Leasehold alterations
Under the terms of your lease, you need written permission from the landlord (Sutton Council) to carry out alterations and improvements affecting the internal or external structure of your property.
If you carry out any alterations without obtaining the relevant permission you will be in breach of your lease and we may require you to reinstate the property to its original condition, at your cost. A retrospective application does not guarantee approval.
Getting consent
You must complete an application form to get written consent for leasehold alterations.
There is a non-refundable application fee of £140 which covers the administration of the application, including our surveyor’s inspections. Once we receive the fee, we will process your application on behalf of Sutton Council.
This permission is separate from, and in addition to, any other necessary permissions such as Planning Permission and Building Control (opens in new window).
Some types of minor alteration do not require formal consent (such as replacing kitchen cabinets) and some types of alterations will not be consented to.
We also strongly recommend that you refer to both your own lease and our Leasehold Property Alterations Consents Policy (PDF 76KB) which we will used to determine whether we will grant consent.
Please note, if your proposed alteration results in an additional room or an increase in living space, this will affect how your services charges, and the charges of other leaseholders in your block, are calculated. This will require variations to your lease and the other leases in the block to show this change and you will be required to cover the legal costs for this. It is recommended that you appoint a solicitor to act on your behalf.
Description of alterations
To help you decide on whether you need to apply for consent, please select the description below that best describes your proposed alterations.
I wish to remove an internal wall
This application may be approved subject to assessment by our surveyor, Home Ownership & Asset Management Teams.
I wish to extend into the loft space above my flat
Please make sure you have checked the plans of your property in your lease to ensure that the roof space is part of your demised premises. If it is not included, we will not permit this unless the space is purchased first from the council.
If the loft is included as part of your demised premises, you may be granted permission subject to assessment by our surveyor, Home Ownership & Asset Management Teams.
I wish to build an extension or conservatory onto my ground floor flat
This will not be permitted as it can negatively impact the ability for us to maintain the rest of the building (eg, set up scaffolding).
I wish to change the layout of my flat, i.e move the location of my bathroom
This may be permitted, subject to assessment by our surveyor, Home Ownership & Asset Management Teams, provided it does not impact on other flats in the building. For example, we will not permit a bathroom to be moved above a bedroom.
I wish to subdivide my flat and create an existing dwelling
This will not be permitted.
I wish to convert my garage into a habitable room
This may be permitted, subject to assessment by our surveyor, Home Ownership & Asset Management Teams, providing it does not impact on the other flats in the block.
I wish to create HMO and make alterations so I can let multiple rooms individually
This is unlikely to be approved as it can negatively impact other flats and our ability to fulfill our obligations within our leases.
Apply online
If you wish to proceed with the application, please fill out the online form below.
You may need to submit plans, structural drawings and other relevant supporting documents with your application.
We will also need details of your builder, and your builder must be a reputable contractor with the appropriate accreditations and indemnity insurance.
By making an application, you understand that you have been advised to refer to your lease and SHP's Leasehold Alteration Policy and that, if approved, any alteration that results in the creation of additional living space may result in additional costs in legal fees that you will be liable for.
In the form, please select which method you wish to pay the admin fee of £140.