Most of the cost and risk in an HMO is decided at the design stage. In Great Barr we start by measuring every room and checking Birmingham City Council's position on licensing and planning, then build the specification around it.
We can keep a photographic record of each stage, which is useful evidence when the council inspects or a buyer's surveyor asks questions later.
HMO rules in Birmingham City Council
| Rule | Birmingham City Council |
|---|---|
| Mandatory HMO licence (5+ people) | In force everywhere in England |
| Additional HMO licensing | In force Whole city, 5 June 2023 to 4 June 2028 |
| Selective licensing | In part of the area 25 of the city's 69 wards, 5 June 2023 to 4 June 2028 |
| Article 4 direction for small HMOs | In force Whole city, in force since 8 June 2020 |
Checked October 2026 against Birmingham City Council's HMO licensing page. Schemes change, so we confirm the position for your address before any work starts.
Birmingham City Council has an Article 4 direction across its whole area, so turning a family house in Great Barr into a small HMO needs planning permission. We prepare the planning application before any conversion work starts. Seven or more occupants always needs planning permission. Birmingham City Council also runs additional licensing across its whole area (until 4 June 2028), so smaller HMOs with three or four people from two or more households need a licence too.
Our HMO fire safety service in Great Barr
We carry out HMO fire safety works in Great Barr to a written specification taken from the fire risk assessment and the local council's HMO standards. That keeps the work proportionate, because a small two-storey house and a large three-storey one in Great Barr rarely need the same measures.
Typical jobs in Great Barr include fire doors with self-closers, interlinked alarms, emergency lighting and fire stopping of hidden gaps. Every job across the West Midlands ends with commissioning certificates, photos of concealed work and a logbook for routine tests.
- Emergency lighting where the escape route needs it
- Mains-wired interlinked smoke and heat detection
- Commissioning certificates, logbook and photos of concealed work
- Fire stopping around pipes, cables, hatches and cupboards
- Specification taken from the fire risk assessment and council standards
HMO fire safety works near Great Barr
- Kingstanding 2 miles
- Perry Barr 2.5 miles
- Handsworth 2.7 miles
- West Bromwich 3.2 miles
- Walsall 3.5 miles
- Aston 3.5 miles