Making improvements to your home
Improvement form – general alterations or improvements.
Improvement form – work involving gas
Fitting a satellite dish
There are a number of reasons why you must request permission prior to carrying out alterations to your home:
• Altering and improving your property can be a major task involving your landlord and the Planning Department and Building Control.
• It is therefore important to ensure that the work carried out is legal and will not be dangerous to you, your family or neighbours.
• Safety regulations must be adhered to even when carrying out the most simple of alterations.
• If you have carried out alterations without permission and these are dangerous or do not comply with safety regulations, we will be forced to take action. You may also be faced with a bill for the cost of rectifying the alteration.
• It is a condition of your tenancy to inform us if you are planning to alter your home.
What do I need permission for?
There are many alterations that require permission. Each request will be considered individually. We have included some typical examples below:-
• Artexing walls and ceilings
• Tiling floors and walls
• Laying laminate flooring
• Installing fitted kitchen units
• Fitting a bathroom suite or electric shower
• Replacing inside and outside doors
• Removing inside walls or building partitions
• Building fireplaces or fire surrounds, including replacing or installing gas or electric fires
• Fitting wood paneling or cladding
• Fitting built-in wardrobes or cupboards
• Putting up wall lights and ceiling lights, and changing electrical wiring
• Altering the central heating system, for example, pipework and radiators
• Building sheds, garages, greenhouses, outhouses and decking
• Fitting close-circuit television systems (CCTV)
• Fitting security alarms
• Installing driveways and dropped kerbs
This is not a complete list so please check any alterations with us first.
It is important that permission is granted for all improvements as some alterations require qualified tradesmen to undertake the work, therefore we must ensure that the proposed work will be carried out to an acceptable standard and will not affect health and safety.
If you carry out unauthorized improvements to your property we may ask you to restore the property to its original condition. You may have to pay for the cost of this work if we have to do it for you because you have not put the property back to its original condition.
Useful Information
• You should not fit ceiling fans in rooms where there is also a gas fire fitted
• If you have anything fitted that restricts access for any necessary work it is your responsibility to remove it so people can get access to the job, for example, you may have to take up laminate flooring where people need to get under the floorboards
• If we do improvements to your home, we will make a reasonable effort to match up your existing decoration but we cannot accept liability if we fail to do so.
• You must not paint boiler casings, electric storage heaters and gas fires or heaters.
How long will I wait
We will reply to you within 20 working days to let you know if you can carry out the work. You must not do any work before we have given you permission.
Your right to compensation for improvements.
The Right to Compensation applies to nearly all council tenants.
Where a tenancy ends because of the death of the tenant, or other special circumstance you can still claim compensation. We can tell you if you qualify.
You will not get compensation if you are buying your home through the Right to Buy scheme, because improvements are not included in the purchase price.
What kind of improvements can you get compensation for?
The Right to Compensation applies to improvements which were started on or after 1 April 1994. The right to Compensation applies to the following qualifying improvements:
• Bath or shower, wash-hand basin and toilet;
• Kitchen sink and work surfaces for preparing food;
• Storage cupboards in bathroom or kitchen;
• Central heating, hot water boilers and other types of heating;
• Thermostatic radiator valves;
• Pipe, water tank or cylinder insulation;
• Loft and cavity wall insulation;
• Draught proofing of external doors or windows;
• Double glazing or other window replacement or secondary glazing;
• Rewiring, or the provision of power and lighting or other electrical fittings (including smoke detectors);
• Security measures (excluding burglar alarms).
Interior decoration (painting and wallpapering) does not qualify for compensation.
How do I get compensation?
If you leave your council home, you may be eligible for compensation if you have made any of the qualifying improvements. The conditions for getting compensation are:
1. You only qualify for work done at your own expense.
2. We won't normally compensate you for replacing something that was in a satisfactory condition.
3. You should supply receipts or other information that confirms the cost of the work. Alternatively we will estimate how much the work would have cost the council to do.
4. We will assess the value of the improvement and deduct an amount for depreciation.
5. To qualify for compensation an improvement must be valued as at least £50.
6. The maximum amount of compensation is £3,000.
If your improvement is listed as a qualifying improvement and you agree to the conditions please contact the repairs helpdesk 0808 1445368.
You should make a claim for compensation when you tell us you want to leave – you will have up to 14 days after your tenancy ends to make a claim. If you are not sure, ask us how to claim. We will need enough information to decide how much compensation you will get. Please ask us for a copy of the leaflet ‘Your right to compensation for Tenants’.