Improvements to your home policy

Contents

Introduction

This policy sets out the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) Housing Management’s approach to the steps that residents need to take when looking to make improvements to their home. This policy is necessary to make sure that both residents and RBKC are safe and that residents have the homes that they are happy to live in.

The policy outlines:

  • Improvements to residents’ homes
  • Guidance for RBKC Housing Management tenants and leaseholders on how to ask for permission for certain alterations and improvements
  • The safety aspects when residents make changes to their homes
  • Responsibilities of both residents and RBKC
  • RBKC Tenancy Agreement
  • Lease Agreement (for leaseholders)
  • RBKC Tenant’s Handbook
  • RBKC Repairs Policy
  • RBKC Recharge Policy
  • RBKC Building Control policies and procedures

Policy Statement

The scope of this policy applies to:

  • RBKC Housing Management residents (secure tenants and leaseholders). This policy does not cover introductory tenants.
  • RBKC employees

RBKC Housing Management encourages residents (secure tenants and leaseholders) to decorate their homes internally.

RBKC Housing Management supports its residents making improvements to their home to suit their needs.

RBKC wants residents to have a place they can call home and encourages them to make certain improvements that will positively impact their living spaces.

RBKC Housing Management understands that residents may wish to adapt their home due to changes within their household (e.g., growing families) or to support their health and wellbeing.

RBKC Housing Management will provide support to residents with additional needs with queries relating to decoration, alterations, or improvements, where needed.

We at RBKC Housing Management appreciate that residents would like to make changes to their home to suit their style and needs, however, we do ask that residents seek RBKC’s written consent if they wish to make certain alterations, additions or improvements to their home – which go beyond internal decoration. 

RBKC Housing Management will be fair and transparent when considering requests made by secure tenants and leaseholders to carry out improvements and alterations to their home, where permissions are required.

Resident Improvements

Works that require permission:

  • Structural changes
  • Kitchen or bathroom alterations
  • Changes to floor coverings (in kitchens and bathrooms)
  • Outbuildings including conservatory, lean tos, sheds or coal-bunkers
  • Changes to the external aesthetics of the building including doors and windows
  • Compliance with electrical, gas, asbestos or water
  • Planning consent for works in conservation areas
  • Garden areas including patios and driveways

This list is not exhaustive.

Works that are not permitted:

  • Change of use of rooms (e.g. relocating kitchen/bathroom)
  • Changing or removing any doors within flats (all of which are likely to be required to be fire doors)
  • Changing or removing a flat entrance door, particularly where that door is a fire door
  • Changing or removing any fire detection and alarm equipment
  • Installing combustible materials on or around the external walls or balconies
  • Adding/removing internal walls
  • Satellite dishes
  • Works in communal areas
  • Installing or reinstalling security gates on front doors

This list is not exhaustive.

If residents are unsure of what works require permission, please contact RBKC Housing Management – 0800 137 111 or [email protected].

Residents that need aids or adaptations to be installed in their home, for example, handrails or ramps, should contact RBKC’s Housing Adaptations Team for more information - [email protected].

Guidance for permissions and for works

Where permission is required for certain improvements or alterations, residents (secure tenants/leaseholders) must contact RBKC Housing Management and request (and receive) permission before they start works. 

All relevant information (and photographs) should be included within the request including the type of works requested, who will carry it out and any planning permission and building regulation approval required.

Leaseholders are required to submit a licence application for works. Works can only commence once the licence is issued. For more information on leaseholder alterations, please visit our Making alterations to your home webpage.

RBKC Housing Management will respond to requests in writing with either an approval or an explanation of why the approval has not been granted within 30 calendar days.

Consent will be subject to conditions which the Council will provide in writing, and a licence for leaseholder works. Only permission given in writing will be considered consent.

Residents are asked to follow all reasonable conditions. Any non-compliance with conditions will be treated as a breach of tenancy/lease conditions and could result in consent being withdrawn.

RBKC will not unreasonably withhold permission for works, however, permission will not be granted if the works, for example, increase fire risk or do not comply with relevant regulations and approvals.

Each request will be considered on its merit.

Residents must ensure that any works undertaken do not cause damage to their home, any adjoining properties and communal areas of the building.

Residents are responsible for ensuring the works carried out do not alter/affect the plumbing and drainage, or ventilation, as this may cause problems to their home and those of their neighbours.

Safety

As a landlord, it is important that the Council is aware of any plans for certain alterations and improvements, so that it can ensure that the works are carried out to standard and in a way which considers the safety and comfort of all residents.

Where certain alterations are carried out without the Council being notified (and without permission being granted), this could pose a health and safety risk to occupants and other users of the building as we would not know if these works complied with building and other relevant regulations.

Therefore, RBKC Housing Management has a duty to investigate reports of unauthorised alterations and improvements carried out by residents.

Where RBKC become aware of unauthorised works, we will inspect the works and confirm if they are safe and compliant with statutory requirements.

