Most of the cost and risk in an HMO is decided at the design stage. In Sutton Coldfield we start by measuring every room and checking Birmingham City Council's position on licensing and planning, then build the specification around it.
We cover B73, B74 and the neighbouring postcodes, with the same standards in Sutton Coldfield as anywhere else in the West Midlands.
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 Sutton Coldfield 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 Sutton Coldfield landlords
We design and fit communal kitchens and shared bathrooms for HMOs in Sutton Coldfield, 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 Sutton Coldfield before drawing anything.
Fittings for houses in Sutton Coldfield 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
- Extract ventilation and certified electrical work
- Heavy-duty units, sealed worktops and slip-resistant flooring
- Isolation valves on every fitting
- Heat detection and fire blanket where required
Communal kitchens and bathrooms near Sutton Coldfield
- Kingstanding 2.8 miles
- Erdington 3.1 miles
- Aldridge 3.9 miles
- Great Barr 4.4 miles
- Perry Barr 4.9 miles
- Aston 5.3 miles