property purchase and then realised I couldn't get planning for a 3-7 Bed HMO Conversion."

Amanda

HMO Investor, London

HMO Design Appraisal - Top Questions

What Is A Design Appraisal?

A Design Appraisal is our comprehensive study of your HMO project to help you decide whether you should buy the property or not.

It’s a document we’ve developed to help HMO Investors make the best decision about a particular property based on the likelihood of achieving their investment goals.

Why Do I Need A Design Appraisal?

A Design Appraisal will help you evaluate the potential of your HMO project even before you buy it.

It will save you time, help you avoid costly mistakes, assist with vendor negotiation and pre-planning applications.

Is It Feasible? (Can You Do It?)

When you purchase a property, it’s very important to go into the deal with complete clarity and confidence that you can do the expected conversion and renovation without much complication.

This includes getting the required planning permission to convert the property into an HMO. This is especially tricky if your investment area has Article 4 restrictions.

HMO Architect helps you understand your likelihood of Planning Success.

Is It Viable (Should You Do It?)

Just because you can technically do it, doesn’t mean it’s a good investment decision.

Looking at the floor plan and understanding how many rooms you can fit in to maximise space, ensure compliance, and tenant comfort is an important part of buying an HMO.

We help you understand potential layout options to achieve your ideal rental income.

What’s Covered In A Design Appraisal?

A Design Appraisal covers an in-depth study of your property and the local area including:

Existing & Concept Floor plan Layouts

Capture the existing layout and explore options for potential floor plan layouts. We explore creative layout plans on how to meet your investment and cash flow goals.

HMO vs Flat Conversions

Evaluate options for your property like HMO vs Flat Conversions. Should you convert a single let family home into an HMO? Or is it better to build Flats instead and rent them out as independent units?

We evaluate the possibilities and help you make the best decision and suit your investment goals.

Public Transport

Is your property close to public transport like bus stops, train stations, airports, taxi stands?

What local public transport options are available for your tenants?

We help you understand how attractive your HMO location will be for prospective tenants.

Property Location

How close is the property to supermarkets, shopping centres, gyms, leisure clubs, local markets and other interesting amenities?

We help you understand how attractive your HMO location will be for prospective tenants.

Conservation Area

Is your property within a conversation area?

Is it a Listed Building or Heritage Structure?

This affects the likelihood of getting Planning Approval to change the layout and fit more rooms.

Flood Risk

Is your property within a flood risk area?

We help you understand the likelihood of getting Planning Approval and impact on lending (Mortgage or Bridging Finance).

Article 4

Is your property within an Article 4 Area?

Do you need planning permission or can you go through Permitted Development?

How do you get a Lawful Development Certificate to protect you in case of future Article 4 restrictions in your investment area?

We help you assess the impact of Article 4 on your property and the likelihood of getting Planning Approval.

Local HMO Standards

What are the minimum room sizes as per Local HMO Standards?

HMO Architect help you understand if you can fit your expected number of rooms in the existing property. If not, we evaluate other potential options for you.

Ordinance Survey Map (additional £100 + VAT)

Map showing the property boundaries.

We help you understand the feasibility of a potential extension to fit more rooms or create a pleasurable/habitable communal space.

Waste Management & Bike Storage

Is there provision and space for bins and bike racks?

HMO Architect will evaluate this as it affects the likelihood of getting Planning Approval.

Conclusion

The Design Appraisal Report concludes with information about potential Planning & Building Regulation Objections and a % Planning Success Rate.

Is This A Paid Service?

Yes, this is a paid service.

How Much Does A Design Appraisal Cost?

A Design Appraisal typically starts from £397 (ex. VAT) and varies depending on the type and complexity of the property.

HMO Design Appraisal Pricing

Up to 6 beds – £397 (ex. VAT)
7-12 beds – £497 (ex. VAT)
12-20 beds – £600 (ex. VAT)
20 beds + (Please get in touch with us for the best price)

How Long Does A Design Appraisal Take?

A Design Appraisal Report takes around 10 working days to produce.

If you need it sooner you can request an expedited report within 3 working days for an extra fee (starting from £120 ex. VAT).

When Should I Get A Design Appraisal?

