Shared houses in Acocks Green need to satisfy Birmingham City Council's licensing team as well as building regulations. We plan for both from the first survey, which avoids rework later.
We'll tell you plainly if a house in Acocks Green isn't suited to the number of rooms you have in mind, and what it would take to make it work.
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 Acocks Green 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.
Communal kitchens and bathrooms in Acocks Green: what we do
We design and fit communal kitchens and shared bathrooms for HMOs in Acocks Green, sized to the amenity standards the local council applies to the number of people in the house. Those standards differ between councils, so we check the current version for Acocks Green before drawing anything.
Fittings for houses in Acocks Green are chosen for heavy daily use: sealed worktops, wipe-clean wall panels, separate food storage and isolation valves on every fitting. Across the West Midlands, each kitchen gets the heat detection and fire blanket the fire risk assessment calls for.
- Heat detection and fire blanket where required
- Heavy-duty units, sealed worktops and slip-resistant flooring
- Layout sized to your council's amenity standards
- Isolation valves on every fitting
- Extract ventilation and certified electrical work