As some of you will be aware, we recently hired a lettings manager, and as such, when it came to the finishing touches for our latest HMO the responsibility fell to her versus me for the first time. In a bid to set her up for success, and with a number of HMO fit outs behind me, I took the time to type up a HMO shopping list with all of our usual items, and thought it might be useful to share here.
* *Disclaimer, I actually enjoy traipsing around Ikea with three trolleys so I went with her anyway…
I’ve written a list of all items we include, and where applicable I’ve included a link to the exact item we are currently providing (this does change as new products come out/my preferences change) and the price of it. For big ticket items like fridge freezers, I’ve provided an estimate, as we tend to shop around for whatever is on offer at the time, plus it depends on the space we have available/the number of tenants we are catering for.
In addition to the downloadable shopping list, I’ve include some guiding principles below. This is by no means a legal requirement or standard, just the standard we tend to set for ourselves.
- Fridges/Freezers- We aim for a maximum of three tenants sharing a small fridge or four tenants sharing a large one, with a minimum of one shelf each, and one compartment in the freezer each.
- Washing Machine/Tumble Dryer- We prefer to provide separate washing machines and tumble dryers if space allows. Our priority is to try and keep them out of the kitchen, so will always look for a way to have a mini utility room.
- Crockery- We provide a minimum of 2 x plates, bowls, knifes & forks, water glasses, wine glasses etc per person. I don’t provide as many mugs, as without fail most tenants tend to have their own mug.
- Sink- Local councils vary on this, but ours dictates a full kitchen “suite” per five tenants. If we have six tenants they will accept a sink and a half, or a dishwasher. We tend to stick to their standards, and will double up once we hit 7+ tenants.
- Oven/Hob- As above, our local council like this to be per 5 tenants. We provide a microwave as standard, but they do include this in their calculations (we don’t!) so we try to have a double oven for 5/6 tenants and double up once we hit 7. If we have space, we will do two ovens stacked as per our most recent HMO even though there were only six tenants.
- Bedrooms- In addition to our furniture from Fusion, we provide a mattress protector which I replace after every tenant, a bedside lamp, a lamp shade, one picture/piece of artwork on the wall and blinds or curtains. I dress the room for photographs and viewings but remove these items before the tenant moves in.
I hope this is useful for anyone looking to set up their first HMO, let me know in the comments if you think I’ve missed anything, and make sure you download a copy of the shopping list!
3 Responses
Thank you so much for sharing this information. We have just started on our HMO adventure (property number one) and had no idea exactly what was required in this type of property. This shopping list has been invaluable and exactly what we needed.
Thanks again!
Hey Megan, I’m so glad you found it useful. Good luck with the first property and keep us posted with progress. What stage is it at?
Hi, We have had delays with the sale but finally fingers crossed will pick up the keys in the next two weeks!…then off to IKEA.