The Brief
The client purchased an ex-commercial property in the Preston suburbs, a redundant ground-floor shop with a 2-bed flat above. The bones were there, but a complete reconfiguration was needed to make it work as a licensed HMO.
The location, close to Preston Royal Infirmary, pointed clearly at one tenant profile: professional and blue light workers; nurses, paramedics, healthcare staff, office workers, who want somewhere well-built and well-finished.
The brief was to create five well-proportioned bedrooms, bring the building up to full HMO compliance, and deliver a finish that commands premium rents and holds up to long-term rental use.
What We Did
The existing layout was stripped back and fully reconfigured. The commercial ground floor was brought up to habitable standard, insulated, plastered, wired, and plumbed — and the whole property was reworked to create five bedrooms with consistent, high-quality finishes throughout.
Layout & structure: New stud partitioning with acoustic insulation to form five compliant bedrooms. Layout designed to maximise usable space in each room.
Fire safety & compliance: FD30 fire doors throughout with compliant ironmongery and intumescent strips. Grade D interlinked fire alarm system covering all rooms and communal areas. Fire compartmentation between floors. Building regs sign-off secured.
Electrical: Full rewire to HMO standard. New consumer unit. EICR completed and signed off.
Plumbing & heating: New heating system, hot water provision sized for the occupancy level, thermostatic controls to each room.
Kitchen & communal areas: Fully refitted kitchen with durable, tenant-appropriate finishes. Practical layout for shared use.
Bathrooms: Refitted to a clean, low-maintenance standard. Tiled shower areas, concealed pipework where possible.
Flooring & decoration: Wood-effect LVT to communal areas, heavy-duty carpet to bedrooms, full decoration throughout.
We managed the project on site from start to finish. One team, one point of contact, no subcontracting the management out.
Project Details
Location: Preston suburbs, Lancashire (close to Preston Royal Infirmary)
Property type: Ex-commercial (ground-floor shop + 2-bed flat above)
Conversion: 5-bedroom HMO
Target tenant: Professional and blue light workers
Planning permission required: No
Building regs sign-off: Yes
HMO licence ready: Yes
