Shared houses in Market Harborough need to satisfy Harborough District Council's licensing team as well as building regulations. We plan for both from the first survey, which avoids rework later.
Because we also manage and maintain HMOs, we design with day-to-day running in mind: hard-wearing finishes, sensible storage and layouts that keep shared spaces usable.
HMO rules in Harborough District Council
| Rule | Harborough District Council |
|---|---|
| Mandatory HMO licence (5+ people) | In force everywhere in England |
| Additional HMO licensing | Not confirmed |
| Selective licensing | Not confirmed |
| Article 4 direction for small HMOs | Not confirmed |
Checked October 2026. Schemes change, so we confirm the position for your address before any work starts.
We couldn't confirm Harborough District Council's Article 4 position from its own website, so we check it with the council for the address. Seven or more occupants always needs planning permission. We couldn't confirm whether Harborough District Council runs additional licensing, so we check with the council for the address.
Loft conversions for HMOs for Market Harborough landlords
Plenty of houses have roof space that could hold extra bedrooms, but in Market Harborough we always measure the headroom first, because floor under a 1.5 m ceiling does not count towards room size. That tells you how many rooms the loft can really add.
A loft room usually creates a third storey, so we plan the protected escape route and alarm upgrades for the whole Market Harborough house, not just the new floor. We also check the occupant count, because seven or more residents needs planning permission anywhere in Leicestershire.
- Alarm extended and doors upgraded on lower floors
- New staircase and protected escape route
- Structural design and building control application
- Headroom survey and countable floor area calculation
- Updated floor plans for the licence file