HMO RESEARCH · ENGLAND · PRIVATE WORKBENCH
Compare a house conversion with buying an existing HMO. Keep room evidence, operating cash and refinance assumptions beside the property you are assessing.
By A Place Ahead · Product and sources reviewed 16 October 2026
See the appraisal workflow ↓
A Place Ahead’s signed-in property workbook models room rents, occupancy, annual expenses, purchase and works cash, and optional refinance. It saves the inputs with property and formula versions so you can return to the same appraisal and compare up to five saved candidates.
This public page explains the workflow and a fictional calculation. The editable HMO calculator is inside the private workspace. Access is currently limited to existing workspace members; this page does not offer instant public registration.
Evidence entry is manual. Automated HMO sourcing, council-register enrichment and an HMO research skill are not included in the current release. The tool does not certify planning, licensing, market value or lending eligibility.
Separate existing bedrooms from proposed rooms. Record net usable area, intended adults, bathroom access and dated council standards. Add works costs and the delay before letting. Proposed rooms do not become existing licensed capacity in the appraisal.
Record the current licence, permitted people and households, expiry and conditions. Assess its applicability to the incoming buyer separately. Review achieved rents, included bills, maintenance and the evidence needed to continue operating.
Planning, licensing, shared facilities, fire/building requirements and buyer applicability have separate evidence checks. An attractive income forecast cannot clear an unresolved permission check.
GOV.UK directs landlords to ask the council whether a licence is needed, including for smaller HMOs. Its England guidance also explains bedroom standards and the distinction between licensing and planning. Find the relevant council’s licensing service · Read the government licensing guidance
Collected rent reflects each room’s occupancy assumption. Net operating income deducts operating expenses. Annual cash before tax then deducts replacement reserve and debt service. Blank costs remain unknown; explicit zero is an assumption you must review.
These figures illustrate the calculation only. They are not local rents, cost estimates, a property recommendation or a return forecast. Both cases use five rooms; operating expenses include bills, council tax, insurance, management, repairs, compliance, licensing and other costs.
Purchase, tax/legal/survey costs, works including VAT, contingency, finance fees and pre-let holding cash sit in a separate acquisition timeline. Complete those inputs before relying on a funding result. The model excludes personal/company tax and future capital appreciation.
No. It is new borrowing. The appraisal caps gross borrowing using the entered loan-to-value and lender income limit, then deducts fees and redeemed debt. A later refinance cannot erase an earlier funding deficit. Missing, stale, future-dated or failed finance evidence cannot create confirmed proceeds.
Saved comparisons retain their original inputs. Editing a new draft does not rewrite earlier appraisals. Archived or stale candidates carry review warnings; pack selection is not a compliance or investment approval.
Open Property strategies in your workspace →Obtain exact-property council and professional evidence, a measured plan, a complete works quote, rental evidence and written lender terms. Record source dates and what each source proves. Missing evidence stays a question for the viewing or adviser.
The current HMO feature supports England freehold whole-house acquisition appraisals. It does not provide rent-to-rent, tenancy management, automatic investment rankings or guaranteed capital recycling.
Compare renovation and resale funding · Inspect dated property research · How evidence is handled