Kitchen fitting
Landlord and rental kitchens
Landlord kitchen replacement is supplying and fitting a new kitchen in a rented home, usually between tenancies. The specification is chosen for hard wear and easy repair: durable doors, laminate worktops, wipe-clean floors and appliances that are simple to replace. The work is planned around the empty period so the property can be let again quickly, with certificates for any electrical and gas work handed over at the end.
When do you need landlord and rental kitchens?
Landlords usually replace a kitchen when it is worn beyond repair, when a tenancy has left it damaged, or when a dated kitchen is making the property harder to let. Prospective tenants look closely at the kitchen, and a tired one can lengthen a void. The aim is a kitchen that looks clean and current, stands up to a series of different occupants and is straightforward to repair when something does break.
Where the tenant agrees to access, we survey during the notice period, so the kitchen can be ordered before the tenancy ends and fitted as soon as the home is empty. Keys and access can be arranged through your letting agent if you live elsewhere. You receive an itemised written quote, a fitting programme that usually runs three to seven days on site, and certificates for the electrical and gas work at handover.
What is included?
- Free survey visit, arranged with you, your agent or the outgoing tenant
- Hard-wearing units, laminate worktops and wipe-clean finishes specified for rental use
- Old kitchen stripped out, with gas capped and circuits made safe
- New kitchen fitted between tenancies to an agreed programme
- Electrical work tested and certified to BS 7671, with certificates handed over
- Gas hob or cooker connected by a Gas Safe registered engineer
- Extraction planned to take moisture outside and help limit condensation
- HMO kitchens laid out around your licence conditions for sinks, cookers and storage
How much does landlord and rental kitchens cost?
These are national guide prices including VAT at 20%. Prices are higher in London and the South East and lower in much of the North, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Choose your area below for a local range.
| Typical project | Guide price |
|---|---|
| Small rental kitchen (flat or terrace), supplied and fittedHard-wearing units, laminate worktops, essential appliances | £6,000–£11,000 |
| Family let kitchen, supplied and fittedMore units and appliances, durable finishes | £9,000–£16,000 |
| Shared kitchen in an HMO, supplied and fittedLonger runs, extra storage, durable surfaces | £10,000–£20,000 |
Rental kitchen ranges include hard-wearing units, laminate worktops, essential appliances and fitting with connections to the existing layout; new circuits, moved services, flooring and tiling are quoted as separate lines where needed. Your price is confirmed after a free survey visit.
How long does it take?
Typical timescale: 3 to 7 days on site between tenancies. The programme for your kitchen is set out in the quote, and depends on the size of the room, what is moving, lead times for units and worktops and, after plastering, drying time.
Do you need permission or building regulations approval?
The rules differ across the UK. Choose your nation:
In England, a replacement rental kitchen needs no planning permission, though a listed building may need listed building consent. New circuits are notifiable under Part P and certified through a competent person scheme or building control. Private landlords need an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), with portable appliance testing (PAT) of any appliances they supply, at least every five years, plus annual gas safety checks, so keep the new certificates with those records. Gas connections are made only by Gas Safe registered engineers, and HMO kitchens must meet the licence conditions.
In Wales, extending an existing circuit within a kitchen is notifiable under Part P, so almost any new socket in a rental kitchen is certified through a competent person scheme or building control. Landlords in Wales also need periodic electrical inspections and annual gas safety checks, and gas connections are made only by Gas Safe registered engineers. HMO kitchens should follow the licence conditions and the council's HMO standards.
In Scotland, a replacement kitchen in a let property does not normally need a building warrant, but electrical work must meet the building standards and BS 7671. Private landlords need an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR), with portable appliance testing (PAT) of any appliances they supply, at least every five years, plus annual gas safety checks, and only Gas Safe registered engineers may connect gas appliances. HMO licences set kitchen conditions, so check your licence and the council's HMO standards before the layout is planned.
In Northern Ireland, a like-for-like rental kitchen needs no planning permission or building control approval. There is no notification scheme for domestic electrical work, but it should be tested and certified to BS 7671. Annual gas safety checks apply to rented homes, and gas connections are for Gas Safe registered engineers only. Private landlords must also have the electrical installation inspected and tested at least every five years under the Electrical Safety Standards for Private Tenancies Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024.
What should you think about before starting?
- Survey during the notice period where the tenant agrees, so the kitchen can be ordered in time to fit as soon as the property is empty.