A tenant or leaseholder who does not apply for written consent before carrying out work will be required to seek retrospective consent. Retrospective consent will be given based on:

  • A surveyor’s and/or relevant expert’s professional opinion of the works including confirmation the works are safe
  • Relevant certification for the work provided
  • Agreement that the resident would be responsible for the repair and upkeep of the works 

Leaseholders may only be granted retrospective consent, subject to meeting building control regulations. 

If works are deemed not safe (and/or retrospective consent is not granted), we will take relevant action, which can include legal action.

Action would include asking the tenant/leaseholder to reinstate the property to its original condition or to recover any necessary costs to the Council as a result of the resident’s actions.

There may be instances when RBKC will undertake reinstatement of the works if they are deemed unsafe, causing damage to the structure of the property or adjoining properties/communal areas or the tenant/leaseholder does not rectify the issues within an appropriate timeframe. Recharges would apply accordingly.

Any Building Control action would be dependent on the type of contravention of the building regulations.

Tenant Rights and Responsibilities

Tenants should familiarise themselves with the conditions of their tenancy agreement when requesting permission for alterations/additions/improvements.

Secure tenants can make improvements, additions and alterations to their home, provided they have received RBKC’s written consent and obtained necessary approvals.

Introductory tenants are not allowed to make improvements, additions or alterations to their home.

Improvements will generally be considered as the tenant’s or leaseholder’s fixtures and fittings and will be their responsibility to maintain.

Leaseholder Responsibilities

Leaseholders are entitled to make alterations in accordance with the terms and conditions of their lease, provided that landlord consent is issued in the form of a licence before they carry out any works.

Leaseholders should contact RBKC’s Leasehold Alterations Team for any specific or complex leaseholder enquiries or to seek guidance.

Leaseholders are responsible for rectifying any works carried out that do not meet building regulations or the licence granted.

Leaseholders who wish to install hard flooring (laminate or timber) must check their lease agreement.

Compensation for Improvements

A secure tenant may be eligible to apply for compensation for qualifying improvements when their tenancy comes to an end. This is in accordance with The Secure Tenants of Local Authorities (Compensation for Improvements) Regulations 1994.

This policy will ensure full compliance with relevant legislation and regulatory requirements on improvements and alterations in the property. 

This policy adheres to the following legislation and guidance:

  • Housing Act 2004
  • Building Act 1984
  • Building Regulations 2010
  • Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015
  • Gas Safety Regulations 1998
  • Landlord and Tenant Act 1985
  • Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012
  • Health and Safety at Work Act 1974
  • Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005
  • Fire Safety Act 2021
  • The Secure Tenants of Local Authorities (Compensation for Improvements) Regulations 1994

GDPR & Data Protection

As a directorate of RBKC, Housing Management shares the commitment to ensure that all data is:

  • processed lawfully, fairly and in a transparent manner
  • collected for a specific and legitimate purpose and not used for anything other than this stated purpose, or as provided for in our privacy and fair processing notices
  • relevant and limited to whatever the requirements are for which the data is processed
  • accurate, and where necessary, kept up to date. Any identified inaccuracies will be amended or removed without undue delay
  • stored for as long as required, as specified within RBKC’s Records Retention policy
  • secured with appropriate solutions, which protect the data against unauthorised or unlawful processing and accidental loss, destruction or damage.

For further information about the Council’s commitment to the General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR), visit the Council’s website.

Equalities Statement

The Council is committed to promoting fair and equal access to services and equal opportunities in employment, the procurement of goods and as a community leader. The Council’s policies, procedures and day to day practices have been established to promote an environment which is free from unlawful and unfair discrimination, while valuing the diversity of all people.

Discrimination on the grounds of race, nationality, ethnic origin, religion or belief, gender, marital status, sexuality, disability and age is not acceptable:  the Council will take action to ensure no person using the council’s premises or services receives less favourable treatment or is disadvantaged by requirements or conditions that cannot be justified. The Council will tackle inequality, treat all people with dignity and respect and continue to work to improve services for all service users.

The legal framework for the Council’s approach is provided by the Equality Act 2010 and specifically by the Public Sector Equality Duty, under which a public authority must work consciously to eliminate discrimination, harassment, victimisation and to advance equality of opportunity and foster good relations between people with differing characteristics.

Further detail on the Duty, and the Council’s approach to fulfilling its requirements, can be found at webtest.rbkc.gov.uk.  We have considered equalities issues when developing this policy, by carrying out an Equality Impact Assessment.

Compliance, Monitoring and Review

The overall responsibility for the approval of this policy sits with the Housing Management Directorate.

The Head of Resident Safety & Repairs, Head of Neighbourhood Management, Head of Health, Safety & Resilience and the Head of Fire Safety will be responsible for reviewing this policy.

This policy will be reviewed every 3 years, or when legislative or regulatory changes take place that could affect it.

The next review will take place by: 

January 2026
 

Last updated: 9 February 2024