Islington HMO Floor Plan Requirements: Usable Area and Ceiling Height Rules
Islington's HMO licence application requires dimensioned floor plans showing exact room dimensions. Incorrect measurements can affect the application's assessment and the permitted occupancy. Here is what the council's standards specify — and the areas excluded from usable floor space.
What Goes on the Floor Plan
Your floor plan must show room dimensions in square metres. Label each room by function (e.g., "Bedroom 1 — 9.2 m²", "Shared Kitchen — 7.8 m²").
The plan must also indicate window locations and fire exits. For multi-storey HMOs, provide a separate plan for each floor.
You do not need a CAD-quality architectural drawing. A clearly drawn, accurately measured plan is sufficient. Many self-managing landlords produce acceptable plans using a laser measure and basic drawing software or even graph paper — the key is dimensional accuracy, not visual polish.
The Ceiling Height Rule
Non-habitable areas where the ceiling is below 1.5 metres are excluded from usable floor space. This matters most in attic conversions, mansard extensions and rooms with sloping ceilings — all common in Islington's Victorian and Edwardian housing stock.
If a 10 m² bedroom includes 2.5 m² of non-habitable space under an eave below 1.5 metres, the usable area drops to 7.5 m² — which falls short of Islington's 8.0 m² minimum for a single bedroom with a separate shared kitchen.
Exclude non-habitable areas where the ceiling is below 1.5 metres from the usable floor space calculation and show the measurements on the plan. The council may inspect the property to check compliance with licence conditions.
Islington's Minimum Room Sizes
Islington sets local minimums that exceed the national statutory floor:
| Room type | National minimum | Islington minimum |
|---|---|---|
| Single bedroom (shared kitchen) | 6.51 m² | 8.0 m² |
| Double bedroom (shared kitchen) | 10.22 m² | 11.0 m² |
| Single bedroom with cooking facilities | 10.0 m² | 11.0 m² |
| Shared kitchen (1–3 occupants) | Local discretion | 5.5 m² |
| Shared kitchen (4–5 occupants) | Local discretion | 7.5 m² |
| Shared kitchen (6–7 occupants) | Local discretion | 9.5 m² |
Any room below 6.51 m² cannot be used as a bedroom for any person, regardless of age. The council will condition the licence to reflect the maximum permitted occupancy based on the room sizes you declare — understate a room and you limit your occupancy; overstate it and the inspection will catch the discrepancy.
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Common Floor Plan Mistakes
Measurement reference. Show the exact room dimensions required by the application. If the skirting-board or wall-surface boundary could affect whether a room meets the minimum, ask the council which measurement reference to use.
Built-in wardrobes. Do not assume a built-in wardrobe is included or excluded from usable floor area. If its treatment could affect whether a room meets the minimum, confirm with the council before counting the room as a bedroom.
Forgetting en-suite or kitchenette areas. A bedroom with an en-suite cooking area must meet the higher 11.0 m² minimum (instead of 8.0 m² for a bedroom with access to a shared kitchen). If the room includes a kitchenette behind a partition, that changes the applicable standard.
Missing the 1.5-metre ceiling line in attic rooms. Areas where the ceiling is below 1.5 metres are excluded from usable floor space. Measure and show the qualifying area so it is not counted toward the room's minimum size.
Our Islington Landlord Licensing Guide includes a room measurement worksheet with the ceiling height calculation built in, plus Islington's full room size table for kitchens at every occupancy level.
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