Communal kitchens and bathrooms in Handsworth

Midlands HMO handles HMO kitchen and bathroom work in Handsworth: we measure the house, design the room layout around Birmingham City Council's standards and fix the price in writing before work starts.

We cover Handsworth and the surrounding West Midlands postcodes, including B21.

One team for build, compliance and lettings

Covering Handsworth and nearby West Midlands towns

Free survey and fixed written quote

Ask about a house in Handsworth

Tell us about the property. We reply within one working day.

Birmingham City Council is the licensing and planning authority for Handsworth. We check its rules for the exact street before we draw a single partition.

Our team is based in Great Barr, Birmingham, about 4 miles from Handsworth. That keeps survey visits, site meetings and follow-up inspections easy to arrange.

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 Handsworth 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 for Handsworth landlords

We design and fit communal kitchens and shared bathrooms for HMOs in Handsworth, 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 Handsworth before drawing anything.

Fittings for houses in Handsworth 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.

Layout sized to your council's amenity standards
Separate food storage space for each occupant
Isolation valves on every fitting
Heavy-duty units, sealed worktops and slip-resistant flooring
Extract ventilation and certified electrical work

Communal kitchens and bathrooms near Handsworth

Smethwick 1.5 miles
Perry Barr 1.8 miles
Aston 2.3 miles
West Bromwich 2.4 miles
Great Barr 2.7 miles
Edgbaston 3.2 miles

Questions about HMO kitchen and bathroom in Handsworth

Does a converted HMO in Handsworth need a licence?

Yes if five or more people from two or more households will live there, because mandatory licensing applies in every council in England. Birmingham City Council may also license smaller HMOs, which we check for the address.

Can you convert part of a building above a shop in Handsworth?

Often, yes. Flats above shops need extra attention to fire separation from the commercial unit, and we assess this at survey stage.

Can you work on a house I haven't bought yet in Handsworth?

Yes. We can survey before you buy and tell you the likely room count, the planning and licensing position and a guide cost, so you can decide with the facts in front of you.

What size must bedrooms be in an HMO in Handsworth?

For licensed HMOs in England a room for one adult must be at least 6.51 square metres and a room for two adults at least 10.22 square metres. Birmingham City Council may set additional standards, which we design to.