Hammersmith and Fulham HMO Room Sizes: Minimum Standards for Bedrooms
Room sizes are one of the most common reasons LBHF reduces the permitted occupancy on an HMO licence or refuses an application altogether. National statutory minima are 6.51 m² for one person over 10, 10.22 m² for two people over 10, and 4.64 m² for a child under 10. Higher floor-area figures for rooms without separate shared living space and the communal-space thresholds come from LBHF's amenity standards.
The Minimum Floor Areas
These are the numbers that matter for bedrooms in a licensed HMO in Hammersmith and Fulham:
| Room Type | With Shared Living Space | Without Shared Living Space |
|---|---|---|
| Single bedroom (1 person, over 10) | 6.51 m² | 10.22 m² |
| Double bedroom (2 persons, over 10) | 10.22 m² | 15.00 m² |
| Child under 10 | 4.64 m² | — |
| Bedsit with cooking | 13.50 m² (single) | 15.00 m² (double) |
The "with shared living space" column applies when the HMO has a separate communal living room. That communal space must itself meet a minimum: 12.5 m² for three to four occupants, or 16.5 m² for five or more. If there's no dedicated living room, each bedroom must be larger.
Ceiling Height Rules
Any part of a room where the ceiling is lower than 1.5 metres is excluded from the usable floor area. This matters most in loft conversions and rooms with sloping ceilings — you might measure 8 m² wall to wall, but if a strip along one side sits below 1.5 metres, the usable area drops below the 6.51 m² single-occupancy threshold.
Bedrooms must also maintain a minimum ceiling height of 2.3 metres across at least 50% of the total floor area (75% for new conversions).
What LBHF Does With Undersized Rooms
If a room falls below the minimum for single occupancy, the council won't allow it to be used as a bedroom. This reduces the permitted occupancy stated on the licence — and since the mandatory HMO fee includes an additional charge per habitable room, ask LBHF how an undersized room affects the fee calculation rather than assuming it changes the charge.
If the HMO's total bedroom capacity after removing undersized rooms drops below the number of current occupants, you'll need to reduce occupancy to comply with the licence, which means ending tenancies or moving people between rooms.
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Measuring Correctly
Measure from the inside face of the walls, not including skirting boards or built-in furniture that could be removed. For irregular rooms, divide the space into rectangles, measure each, and sum the results. Record to at least one decimal place in square metres.
Mark the measurements on your floor plans before submitting the licence application — plans without room areas are rejected.
For the complete floor plan requirements and application process, see the Hammersmith and Fulham Landlord Licensing Guide.
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