Consent & Licence Services
Doing the work first and asking afterwards is the most expensive order to do it in.
Why Consent Exists at All
A long lease almost always restricts what a leaseholder may do to the flat and how it may be used. Structural alterations, changes to services, alterations affecting the common parts, subletting, keeping animals and business use are the usual ones. The restriction is not there to be obstructive: it protects every other leaseholder in the building from work that affects the structure, the fire compartmentation or the insurance.
Where the lease requires consent, doing the work without it is a breach, and a breach does not expire quietly. It surfaces at sale, when the buyer's solicitor asks for evidence of consent and there is none, and a retrospective consent costs more than the original would have.
What We Look At
Whether the lease permits the work at all, and on what terms. Whether it affects the structure, the common parts, the fire strategy or the building's insurance. Whether building regulations approval or planning permission is separately required, which is a matter for the local authority and not for the landlord. And whether the proposal needs a condition attached, such as reinstatement at the end of the term.
Consent under the lease and permission from the council are two different things. Getting one is not evidence of the other, and a leaseholder generally needs both.
What Each Consent Costs
Published, and charged to the leaseholder applying rather than to the service charge.
| Service | Fee |
|---|---|
| Consent or licence to alter or occupy | £240.00 |
| Consent or licence to keep a pet or animal | £180.00 |
| Licence to assign | £156.00 |
| Deed of variation administration | £96.00 |
| Certificate of compliance | £150.00 |
Taken from our published Additional Services price list, PBM Form #01-27 rev.6, effective 23 June 2025. All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT.
Where We Do This
From our Plymouth office, across Devon, Cornwall and the wider South West. Each area page sets out the authority, the fire and rescue service and the local building stock.
And what changes locally, area by area:
Common Questions
Do I Need Consent to Change My Flooring?
Very often yes. Many leases require carpet or an equivalent covering over a specified proportion of the floor area, precisely because hard flooring transmits impact noise to the flat below. Check the lease before ordering the floor, not after.
Can Consent Be Refused?
It can, though many leases provide that consent is not to be unreasonably withheld, in which case a refusal has to be capable of justification. Where a leaseholder considers consent has been unreasonably withheld, the First-tier Tribunal can determine the point.
Can I Sublet My Flat?
It depends entirely on the lease. Some permit subletting outright, some require consent, some prohibit short-term and holiday letting specifically. Separately, the local authority may operate a licensing scheme, and satisfying the lease does not satisfy the council.
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