HMO Architect always recommends getting a Design Appraisal prior to purchasing the property so you can know exactly what you’re buying before actually making the purchase.

You can also get it before you make an offer to help with the vendor negotiation process but we recommend mostly doing it on properties that you are seriously considering buying and had an offer accepted.

Do You Go On-Site To Do A Design Appraisal?

No, a Design Appraisal does NOT include an on-site visit. It is purely Desktop research done using sophisticated tools and intended to be quick and relatively cheap.

What Do I Need To Start A Design Appraisal?

Well, to begin with, you need a property you’re very interested in that you’ve already bought or looking to buy.

Besides that, we need the Estate Agent Floor plans, any basic measurements if possible and links to the property on Rightmove/Zoopla.

With all this, we’re good to go.

How Do I Book A Design Appraisal?

Please click on the Blue Button below where you can submit the form on our website.
We’ll get in touch to arrange a time to speak that works best for you.

The HMO Lifecycle - Design Appraisal

Would You Like Us To Review Your HMO Plans and Optimise Available Space?

Book A Design Appraisal Today or Give Us A Call at (+44) 01223 776 997.

Why Clients Trust HMO Architect

Advisor

We are your Architect & Advisor. With over 15 years of experience investing in HMO’s and Buy-to-Let’s ourselves, we’ve made mistakes and learnt from them. Now we want to advise you so you can avoid costly mistakes.

Creative

With over 750+ consultations and 150+ HMO projects completed, we have a lot of experience with different HMO projects across the country. We help you creatively optimise space to meet your investment goals.

Communication

We are your eyes and ears in interactions with the Council, Builders and External Consultants. We report to to you all the time, every time so you can have complete peace of mind knowing your project is in good hands.

Speed

We understand how important time is to you. Whether securing a deal, getting planning permission, or designing the layout, time is money and we try our best to complete your project on time and budget to the highest quality.

Hear From our clients

Very professional team and great architectural designs for my HMO. They also helped me get planning permission in a very difficult council keeping me updated throughout the process. Loved working with Ryan, Giovanni and the team. Highly recommend them for any architecture work across the country especially HMO and flat conversions.

Excellent joined up advice from the Directors giving you comfort as a landlord that you’re in very capable hands .

I was very impressed with Giovanni at WindsorPatania he was friendly and help explain the project to me in a way I could understand. Being a first time investor I really felt he was more like a partner in my team then an architect.

Exceptional service at all stages of the process from Windsor&Patania. They created a vision of a beautiful home from an under-developed heritage property. They led us through a tricky planning and renovation process with care and attention to detail. And then they followed up with quality assurance and spotting as the project was implemented. And they did all of that with a smile and approachability that you can’t find elsewhere. Strongly recommend for anyone looking to build real quality into their project!

Fantastic company, since using these guys I won’t go anywhere else. They have really helped me maximise my returns from my property investments without compromising the layout or aesthetics of the buildings. Highly recommend.

Fantastic team, really helpful and great communication! I had a challenging project that another architects could not solve but the team at HMO were able to redesign and get planning approved in 6 months from start. I also appreciated that the directors have been investing themselves. Thanks again, highly recommend the team! James

Excellent architectural practice; honest, informative and creative advice by a team of hardworking, qualified professionals!

Get In Touch Today

Phone

01223 776 997

Email

info@hmo-architect.com

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HMO Design Appraisal

Is Your HMO Conversion Worth It?

Just because you CAN do it, doesn't mean you SHOULD

The Solution?- Get A Design Appraisal

HMO Design Appraisal - How It Works

Step 1:

Step 2:

Note: You can also use the HMO Design Appraisal to support your Pre-Planning Application.

Step 3:

HMO Design Appraisal - Packages

Basic

Regular

Premium

HMO Design Appraisal - Top Questions

What Is A Design Appraisal?

Why Do I Need A Design Appraisal?

Is It Feasible? (Can You Do It?)

Is It Viable (Should You Do It?)

What’s Covered In A Design Appraisal?

Existing & Concept Floor plan Layouts

HMO vs Flat Conversions

Public Transport

Property Location

Conservation Area

Flood Risk

Article 4

Local HMO Standards

Ordinance Survey Map (additional £100 + VAT)

Waste Management & Bike Storage

Conclusion