License to Alter
When is a Licence to Alter (LTA) required?
Generally needed for structural changes (e.g., removing walls, altering pipe layouts).
Often required for seemingly minor works, such as installing hardwood floors or replacing windows and doors.
Repairs usually do not need consent, but improvements and layout changes almost always do.
Freeholders must have a valid reason to refuse, and their decisions can sometimes be challenged in court.
The application process
Varies across freeholders and management organisations, each with its own procedures.
Usually starts with an application form. For structural works, detailed drawings and sometimes a structural engineer’s report are required.
Contractors must be identified early, often before ownership is complete, and they must carry sufficient insurance cover.
Some estates require additional documentation (e.g., party wall agreements, schedules of condition for common areas).
Timeframes and costs
Processing times differ: some councils set targets (e.g., 10–60 days), while large estates may take up to 90 days or more.
Costs include administration fees, legal fees, deposits for potential damage, and sometimes charges for scaffolding or hoardings.
Relationship to planning permission
A licence to alter is separate from statutory approvals.
Planning permission, listed building consent, building regulations, certificates of lawfulness or Party Wall Agreements may still be required, often alongside the licence.
Can you apply yourself?
Straightforward works may be manageable without professional help.
Some projects benefit from using an experienced architect or surveyor, who can prepare compliant drawings, liaise with the freeholder and work with others to provide the information and consents necessary
Leaseholders have a Right to Manage their own arrangements but this is not always respected by agents or freeholders. For this reason it often works to appoint a Leasehold Consultant who can advise you on your rights and if necessary draft a License to Alter.
Further Support available
A good Leasehold Consultant can advise you on your rights and how to proceed with the License to Alter.
Indigo Design Architects is able to produce plans and carry out all the technical work necessary to support your application, if necessary working with your leasehold consultant. We can produce specifications, detailed drawings, and coordinate our work with structural engineers who produce calculations and reports. We can make planning applications, building regulations applications and listed buildings consent applications. All these documents can then be used to obtain quotations from contractors.
