Loft conversions for HMOs in Harborne

Planning HMO loft conversion work in Harborne? We check the licensing and planning position with Birmingham City Council, design the layout and give you a fixed written quote.

Our base in Great Barr is about 7 miles from Harborne, so surveys and site visits are straightforward to arrange.

One team for build, compliance and lettings

Free survey and fixed written quote

Work by S&K and vetted subcontractors

Ask about a house in Harborne

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

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

We can keep a photographic record of each stage, which is useful evidence when the council inspects or a buyer's surveyor asks questions later.

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 Harborne 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.

Loft conversions for HMOs for Harborne landlords

Plenty of houses have roof space that could hold extra bedrooms, but in Harborne 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 Harborne house, not just the new floor. We also check the occupant count, because seven or more residents needs planning permission anywhere in the West Midlands.

Alarm extended and doors upgraded on lower floors
Headroom survey and countable floor area calculation
New staircase and protected escape route
Updated floor plans for the licence file
Structural design and building control application

Loft conversions for HMOs near Harborne

Selly Oak 1.5 miles
Bournbrook 1.5 miles
Edgbaston 1.5 miles
Smethwick 2.7 miles
Northfield 2.9 miles
Moseley 3 miles

What landlords in Harborne ask us

Do you handle building regulations for conversions in Harborne?

Yes. An HMO conversion often involves building regulations work such as fire protection, new partitions and drainage, and we arrange approval and inspections with local authority building control or a registered building control approver.

How long does an HMO conversion in Harborne take?

It depends on the size of the house and the work involved. Your written quote includes a programme for each stage, and any planning or licensing time is shown separately.

Do I need planning permission to convert a house to an HMO in Harborne?

It depends on the number of occupants and whether Birmingham City Council has an Article 4 direction covering the address. Seven or more occupants always needs planning permission. We check the position for your street before quoting.

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

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.