Licence to alter drawings in London

What the law says about consent

Leases often bar alterations without consent. The statute softens that in one respect: A lease covenant requiring consent for improvements is subject to consent not being unreasonably withheld. A landlord who delays or refuses without grounds is therefore on weak footing.

Landlords can still attach terms. The Act records this: Landlord may require a reasonable sum for damage or loss of value plus costs, and a reinstatement undertaking where reasonable. Good drawings make those terms easy to agree, because the extent of the work is precise.

We are technologists, not solicitors. Your solicitor drafts and negotiates the licence itself, and our drawings are attached to it as the agreed scope.

Planning and permitted development for flats

A landlord's licence is separate from planning permission. The national position is firm: Householder permitted development (Sch 2 Part 1) does not apply to flats or buildings containing flats. Many external changes to a flat therefore need a full application.

For alterations to a single flat the council's fee is £548 from the current fee table, paid to the council. Internal work often needs no planning permission, which our constraints check confirms.

When an application is needed, it is built on our planning drawings, and the lease terms are checked against it so the two never conflict.

Neighbours, sound and the Party Wall Act

Flats share floors and walls, so alterations are also a matter for the people next door. Where the work touches a party structure, the Act sets the timing: Party structure notice at least 2 months before work. We can prepare the party wall notices alongside the licence drawings.

If walls or floors between homes are altered, Approved Document E sets the sound targets in conversions: Separating walls 43 dB DnT,w+Ctr (min); floors and stairs 43 dB airborne (min), 64 dB L'nT,w impact (max) for dwellings formed by material change of use. Landlords often ask how new floor finishes will perform, and a clear build-up on the drawing answers that.

Larger works, such as a new bathroom stack or a removed chimney breast, are likely to need technical drawings as well. Our building regulations drawings service covers them.

Licence to alter drawing fees

No fee is published for this service, and we never infer one. Send the flat's address and a short description. After the free constraints check you receive a fixed quote, VAT included, before you commit.

A single-room refit costs far less to draw than a full reconfiguration, and the quote reflects that. Landlord legal fees and any survey charge made by the landlord are separate from ours.

How we prepare the set

We ask for your lease first, since the clause wording shapes the drawings. A measured survey of the flat follows, covering walls, levels and services.

We draft the proposals in 3D and plan. You choose one in writing, a second chartered technologist checks every sheet, and then the set goes to you for your solicitor to send. Our measured building survey page explains what the survey records.

Sets are normally ready about a week after the survey.

What landlords and managing agents ask for

Every landlord has its own checklist, and the lease sets the baseline. Typical requests include existing and proposed layouts, a method statement where walls change, and proof of insurance. Ask the managing agent for their application form first so we draw to it.

Structural work is where consent is slowest. Removing a wall or cutting into a floor affects the whole building, so the landlord may want an engineer's input before agreeing. We coordinate the drawings with structural calculations so the two documents agree.

Timing is the last point. Consent is usually needed before work begins, not after, and some leases then require a formal deed. Send us the lease, or the relevant clause, with your enquiry so the scope is right.

Licence to alter drawings by council

The landlord decides the licence, but planning and heritage rules still depend on the borough. Each council page sets out its conservation areas and listed buildings. See architectural drawings in Camden, a borough where most people live in flats.

Choose your borough from architectural drawings by area.