Making alterations

You need permission from us to make certain alterations to your home if you:

• are a leaseholder and Southwark Council own the freehold of your building 

• own a freehold house on a Southwark Council estate 

• own an underlease house on a Southwark Council estate

• own an underlease flat and Southwark Council are your direct landlord or freeholder

You should check the terms of:

• your lease if you're a leaseholder

• freehold transfer if you're a freeholder

If your home is on The Dulwich Estate you may also need to get their permission.

If you've already carried out alterations without applying for consent, you'll need to apply for retrospective consent.

You will also need to get the required planning or building control approval if needed.

You should get advice before carrying out any alterations. 

Work without consent

If you carry out alterations without the required permission you'll be in breach of your lease or transfer agreement. 

We can:

• demand that you reinstate the property to its original condition, at your own cost if it does not not comply with council standards
• take legal action against you for breaching the conditions of your lease or transfer

If you submit a retrospective application for permission you're not guaranteed approval.

What we consider

When we assess your application we'll take many things into account, including:

• the building’s structure
• fire safety regulations
• the council’s current and future repair and maintenance obligations
• other residents in the building

Getting a decision

We aim to respond within 10 working days, but in busier times we cannot guarantee this. 

Be assured that we are processing all applications and will respond as soon as possible.

We cannot guarantee that your alteration request will be accepted. If this is this case we will not refund your application fee.

Find out about about our fees to process your request and alterations that are not allowed.

Request permission