What permissions required to install kitchen upstairs?

[MsCloz]

Hi everyone, I'm new on here and was hoping for a bit of guidance.
I am about to purchase a large house that has the opportunity to put a kitchen in upstairs for lodgers to use. I intend to follow building regs (fire/water/electricity) - but was not planning on firmly creating separate lockable units, so they would simply have a kitchen upstairs - and would still have access to the garden and same front door.
Do I need planning permission for this?
And any other useful tips please as I am doing this alone.
Many thanks!

 

[wessex101]

Off the top of my head I thought the definition of a lodger is someone who shares your house as a single household sharing facilities such as kitchen and bathrooms.

If you build a separate kitchen for the sole use of "lodgers" then it might become a different kind of tenancy...the Council might say it's an HMO or a self contained flat. Council's have different rules on HMO's so you would have to check what yours are, it might need planning permission for the change of use, if it is a flat it will definitely need planning permission. On a different note it might be worth checking in case your lodgers are regarded as tenants with security of tenure and more difficult to evict.

Just installing the second kitchen if it is regarded as a single household would not normally require planning permission but could technically require Building Regulations approval although I doubt many people would bother.

 

[^woody^]

Yes that's a HMO and all the palaver that that brings. And potentially planning permission along with building regualtion approval.

Fire doors, fire alarm, means of escape, protected escape route, never mind the plumbing.

And don't try and do it on the sly as that's a very high risk proposal and insurance will be voided unless all standards are met

 

[MsCloz]

Thanks Woody and Wessex101, both very helpful. I'd be very happy to get PP too if I needed it - so nothing would be on the sly except for the fact I have a residential mortgage... Mmmmmm