- Laminate worktops, durable doors and a wipe-clean floor cost less to buy and are cheaper to put right after a tenancy.
- Pick a door style and colour from a range likely to stay available, so one damaged door can be replaced without changing the whole kitchen.
- For an HMO, check your licence conditions and the council's HMO standards for numbers of sinks, cookers, worktop space and storage before ordering.
- Plan fire safety in shared kitchens, such as a heat alarm and a fire blanket, as HMO licences commonly set these out.
- Make sure extraction takes moisture outside where possible, because condensation and mould in a let kitchen can quickly turn into a repair problem.
How does the project run?
- Guide price. Use the online guide-price tool or call us for a realistic range for your area
- Free survey visit. We measure the room, check walls, floors and service positions, and look at the plan or delivery
- Itemised written quote. Broken down by stage and trade, with any worktop templating, engineer or approval costs listed
- Fitting in the right order. Strip-out, first fix, units, worktops, second fix and finishing, with the trades booked in sequence
- Final check and handover. A walk-round together, certificates for electrics and gas, and the manufacturers' documents
Questions about landlord and rental kitchens
How much does it cost to replace a kitchen in a rental property?
A small rental kitchen in a flat or terrace is typically £6,000 to £11,000 including VAT, supplied and fitted with hard-wearing units, laminate worktops and essential appliances. A family let is usually £9,000 to £16,000, and a shared HMO kitchen with longer runs and extra storage £10,000 to £20,000. Prices are confirmed after a survey visit, once the layout and specification are agreed.
How quickly can a rental kitchen be replaced between tenancies?
Usually three to seven days on site once the property is empty, depending on the size of the kitchen and whether services move. Ordering is the bigger factor, so we aim to survey during the notice period and have the kitchen delivered for the day the tenancy ends. Short gaps between tenancies are much easier to meet when the specification is settled early.
What kind of kitchen lasts longest in a rented home?
A rental kitchen lasts longest when it combines well-built carcasses, doors with a tough, easily cleaned finish, laminate worktops with sealed edges and a wipe-clean vinyl floor. Simple, widely available appliances are quicker to replace when one fails. Finishes that mark easily or need regular oiling, such as solid wood worktops, are better avoided unless you are prepared to maintain them.
Can you work with my letting agent on access?
Yes. Landlords who live away from the property often prefer this, so we can arrange keys, survey times and fitting access through your letting agent, with you approving the quote and any changes. We do not manage properties or act as a letting agent; we carry out the kitchen work and keep both you and your agent updated as it progresses.
What does an HMO kitchen need to include?
It depends on your licence. HMO licence conditions and the council's HMO standards usually set the number of sinks and cookers, the amount of worktop and storage for the number of occupiers, and fire safety such as a heat alarm and a fire blanket. Check your licence conditions before the design is finalised, and send them to us so the kitchen is laid out to meet them.
Will I get certificates for the gas and electrical work?
Yes. Electrical work comes with an Electrical Installation Certificate or Minor Works Certificate, and the Gas Safe registered engineer provides a record of any gas work. These are separate from the annual gas safety check and any periodic electrical inspection, which landlords arrange on their own schedule. Keep them all together with your property records.
Related guides
Related kitchen services
Where do we carry out landlord and rental kitchens?
We take on landlord and rental kitchens across England, Wales, mainland Scotland and Northern Ireland. Choose your area for local guide prices and the rules that apply there.
England
- Bedfordshire
- Berkshire
- Bristol
- Buckinghamshire
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire
- Cornwall
- Cumbria
- Derbyshire
- Devon
- Dorset
- County Durham
- the East Riding of Yorkshire
- East Sussex
- Essex
- Gloucestershire
- Greater London
- Greater Manchester
- Hampshire
- Herefordshire
- Hertfordshire
- the Isle of Wight
- Kent
- Lancashire
- Leicestershire
- Lincolnshire
- Merseyside
- Norfolk
- North Yorkshire
- Northamptonshire
- Northumberland
- Nottinghamshire
- Oxfordshire
- Rutland
- Shropshire
- Somerset
- South Yorkshire
- Staffordshire
- Suffolk
- Surrey
- Tyne and Wear
- Warwickshire
- the West Midlands
- West Sussex
- West Yorkshire
- Wiltshire
- Worcestershire