Plumbing for HMOs & shared houses
Hot water, en-suites, drains, gas safety checks and EICRs for shared houses and student lets, booked around your tenants and letting calendar.
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- Gas Safe registered Legal, signed-off gas work, every time
- Fully insured Public liability insurance on every job
- DBS-checked engineers Background-checked people in your home
- Price agreed first The figure is settled before we begin
- F-Gas certified Qualified for air con refrigerant work
- Workmanship guaranteed Every job is backed by our guarantee
HMO plumbing, gas safety and EICRs for landlords in London
Five or six tenants getting ready at the same time put a house under a strain that a family home rarely sees. Ninja Plumbers works for HMO landlords and managing agents across London, and around Guildford and Woking where student lets cluster near the university. We sort hot water that runs out during the morning rush, en-suites with weak pressure or noisy macerators, shared kitchens full of machines, and drains that block from constant use. Our Gas Safe engineers carry out the annual HMO gas safety certificate, our registered electricians carry out the HMO EICR, and one team handles jobs that cross trades. The price is agreed before work starts.
What jobs do we take on for HMOs and shared houses?
- Annual HMO gas safety certificates
- HMO EICRs and remedial electrical work
- Unvented cylinders sized for several showers
- Boiler replacements for higher hot-water demand
- Saniflo and macerator repairs and replacements
- Clearing blocked drains, toilets and kitchen sinks
- Shower pumps and top-floor pressure fixes
- Extractor fans for en-suites and kitchens
One team, around your hours
Plumbing, heating, drainage, electrics and air conditioning from one company, so a job that needs more than one trade is booked once. We work early, late or at weekends so you can keep trading, and the price is agreed before anything starts.
Who does plumbing for HMOs and shared houses in London?
Ninja Plumbers does. We are a London plumbing, heating and electrical company with our own engineers and electricians, and we look after HMOs and shared houses across Greater London and nearby Surrey, working around your opening hours with the price agreed before anything starts.
- Who it is for
- HMOs and shared houses in London and nearby Surrey
- What we do
- Plumbing, heating, drainage, electrics and air conditioning, from one team
- Typical jobs
- Annual HMO gas safety certificates; HMO EICRs and remedial electrical work; Unvented cylinders sized for several showers; Boiler replacements for higher hot-water demand
- Where
- Greater London, plus Guildford, Woking and nearby Surrey and north-east Hampshire towns
- When
- Planned work early, late or at weekends, around your opening hours. Emergency callout 24/7.
- Who does the work
- Gas Safe registered engineers, registered electricians and F-Gas certified air conditioning engineers. DBS-checked, directly employed and fully insured.
- Price
- Agreed with you before any work starts. Workmanship guaranteed. Card or cash.
- How to book
- Call 020 3576 5825, message us on WhatsApp, or use the form at the top of this page.
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What do HMOs and shared houses need from their plumbing, heating and electrics?
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Hot water for the morning rush
In a shared house, four or five showers can run within the same hour. A combi boiler heats water only as fast as its output allows, so the second or third shower runs cool and tenants complain. Often the answer is stored hot water: an unvented cylinder sized for the number of bathrooms, with a boiler or immersion heater that can reheat it quickly. We look at occupancy, mains pressure and flow before recommending a combi, a cylinder or another arrangement.
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En-suites added in conversions
Many HMOs gained en-suites when bedrooms were converted, and not all were well planned. Top-floor showers may lack pressure because the supply pipe is too small or the cold tank sits too low. En-suites below drain level, or far from the soil stack, often rely on a Saniflo or other macerator, which blocks when tenants flush wipes. We fix shower pumps, upsize supplies, repair leaking trays and replace macerators with a model that suits the fittings it serves.
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Shared kitchens and busy drains
A shared kitchen might have two sinks, two washing machines, a dishwasher and several fridges in one room. Wastes block with food and grease, washing machine hoses split, and appliance valves get knocked. More people also means more toilet paper, wipes and hair heading for the same drain. We clear blocked sinks, toilets and underground drains, fit proper traps and isolation valves, and survey the drain by camera when the same blockage keeps coming back.
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Gas, electrics and damp in tenants' rooms
The Management of Houses in Multiple Occupation (England) Regulations 2006 expect the manager to keep the water supply and drainage in good repair and the gas and electrical installations maintained. HMOs also tend to need more sockets, dedicated circuits for electric showers and working extractor fans, because steam from drying clothes and long showers soon turns into mould in bedrooms. Our registered electricians and Gas Safe engineers work together, so a new shower and its circuit are one job.
