Your lease is the agreement which you signed when you first moved into your property and it will effectively govern what you can and can not do. There are many different things to consider and a broad selection of ways that you can modify your property without violating your lease.
But, in a lot of cases, you’re going to need something which is called a licence to alter. It is a special kind of document which will let you make changes outside of your lease, so let’s take a quick crash course in what it is all about.
Okay, What’s the Licence to Alter?
Basic stuff first. Let’s take a look at what the licence to alter is and how it will affect you and your experiences. What you need to know is that the licence to alter is basically a special document which will allow you permission to modify your property outside the terms of your lease.
As the tenant, you have a right to contact the freeholder, known more commonly as your landlord, to request permission to make modifications which will go outside the specified allowances of your property lease. There are a lot of things which are harmless enough, but do take you outside of this special remit.
To do so, you will need to acquire some kind of written consent. It will give you a lot of unique options and choices, so you can experiment with what is on offer.
Written Consent
The purpose of something like this is that you are getting a form of written consent which gives you everything that you could need for making the modifications you want to make.
Thankfully this isn’t difficult. All that you need to do is to talk to your landlord and explain what you want to do. You will probably have to submit some kind of technical drawing to make sure that they understand exactly what it is you’re after, and maybe even a brief outlining your intentions.
It’s important to provide all the materials that they need to deliver a considered and deliberate assessment as to whether or not they’ll give you what you’re looking for. There are multiple choices for you to consider and a selection of different ways that the project can be approved. Expect them to seek the opinion of a surveyor or solicitor before they sign off on anything.
So, in conclusion, a licence to alter is just one of the things that you’ll have to get if you want to make changes to your property which fall outside the remit of the things that you can do on your own. This process may take a little time but ultimately, it is worth it to secure the kind of changes you want to make. Just be aware that you’ve got a lot of options and you’ll be well in the clear for making any change necessary. It can take time, so be patient!
If you would like to discuss your Licence for Alterations requirements with us, give our team of qualified and experienced Chartered Surveyors a call today, and we will be more than happy to assist you.
