We plan each HMO loft conversion job in Nottinghamshire around the local council's amenity standards, which set out kitchen, bathroom and room-size requirements for shared houses.
In Nottinghamshire, as everywhere in England, a house with five or more people forming two or more households needs a mandatory HMO licence. Some councils go further with additional licensing or Article 4 directions, as the table shows.
HMO rules across Nottinghamshire's councils
| Council | Additional licensing | Selective licensing | Article 4 (small HMOs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ashfield District Council | None found | In part of the area Designated streets in Stanton Hill and Sutton Central, 25 July 2022 to 24 July 2027 | Not confirmed |
| Bassetlaw District Council | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Broxtowe Borough Council | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | In part of the area Parts of the four Beeston wards since 26 March 2022. An extension to Eastwood, Kimberley and Stapleford was proposed in March 2026 |
| Gedling Borough Council | None found | In part of the area Netherfield ward and parts of Carlton Hill, Colwick, Daybrook and Newstead Village | Proposed Proposed for three streets in Netherfield, not in force when checked |
| Mansfield District Council | None found | In part of the area Designated streets in several wards, from 13 September 2025 | Not confirmed |
| Newark and Sherwood District Council | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Nottingham City Council | In force Whole city, 1 January 2024 to 31 December 2028 | In part of the area Some or all of 15 wards, 1 December 2023 to 30 November 2028 | In force Whole city, since 11 March 2012 |
| Rushcliffe Borough Council | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
Checked October 2026. Mandatory licensing for five or more people applies in every council. Schemes change, so we confirm the position for the address before work starts.
Councils in Nottinghamshire where we found an Article 4 direction for small HMOs in force, in all or part of their area: Broxtowe Borough Council, Nottingham City Council. Article 4 directions are due to start or proposed in: Gedling Borough Council. Additional licensing applies in all or part of: Nottingham City Council.
How we handle HMO loft conversion work in Nottinghamshire
Plenty of houses have roof space that could hold extra bedrooms, but in Nottinghamshire 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 Nottinghamshire house, not just the new floor. We also check the occupant count, because seven or more residents needs planning permission anywhere in Nottinghamshire.
- Alarm extended and doors upgraded on lower floors
- Updated floor plans for the licence file
- New staircase and protected escape route
- Headroom survey and countable floor area calculation
- Structural design and building control application