Tower Hamlets HMO Room Sizes and Floor Plan Requirements
Tower Hamlets sets its own local room size standards for licensed HMOs, and they're significantly higher than the national minimums. A bedroom that meets the England-wide statutory floor under SI 2018/221 can still fail a Tower Hamlets licence inspection. Getting this wrong doesn't just delay your application — it can result in the council reducing your property's maximum permitted occupancy, cutting your rental income.
National vs Tower Hamlets Minimums
| Room Type | National Minimum | Tower Hamlets Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Single bedroom (with separate living room) | 6.51 m² | 8.5 m² |
| Single bedroom (no shared living room) | 6.51 m² | 10.0 m² |
| Single bedroom with internal kitchen | 6.51 m² | 13.0 m² |
| Double bedroom (with separate living room) | 10.22 m² | 13.0 m² |
| Double bedroom (no shared living room) | 10.22 m² | 15.0 m² |
| Double bedroom with internal kitchen | 10.22 m² | 18.0 m² |
The "with separate living room" discount only applies when the property has a shared communal living space that all occupants can actually use. If the living room has been converted into a bedroom, every bedroom measurement must meet the higher "without shared living room" standard.
Ceiling Heights
Space where the ceiling height is less than 1.53 metres doesn't count towards usable floor area. This matters in loft conversions, mansard rooms and attic bedrooms — a room might measure 12 m² on the floor plan but only have 8 m² of usable space once you exclude the area under the eaves.
Additionally, rooms must maintain a floor-to-ceiling height of at least 2.14 metres across at least 75% of the floor area. A room that meets the square-metre threshold but has low ceilings over more than a quarter of its area will fail.
Kitchen Standards
Shared kitchens must meet minimum area and equipment standards based on how many people use them:
| Occupants | Minimum Kitchen Area | Equipment |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 5 | 6.0 m² | 2000mm × 600mm worktop, one full set of appliances |
| 6–7 | 9.5 m² | Double sink or dishwasher, expanded cooking appliances |
| 8–10 | 11.5 m² | Two full sets of cooking facilities |
"Full set of appliances" means a cooker (or separate hob and oven), a sink with hot and cold running water, a fridge, adequate worktop space, and storage. The worktop measurement is specific: 2000mm × 600mm minimum for up to five occupants.
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Bathroom and WC Ratios
| Occupants | Required Facilities |
|---|---|
| 1–4 | 1 bathroom with shower or bath and WC (can be combined) |
| 5 | 1 bathroom + 1 separate WC + wash hand basin in each bedroom |
| 6–10 | 2 full bathrooms + 2 separate WCs |
For five-occupant HMOs, the wash hand basin in each bedroom is a Tower Hamlets requirement that catches landlords off guard. It's a significant retrofit cost if the plumbing isn't already there.
Floor Plan Specifications
The floor plans you submit with your licence application must include:
- Metric dimensions for every room (in square metres)
- Room uses clearly labelled (bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, hallway, living room)
- Ceiling heights noted, especially in rooms with sloped ceilings or loft conversions
- Fire door locations marked
- Smoke detector, heat detector and carbon monoxide alarm positions
- Structural deductions marked (chimney breasts, en-suite bathrooms deducted from bedroom area)
Plans must be to scale. If the council finds your submitted plans are inaccurate or unscaled, they'll either reject the document upload (triggering the missing document charge) or prepare corrected plans using their in-house service at £40.00 per hour.
Why This Matters for Your Licence
The maximum occupancy figure on your licence is set based on your room sizes and amenity provision. If a bedroom measures 8.0 m² — above the national minimum of 6.51 m² but below the Tower Hamlets standard of 8.5 m² — the council may condition it as unsuitable for sleeping, reducing your permitted occupancy. That directly affects how many tenants you can house and how much rent the property generates.
The Tower Hamlets Landlord Licensing Guide includes the full room-by-room measurement framework, kitchen and bathroom ratio tables, and a floor plan preparation checklist — everything you need to ensure your plans meet the local standard before you submit.
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