About your property

If you don't apply for permission, you will be in breach of your lease, and we could take legal action. You may also be required to amend any unacceptable alterations. 

As a Westminster City Council leaseholder, we support your decision to make changes to your home to suit your style and needs. However, before proceeding, you must seek permission to make certain alterations per your lease's terms. This is in addition to any planning and building control approval that may be required.

If you fail to obtain written permission, this will be a breach of your lease. You may have to reinstate your home to the way it was before you made the changes/alterations and be subject to breach of lease proceedings. If in doubt, please get in touch with us to seek advice.

Alterations that require our formal permission include:

• works affecting the structure of the building
• works affecting any services to the property, for example, electricity, gas, drainage, water
• installation of central heating/replacement of boiler
• any change to the internal layout of your property
• erection of a conservatory
• rewiring
• new kitchens and bathrooms
• changing or removing any internal doors
• asbestos removal 
• replacing kitchen and bathroom units - if it alters the gas, electrical or drainage system.
• installation of a satellite dish - this requires approval from the estate office and Westminster City Council's planning department
• changing the front entrance door or a secondary means of escape door.

How to apply for alterations

Please download and complete the 'alterations application form'. We accept your application and supporting documents by email and post:

Email: [email protected]  - Please mark the subject with 'Alterations Application - your property address.'

Post: Leasehold operations, 137 Lupus Street, London, SW1V 3HE

You can also apply for approval for alterations by submitting our online application form.

We advise you not to schedule your contractors until after you have received conditional approval for the works.

Application to change fire door

Due to the Fire Safety Act 2021, you may wish to change only your front entrance door and secondary means of escape door. If so, please download and complete the alterations application for fire doors form.

Please note that you must obtain Conditional Approval before your contractor can proceed with the works.

Associated costs and how to pay

All alterations applications (including applications for fire doors) include a mandatory £150 fee for the council to conduct an asbestos survey within your property. Upon receipt of your application, if we determine that your scope of work does not require this test, we will offer you a refund of this additional cost.

Find out further details on asbestos and read our asbestos guide for residents.

We have two fees for alterations applications, these are:

£550	Standard application, including asbestos survey fee. This is the cost of processing your application.
£250	Minor works application, including asbestos survey fee. This is the cost to process your application for works such as but not limited to: changing your boiler (like for like). changing only doors to fire doors. upgrading your consumer unit.

We accept the following payment methods for your fees:

Cheque attached with your application and made payable to 'City of Westminster'.

Over the telephone: please call us on 0800 358 3783 to make payment by debit/credit card.

Bank transfer - please use the following bank details:

Account Name:	'City of Westminster'
Account Number:	00250821
Sort Code:	30-00-00
Reference:	Please ensure you use the correct account number for your admin fee account. If you are unsure, please contact us.

Depending on the type of work you are carrying out, you will either be provided a Letter of Consent on completion of the work or a Licence for Alterations. There are no additional costs involved for providing a Letter of Consent, however there is a legal fee payable for a Licence for Alterations which is currently £800. This cost could increase if a Deed of Variation is required (usually applicable if the work is carried out to something which is not demised to the property, such as erecting an extension), which costs £1,000. Please note that the Licence for Alterations or the Deed of Variation fee may increase if the matter becomes protracted. 

Requirements when carrying out alterations:

• habitable rooms must remain enclosed
• habitable rooms must be a minimum of 6.5M2 in size
• you may only install one macerator per dwelling
• you must carry out the required asbestos removal/containment work as outlined in our survey before works begin

Alterations that are unlikely to receive our approval include:

• installation of sky-lights to flat roofs
• installation of fire curtains
• fitting wooden floors and hard floor coverings
• the installation of more than two bathrooms per dwelling
• the installation of a douche
• the relocation of a kitchen or bathroom over a bedroom
• replacement of windows

Unauthorised alterations and building insurance

Where alterations or extensions have been carried out without the landlord's consent, you should be aware that you may not be fully covered in a major incident. If you are unsure if the level of cover is adequate, you are advised to arrange for the flat to be surveyed and valued for insurance purposes by a RICS qualified surveyor. Where we receive written requests for a change in the fire valuation, we will consider them. Please note that Insurance coverage runs for a full financial year, and no changes affecting the premium can be made until the next renewal date.

If you have any queries regarding the level of insurance provided, please email [email protected] or write to Insurance Section, Town Hall, 8 Hornton Street, London W8 7NX.  

If you have any questions regarding alterations, contact us at 0800 358 3783.
Consequences of unauthorised works

Failure to obtain permission to carry out works on your property is a breach of the terms of your lease. Carrying out work without receiving our permission can have the following consequences:

• you will be told to stop work and make an application; you will not be able to continue with work until we have issued Conditional Approval for your alterations.
• if conditional approval is not possible, we will ask you to restore your property to the condition it was before work began. This will be at your own cost.
• If the work you carry out damages any other properties or communal areas, such as a leak, you will also pay for the remedial work carried out to resolve it. Depending on the severity of the damage, this can be extremely costly.
• potential delay of future sale - unauthorised alterations can also be an issue when you decide to sell your property. If you do not have the appropriate Letter of Consent or License for Alterations to the works you have undertaken, this will be flagged up in the conveyancing process. Any purchaser will be responsible for the breach and all remedial works upon the assignment of the lease.

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