Establish what belongs to the flat
The measured survey records more than room sizes. We identify walls, risers, floor build-ups and access panels, then compare the available information with the intended alterations. A feature inside the front door may still serve other dwellings or form part of the building's structure. We ask for lease and management information where relevant, and record questions for the appropriate adviser. A proposed layout should not imply that an owner can alter every surface or connection visible within the apartment.
The brief also distinguishes cosmetic renewal from changes that affect the building. Replacing loose furniture, refitting a kitchen and moving a wet room are different scopes. We map them room by room so that approvals and investigations relate to actual work. Where information is missing, the drawing identifies the uncertainty instead of turning a presumed pipe or beam position into a fixed design. This helps the owner understand which decisions can be made now and which need evidence first.
Confirm the applicable approval routes
The City's planning guidance specifically cautions that householder permitted development rights do not transfer automatically to flats. Changes to windows, doors or external equipment may need permission even when the project is mainly internal. We list each external change separately and check its planning position. Management consent, statutory permission and technical building-control requirements are separate questions; agreement from one party should not be treated as answering the others.
For buildings falling within the higher-risk building regime, the GOV.UK guidance identifies the Building Safety Regulator's role and distinguishes in-scope work from exemptions. We establish the relevant building classification and proposed work before identifying the route. The term apartment does not itself settle that classification. The project information should explain who is responsible for each submission, what evidence is needed and which decisions remain outstanding before the affected construction can proceed.
Sources: City Corporation: residential planning permission · GOV.UK: building control approval for higher-risk buildings
Treat sound and services as connected systems
Floor finishes can influence the experience of the dwelling below as well as the appearance of your own rooms. We inspect the existing assembly and review the proposed build-up with the relevant technical adviser and building requirements. Underlay, perimeter details, thresholds and fixed cabinetry are considered together. A product description alone cannot demonstrate the performance of a floor after it has been cut around services or bridged by rigid fixings.
Shared ventilation and drainage deserve equally careful treatment. We identify which connections are individual and which belong to a common system before changing appliances or room positions. The design keeps required access available and avoids burying maintainable equipment behind permanent joinery. Shut-off arrangements are agreed with the building contact where other occupants could be affected. These practical connections often determine whether a proposed internal rearrangement is sensible, even when the partition layout appears straightforward on its own.
Plan construction around the occupied building
We review the route through entrances, corridors, stairs and lifts before committing to the size of delivered components. Protection arrangements are agreed for the actual surfaces and traffic involved, and the location of temporary storage is identified. A communal landing is not treated as spare workspace. The site plan should show how materials reach the flat, where they can be unpacked and how waste leaves without confusing those routes with residents' normal access.
The sequence of work takes account of whether the owner will remain in occupation. We identify rooms that become unusable, essential services that may be interrupted and the limits of any proposed temporary arrangement. Keeping one room untouched can be useful, but it must remain accessible and separated from active work. Communication is organised around decisions and changes that affect the building, with a named contact and a clear record of the arrangements agreed before the relevant operation.
Finish with a coordinated apartment record
Room finishes are selected as a whole so that floor transitions, door details and lighting make sense across the apartment. We compare retained items with new work and identify where making good ends. A newly painted wall meeting an untouched ceiling, for example, needs an agreed junction rather than an unspoken expectation that the entire space will be renewed. The schedule makes these limits visible and gives the final inspection a definite basis.
Handover brings together relevant installation records, equipment instructions and information about maintenance access. We walk through the home using the completed arrangement: opening doors, operating controls and checking storage clearances. The final record identifies agreed changes from the original drawings and lists any outstanding work. It should help the resident manage the apartment afterwards, while giving a future contractor enough information to avoid disturbing concealed services or dismantling joinery simply to find an isolation point.
Before work begins
Flat refurbishment in City of London: questions
Is a managing agent's approval enough to begin everything?
It does not settle every requirement. The scope may also need planning, listed-building or building-control consideration. We separate those routes and record the evidence needed for each. The building's own approval process is reviewed alongside the statutory position before affected work starts.
Can a non-load-bearing wall always be removed?
No. Its structural role is only one consideration. The wall may form part of a fire or acoustic separation, carry services or relate to protected fabric. The proposed removal is assessed in context, with the relevant technical input, before the layout relies on an open space.
Does every tall apartment project use the same regulator route?
No. GOV.UK guidance distinguishes building classification, the work proposed, exemptions and other applicable arrangements. We establish those facts for the particular project. A generic description of the building's height is not a substitute for determining the relevant building-control process.
Can I stay in the flat during refurbishment?
That depends on access, essential services and how the work can be separated from living space. We review the practical conditions before agreeing an occupation arrangement. A sequence should be workable for both the resident and the trades, rather than relying on an improvised room swap.
Do you present another estate's rules as applying to my flat?
No. We request the information for the actual building and proposed work. Estate guidance, lease arrangements and shared service conditions can differ. The refurbishment scope records the applicable requirements and unresolved questions, so a detail from another property is not silently adopted as a rule.
Official sources
City Corporation: residential planning permission · GOV.UK: building control approval for higher-risk buildings
Sources checked on the dates recorded in the source register, most recently 5 November 2026. Maps, list entries and directions must be checked for the individual property and proposed work.