Licensing and amenity standards
Under the Housing Act 2004, larger HMOs need a mandatory licence, typically where five or more people from more than one household share. Many London boroughs also run additional licensing schemes that cover smaller shared houses, so check with your council. Councils set amenity standards for how many bathrooms, WCs and kitchen facilities a house needs for its number of occupants, and these vary by borough. We do not apply for licences, but we can carry out the plumbing, heating and electrical work an inspection or licence condition asks for, such as an extra WC or wash basin.
Gas and electrical checks across your houses
The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 require gas appliances in a let property to be checked every year, and the Electrical Safety Standards in the Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 require an EICR at least every five years. For an HMO, the council may also ask to see both when it inspects or renews a licence. Keep the due dates for every house on one list, give tenants their copies, and book the gas check and EICR on the same visit where the dates line up.
Summer vacancies, legionella and small checks
Student lets often stand half empty over the summer, and water sitting in pipes, tanks and unused en-suites raises legionella risk. As the landlord, you have a duty to manage that risk under HSE guidance, ACoP L8. Before new tenants arrive, run every tap and shower for a few minutes. We do the plumbing side: removing dead legs, sorting little-used outlets, cylinder and tank work, and fitting thermostatic mixing valves. Ask tenants to report drips, slow drains and mould early, and to leave extractor fans switched on.
Which of our services matter most to HMOs and shared houses?
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Commercial Plumbing
Our main service for property businesses, covering supplies, leaks, washrooms and planned maintenance work.
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Gas Safety Certificates
How the annual gas safety check works for every boiler, hob and gas fire in the house.
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EICR Certificates
Electrical testing for shared houses with more circuits and sockets, plus remedial work where codes are raised.
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Hot Water Cylinders
Stored hot water is often the fix when several tenants shower at once each morning.
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Saniflo & Macerator Pumps
Many converted en-suites depend on a macerator, and a failed one takes a bathroom out of use.
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Drain Unblocking
Busy shared houses block drains more often, especially kitchen wastes, toilets and ground-floor gullies.
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Condensation & Ventilation
Extractor fans and better ventilation help stop mould in bedrooms, en-suites and shared kitchens.
Questions about plumbing for HMOs and shared houses
Can you do the gas safety certificate for my HMO?
Yes. Our Gas Safe registered engineers check every gas appliance in the house, including the boiler, any hobs and gas fires, along with flues and ventilation. You get a gas safety record to keep and to give your tenants. If something fails, we explain why and give you a price to put it right before we do any work.
How often does an HMO need an EICR?
Under the 2020 private rented sector regulations, the electrical installation needs inspecting and testing at least every five years, or sooner if the last report says so. Your licence may also set conditions. Our registered electricians carry out the EICR, explain any codes in plain terms and can complete remedial work, giving you written confirmation for your records.
Why do my tenants run out of hot water in the morning?
Usually the system cannot keep up with several showers running close together. A combi boiler may be too small for the number of bathrooms, a cylinder may be undersized or slow to reheat, or an immersion heater may have failed. We check how the house is used and recommend a fix, whether that is a repair, a larger cylinder or a boiler replacement.
Can you help us meet our HMO licence conditions?
We do not apply for licences or advise on them, and we do not fit fire alarms or fire doors. What we can do is the plumbing, heating and electrical work a council inspection or licence condition asks for, such as an extra WC, a wash basin in a bedroom, hot water repairs or remedial electrical work.
Can you work around tenants and term times?
Yes. We arrange access with you, your agent or the tenants, and can work early, late or at weekends to limit disruption in shared bathrooms and kitchens. Bigger jobs, such as cylinder replacements or en-suite refits, are often best done over the summer or between tenancies. Our engineers are DBS-checked and directly employed, not subcontractors.
Related sectors
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Landlords & Letting Agents
Annual gas safety records, EICRs, tenant call-outs and void-period work for landlords, letting agents, HMOs and student lets, with access arranged and a clear report after each visit.
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Blocks of Flats & Managing Agents
Shared soil stacks, communal drains, cold-water tanks, booster pumps and leaks between flats, handled for managing agents and freeholders with clear reports on cause and location.
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Holiday Lets & Serviced Apartments
Plumbing, heating and electrical repairs for holiday lets, Airbnb hosts and serviced apartments, arranged around changeovers and remote access, with gas safety checks done yearly.
Need something fixed at your premises?
Tell us what the premises are, what is wrong and when you are open, and we will agree a time and a price that work around your business.
For ongoing maintenance or accounts, call management on 020 3576 5825.