How To Design The Perfect HMO

If you’ve been here a while, you’ll know by now that the HMO is one of our favourite strategies.

Over the last decade, the demand for HMOs has grown by over 25% and their design has come a very long way! With such a huge rise in the cost of living and the big hike in mortgage rates, it’s likely that their popularity will continue to increase.

The key to attracting high quality tenants is design led living spaces.

We’re going to give you our top tips to designing a successful HMO to make sure that you’re never short of tenants.

Design with Community in Mind

HMO properties have the potential to bring people together and form close-knit communities. Happy, comfortable tenants will stick around longer, so it’s essential to design the space with this in mind.

Creating communal spaces that are open and inviting will allow residents to feel more relaxed and at home. Having comfortable surroundings, cosy seating and creative interior design will encourage residents to spend more time in the communal areas rather than locked behind their doors.

Be Clear on your Target Market

Your design should always be centred around your end client. Will it be students, young professionals, contractors? Generally speaking, students will be more likely to want some social space where they can interact with their housemates, make friends and build relationships. Professionals are more likely to want private space and excellent connectivity to enable them to work productively.

The colour scheme and the choice of furniture in bedrooms should reflect what the room is going to be used for. In the communal areas, you can get a little more creative! Bold interiors can encourage residents to be bold too so have a little fun, use brighter, more vibrant colours and key unique pieces to being the space alive.

Buy Cheap, Buy Twice!

Quality tenants expect quality furnishings. Buying cheap furniture is unlikely to create a space to set your HMO apart from your competitors. Choose luxury, stylish and comfortable furniture and furnishings to create a really homely space for your tenants to enjoy. It doesn’t have to be expensive and there are some great options out there for leasing HMO furniture too!

Make it Efficient

As an absolute last resort, if you’re still feeling the pinch, it might be time to raise your room rents. Whilst rent increases are pretty inevitable, it’s important to strike a balance and ensure that they remain competitive.