Licence to do what?!?!

Licence to do what?! Working as a building surveyor gives you some fascinating insights into how people live and what makes them tick. We’re often in and out of people’s homes, after all, and we’re trained to be observant! But perhaps there’s no aspect of a surveyor’s job more revealing than working on licence to … Read more

Don’t let Licence to Alter Drive you up the Wall

The number of leaseholders seeking permission to alter their apartments are on the rise. This has been driven by the need for more homeworking space, perhaps a children’s playroom, or simply to capitalise on the value created from an alteration.  Building surveyors and property managers are seeing more sophistication and ingenuity in effecting those changes, … Read more

Licence to Alter: getting the balance right

Jonathan is a leaseholder in a lovely two-bedroom apartment in a stunning residential block. He had lived there for three years and one day he had a vision! This involved knocking down a partition wall between his kitchen and sitting room, and installing a hard-wood floor throughout the newly created, open-plan space. He knocked on the wall … Read more

Licence to Alter: Retrospective consent

While any competent surveyor will advise when licence to alter is required, it is ultimately the responsibility of the leaseholder to obtain a licence when necessary before undertaking alterations. A contractor is unlikely to ask for the relevant consent paperwork before beginning work, so in purely practical terms, it is perfectly possible to carry out … Read more

Licence to Alter: Alterations under the radar

Licence to alter can often seem like an awful lot of trouble over what might appear to be a trivial matter. Leaseholders tend to think of themselves as home owners with the right to do what they like to their own properties, even if that’s technically not the case. And managing agents typically have enough … Read more

Licence to Alter: What does the lease say?

‘Lease’ is the legal term for a property contract giving the leaseholder exclusive possession of land for a determinable period of time. The lease itself is essentially a written agreement recording the terms on which the landlord cedes possession of the property to the leaseholder. If the leaseholder ‘sells’ the property, strictly speaking what they … Read more

Licence to Alter: The basics

Leaseholders do not own their property outright, but have the right to occupy or sublet it for an extended period, typically 99 years or more. This means they do not have an automatic right to make lasting alterations to the property, such as installing a new wet room or replacing the windows. Instead, they must … Read more

Brighton Property Management Boot Camp

Event Details Venue: 68 Middle Street, Brighton, BN1 1AL Date: 30/03/2017 Time: 14:30 Seeking consent for alterations that are made, or intended to be made, to a flat is one of the most common day-to-day issues that every property manager, landlord and leaseholder need to fully understand. A “Licence to Alter” is the term given to the consent … Read more

EKA Launch new “Licence to Alter” Team www.licencetoalter.com

Are you a Landlord or Property Manager? Responsible for administering or providing consent for Leaseholder Alterations? We can help you protect the Landlords Interests by: Providing an independent assessment of the Leaseholder’s proposals and preparing a detailed highlighting the impact and any long-term implications of the Leaseholder’s works; Ensuring the alterations will not have a negative … Read more