Improving or making changes to your Council house

You are entitled to make improvements to your home but you must get written permission before you do any work. We must be sure the work you plan to do will be safe for your home and for your neighbours.

If you are a secure tenant, you will be able to carry out improvements and structural alterations to your home such as:

• removing walls
• installing a new fitted kitchen
• installing a new bathroom
• getting a new gas fire
• building a porch

It is important that you do not start work without talking to us first. This is particularly important in the case of structural and supporting walls, as we would need evidence that such work is going to be carried out by a qualified person.

If you do not get written permission before you start work, then you may have to return the property to how it was before.

If you install an electric or gas appliance in your home, it is your responsibility to make sure that it is installed and properly maintained and serviced by a qualified person. GasSafe registered engineers must fit all gas appliances and any electrical work must be carried out by an approved technician with the relevant British Standard, for example NICEIC approved.

In some cases your improvements or structural alterations may also need planning permission or building regulations approval. Housing Champions are not qualified to give advice on these matters and you must make enquiries and any applications needed.

We will charge you for any unauthorised improvement work that results in extra costs. If we need to, we will send a property inspector or surveyor out to inspect the area where you plan to do the work.

We will write to you either to give you permission to do the work or to say why we have not. We may inspect the work afterwards and if necessary tell you to bring it up to standard.

Please put in writing any changes that you would like to make. If you feel that it will help to explain what you would like to do, include a basic drawing of the change. Don't worry - we are not looking for anything too artistic!

You must get written permission to carry out the following, or other similar work:

• Decorate the outside of your home
• Any structual alteration, improvement, or addition to the building, including the removal or replacement of doors, the construction of door arches or the construction of fireplaces
• Any change to the fixtures and fittings or additions to the fixtures and fittings of your home including bathroom or kitchen fixtures and fittings and TV aerials and satellite dishes
• Building a garage or shed or other large structure in your garden
• Laying a drive and/or car parking space
• Installing a shower, central heating or gas fire
• Artexing ceilings. Please note the artexing of walls is not allowed
• Installing of any CCTV monitoring cameras or other surveillance equipment.

This list does not state every type of alteration you must get permission to do.

You must obtain any necessary building regulation approval or planning permission before you start work. This includes consent from Streetpride for the construction of a dropped kerb.

If you do not get written permission from us for any of the above work, before you start work, you may be required to return the property to how it was before. If you do not we may carry out the work and charge you for it, or we may take action to end your tenancy.

We are not responsible for the repair or maintenance of installations fitted by you unless this has been agreed in writing.

Your right to compensation

You may be entitled to compensation for any authorised improvements you have made when you leave your tenancy and move out of your home. Only certain types of improvements qualify for compensation, and in all cases you must have

• Written permission from us to carry out the improvement
• Carried out the improvement to an acceptable standard.

This only applies to improvements done after 1 April 1994, with our written permission for work on the following:

• Bath or shower
• Wash hand basin and sink
• Kitchen sink
• Work surfaces for preparing food

You are responsible for making good, to an acceptable standard, any fixtures or fittings which you have added to your home and are removing when you leave. Please make sure you contact your Housing Champion before you move if you need more information.

For  further details, please contact us.

Last update: 14/02/20112