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What does a License to Alter mean?
When leaseholders want to make big changes to their property, they must first get a License to Alter from their freeholder.
This is so the freeholder can protect himself against any adverse effects the changes might have—like if the leaseholders are building a sauna in the shared basement.
Freeholders usually don’t have any reason to say no to alterations, though, provided the alterations are reasonable and the leaseholder is being reasonable in asking for the licence. It can seem a long, involved process to get the licence in hand, but it is a process in which you can be confident, given the help of a chartered surveyor.
Which works need a license to alter?
The examples of the works are:
- structural changes
- installations of services (like sanitary, heating, etc.)
- removal of walls and changes to chimney breasts
- changes in windows
- new openings for doors
Are you thinking of changing your leasehold property to modernise its style or make it more accessible? If so, you may be unsure about what obtaining a Licence to Alter (LTA) entails and the restrictions that come with it. Whether you are a leaseholder or a freeholder, you can get unbiased expert assistance from a chartered surveyor who is a member of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) or other accreditation body.
Your surveyor can help you carry out the proposed works to the property in a way that protects your investment and conforms to the mandatory and essential aspects of the work involved in obtaining an LTA. If your property is Listed or otherwise of special architectural or historic significance, the assistance of a surveyor can be especially invaluable to you as a safeguard to avoid delays and errors that might threaten your investment and the property itself.
Is a Licence to Alter required?
Don’t approach your landlord for permission until you are well-prepared. Our panel of accredited surveyors can help you with that. They can prepare all the relevant documents: construction specifications, design drawings, and structural drawings. Once we understand what the proposed works are, your surveyor can draw up or review your plans in a way that will minimise risk and delay.
Licence to Alter Advantages
Before you ask your landlord for permission, the accredited surveyors will be prepared to outline or check your planned works. They are able to give you all the documents you require, like construction specifications, design drawings and structural drawings so as to:
- know the concept of the proposed works
- secure the protection of assets and those who lease them
- keep up with the terms of the agreement
- avoid delays and reduce the possibility of risk
Landlords in Canterbury Should Know about Dilapidations
It is useful to carry out regular inspection of the property during your tenants’ lease to confirm they are following the terms of their agreement and not ignoring necessary maintenance.
According to the lease agreement, the owner or their staff should do inspections of the property at set intervals after getting the tenant’s consent. Any problems discovered should be reported to the tenant and all the repairs needed should be requested from them by written request without delay.
When lasting damage to the property leaves the Landlord’s future contracts or borrowing possibilities at risk, it can be wise to encourage the tenant to fix the damage right away and let your surveyor prepare an Interim Schedule of Dilapidation to help you with this.
Aside from the Interim Schedule of Dilapidation, landlords can also issue the Terminal Schedule of Dilapidation at any moment.
The Terminal Schedule of Dilapidations is called this because it is issued within the last 18 months and is meant to maintain the value of the Landlord’s property as unchanged in light of your breaches.
For example, this could mean repairs, making the premises decent again, removing the tenant’s alterations, repainting or renewing floors and other parts. By doing this, both the tenant and landlord have clear expectations of repairs which helps the tenant finish the job on time without conflict. A potential tenant will be interested in seeing how the property looks before moving in to avoid being required to fix anything that is not their problem.
Failure by the lessee to do repairs will result in a breach of the rental contract according to section 146 of the Law of Property Act 1925. When the lease expires, the landlord will create a Final Schedule of Dilapidations as a form of financial protection because the lessee will not be allowed back in the property.
How long does it take to carry out a Building Survey?
Ordinarily 2-4 hours. This depends on several factors, prominent among them the type of property, its dimensions, and the intricate nature of any problems under consideration. For routine surveys, the “rule of thumb” is that it takes about an hour for each storey of the building. For more surveys, when there are many more things to look at, the surveyor can easily take a long day to get it done.
Contact Canterbury Surveyors for a Dilapidations Survey on your property.
A dilapidations survey report is a document that assists with making sure the tenant is following the lease and giving the property back in good condition. With this information, tenants are able to challenge accusations made against them which protects everyone during disputes.
Talk to our team if you want to lease or deal with issues such as a Schedule of Condition or Dilapidations.
