En-suites in HMOs, are they needed?

You want to convert a property into an HMO, the question is should you provide an en-suite bathroom? With HMO's tenants want space, and many investor developers fall into the trap of trying to make as many bedrooms as possible from a single property. Although you always want to maximise the potential from an investment, professional tenants are not to going to pay high rents for a small pokey crammed living spaces, and so you have to think about your ideal tenant profile very carefully when planning an HMO. If you are targeting the professional market and looking to achieve high rents, then think about the space and accommodation you are offering. With that in mind, many tenants nowadays want privacy as well, which can come in the form of an en-suite bathroom, adding an element of privacy to their living space.

First you have to check the size of the rooms available in your property, with the minimum bedroom size being 6.5sqm of usable living space, not accounting for odd shaped rooms, so the addition of an en-suite will depend on the initial room size and whether you can still provide a minimum 6.5sqm after the en-suite has been added. Though even if you have the ability to add an en-suite but it reduces the room to 6.5sqm this may still be too small for many professional tenants, with the majority wanting more space to allow for a double bed. If, however, you are thinking of offering your property to housing authorities for social housing, then the smaller bedroom size may not be an issue, as many housing authorities rent to vulnerable single tenants, and this is perfect for them, as long as it still maintains the minimum size required by the HA. Some housing authorities also want en-suites as an essential, this is to allow them to rent to two separate individuals.

If you don't want to add an en-suite then you should ensure that the facilities are not overcrowded, so for bathrooms the ideal is 3 tenants maximum, sharing a bathroom, especially with professional tenants, no one wants a queue in the morning when you need to get to work.

If adding an en-suite to an HMO, then it should consist of a sink, toilet, and a walk-in shower. Although you want to maximise returns, don't install the cheapest shower possible just to save money; again, it is about providing quality accommodation that appeals to your target market and ensures they are happy to pay premium rates. This is especially relevant if you are in an area where there are other HMO properties, and you are fighting for competition.

Adding an en-suite also has a cost involved, and so do your due diligence on your tenant profile and whether it is necessary to achieve your maximum returns, as any cost is going to eat into your NET yield.

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