Licence to Alter — Leasehold Consent, Designed and Delivered

A licence to alter (sometimes called a licence for alterations) is the formal written consent a leaseholder must obtain from the freeholder or landlord before carrying out works that the lease controls — typically structural changes, alterations to the layout, removal of walls, new bathrooms or kitchens involving waste runs, or works affecting common parts. Carrying out controlled works without it is a breach of the lease.

Most long residential leases require consent for any structural or material alteration, and many require it for non-structural works too. If you are reconfiguring a flat, removing or altering walls, moving a kitchen or bathroom, installing new flooring in a portered block, or altering services, you almost certainly need a licence to alter. We review your lease at the outset and tell you exactly what consent is required.

Typically four to twelve weeks, depending on the landlord, the managing agent and the complexity of the works. Mansion blocks and estate-managed buildings can take longer. Because delays usually come from incomplete drawings or specifications, we prepare a complete, professional application package up front to keep the process moving.

It generally involves submitting detailed drawings and a specification to the freeholder or managing agent, the landlord’s surveyor reviewing them (at the leaseholder’s cost), agreement of conditions and undertakings, and execution of the deed before works begin. Our architects produce the drawings and our RICS-regulated sister practice, Hampstead Chartered Surveyors, can act on the surveying and consent side.

Yes — that is the advantage of working with us. We design the alterations, prepare the licence-to-alter application, coordinate with the landlord’s surveyor and managing agent, and then build the project once consent is granted. One team manages the lease consent, the planning and building-regulations requirements, and the construction.