Shared houses in Shirley need to satisfy Solihull Council's licensing team as well as building regulations. We plan for both from the first survey, which avoids rework later.
Quotes list each item of work, so you can see where the money goes and compare like for like.
HMO rules in Solihull Council
| Rule | Solihull 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 | Proposed The council is exploring a direction for smaller HMOs; none in force when checked |
Checked October 2026 against Solihull Council's HMO licensing page. Schemes change, so we confirm the position for your address before any work starts.
Solihull Council has said it is exploring an Article 4 direction for smaller HMOs. None was in force when we checked. Seven or more occupants always needs planning permission. We couldn't confirm whether Solihull Council runs additional licensing, so we check with the council for the address.
Loft conversions for HMOs in Shirley: what we do
Plenty of houses have roof space that could hold extra bedrooms, but in Shirley 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 Shirley 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
- Planning and permitted development position checked first
- New staircase and protected escape route
- Structural design and building control application
- Updated floor plans for the licence file
Loft conversions for HMOs near Shirley
- Hall Green 1.5 miles
- Solihull 1.6 miles
- Acocks Green 2.4 miles
- Kings Heath 3 miles
- Sheldon 3.5 miles
- Moseley 3.8 miles