Finished HMO, or a lender asking for a warranty?
The work is done or nearly done, and a lender wants a warranty before you refinance or sell. Here is what lenders usually ask for, the warranty or architect's certificate question, and what a provider needs once work has started.
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The short answer
A warranty can sometimes still be arranged for an HMO that is already under way or finished, but it is harder and dearer than one registered before work started. The provider has not seen the work go in, so it needs evidence of what was done and may ask for parts to be opened up.
Some lenders will accept a professional consultant's certificate instead, usually only where the consultant monitored the work from the start. Ask your lender exactly what it needs, then tell us your deadline.
Why it comes up
Why the request for a warranty comes up
Most landlords first hear about HMO warranties when a lender mentions one. It usually happens at one of these points:
- Refinancing after the works - moving from bridging or development finance onto a term HMO mortgage, where the new lender sees a recent conversion.
- Selling - the buyer's lender or conveyancer asks for a warranty because the property was converted or significantly altered recently.
- Investors and funders - a fund or private investor makes cover a condition of its money, and may want it to pass to a buyer later.
- Development finance - the facility letter makes a warranty a condition, and the drawdown or exit depends on it.
Who asks for what
What lenders and investors usually ask for
A general guide to who asks for what on a recently converted or refurbished HMO. Every lender sets its own rules and they change, so always check with yours.
| Who | Warranty | Professional consultant's certificate | Neither |
|---|---|---|---|
| Development or bridging lender | Often a condition | Sometimes accepted | Depends on the facility |
| Residential lender on a recent conversion | Usually expected | Some accept, with conditions | Rarely, if recent |
| HMO or commercial refinance lender | Sometimes asked for | Sometimes accepted | Often, if no recent works |
| A buyer's lender, if you sell | Usually expected | Some accept, with conditions | Once the work is old enough |
| Investor or fund | Their choice - often asked for | Their choice | Their choice |
Residential lenders publish their answers to whether they will lend without a new home warranty in the UK Finance Mortgage Lenders' Handbook. The answers vary: the age at which a property no longer needs one runs from about five to ten years depending on the lender, some cap the size of development where a certificate will do, and many will not accept a certificate written after the event by someone who did not monitor the work.
Warranty or certificate
Warranty or professional consultant's certificate?
A professional consultant's certificate (PCC, often called an architect's certificate) is signed by an architect, surveyor or engineer who monitored the work at key stages. It is not insurance - on the standard UK Finance form the consultant is liable for six years from the date of the certificate, backed by their professional indemnity insurance.
A warranty is an insurance policy from a warranty provider, usually for 10 or 12 years. Lenders vary on when they accept a PCC, and many prefer a warranty. A PCC usually only works if the consultant was involved from the start - which is often not the case on a finished HMO.
Work under way or finished
What a provider needs once work has started
When a provider is asked to cover work it did not see going in, it looks for evidence instead. The more of these you have, the better the chance of cover:
- Building control inspection records and the completion certificate, or the approved inspector's final certificate
- Dated photos taken during the work - especially of steels, foundations and anything now hidden
- The structural engineer's drawings and calculations
- Floor plans as existing and as built, and the gas and electrical certificates
- Who did the work, and any reports from an architect or engineer who visited during the build
Even with good records, the provider may want parts opened up for inspection, may exclude some elements, and will usually charge more than for a project registered at the start. Retrospective cover is very hard to place, but we always do our best. For cases that need specialist handling, our sister brand Retrospective Warranties focuses on cover after work has started.
What to send us
Tell us the deadline and who set it - the lender, the buyer's solicitor or your investor - and what exactly they have asked for. A copy of the lender's wording helps. Then send whatever records you have from the list above, and we will tell you quickly whether a provider is likely to consider it.
Finished HMO and refinance questions
My lender wants a warranty on my HMO before I refinance - who can provide one and what will they need?
Warranty providers that take on HMO work can, arranged through a broker like us. They will need the building control records, photos taken during the work, the engineer's drawings and calculations and the plans - and may want parts opened up.
Can I get a warranty for an HMO conversion that is already finished?
Sometimes. It is harder to place and costs more than one registered before the work started, because the provider relies on records instead of its own inspections.
Will a lender accept an architect's certificate for an HMO?
Some will, usually only where the architect or other consultant monitored the work from the start, and often with limits on the size of the development. Many will not accept a certificate written after the event. Each lender decides.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026 by the HMO Warranties team. General information only - not advice. Your cover is set by the policy wording.
Tell us your deadline
Who has asked for the warranty, by when, and which records you have. We will tell you quickly whether a provider is likely to consider it.
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