No. 70: From Exhausted Shared House to Premium Six-Bed HMO in South Liverpool

When we bought No. 70 at auction, it had already been running as a shared house. On paper that sounds like a head start. In reality, the building was more exhausted than tired, barely habitable, and nowhere near the standard we set at Wildegrove.

This is how we approached it, and why we made the decisions we did.

The starting point

No. 70 had the bones of a good HMO: a solid period property in a South Liverpool location with steady demand from working professionals. What it lacked was everything that makes people want to stay. Shared bathrooms, a tired layout, dated systems and a finish that would only ever attract short, unsettled tenancies.

Buying at auction meant moving quickly and doing our homework up front. This was always going to be a full internal transformation, not a lick of paint.

Rethinking the layout

The biggest gains came from changes you can't see in a photo. We reconfigured the internal layout so the house flows properly, with better access to shared spaces, sensible room sizes and a plan that meets current HMO licensing and fire safety standards.

Layout decisions in an HMO shape everything that follows: how much light each room gets, how people move around the house, and how comfortable it feels to live there day to day. Getting it right at this stage saves money and headaches for years.

Every room ensuite

Each bedroom now has its own ensuite shower room. For professional tenants, a private bathroom is no longer a luxury. It's often the deciding factor between one house and the next. It also takes away one of the biggest sources of friction in shared living.

Rooms are finished to a high standard, with a dedicated workspace for tenants who work from home.

Shared spaces worth sharing

The communal areas were designed to be used, not just to tick a box. A fully fitted kitchen, a dining area and a comfortable lounge give tenants somewhere to actually spend time. We kept period features where they added character, like the fireplaces, and paired them with a modern, homely finish in our signature greens.

Doing it properly behind the walls

Alongside the visible work, No. 70 received new fire safety systems, heating, electrics, flooring, bathrooms and kitchen. None of it is glamorous, but it's what makes a property safe, compliant and cheap to run for years to come.

Built for the long term

No. 70 is a long-term hold, not a flip. From the start, the project was designed with commercial refinancing in mind, so the specification, layout and licensing all support how lenders value a well-run HMO.

It's a good example of what we do at Wildegrove: find a building that's underperforming, understand what it could become, and deliver it to a standard we'd be happy to live in ourselves.

Working with Wildegrove

We work with private investors who want their capital working in Liverpool property, without taking on the role of being a landlord themselves. If you'd like to understand how we structure our projects, get in touch at patrick@wildegroveproperty.co.uk or call 0151 440 3184.