Renovating a flat: the rules above, below and next door

Most flats in England and Wales are leasehold. The lease usually says which parts belong to you, typically the interior surfaces, floorboards and internal non-structural walls, and which remain the freeholder's: the structure, external walls, windows in many buildings, the roof and the common parts. It almost always requires the landlord's written consent, often called a licence for alterations, before structural or significant work.

Look for clauses on flooring, since many leases require carpet or an acoustic underlay so that people below are not disturbed, and on working hours, noise and use of the lifts. Applying for a licence takes time and can involve fees and a surveyor on the freeholder's side, so start early. In Scotland, flats in tenements work under different law, with shared responsibility for common parts.

GOV.UK explains that a floor separating flats with different owners can be a party structure under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 in England and Wales, just like a wall between houses. Cutting into a party wall or floor, for example to recess a beam or run new pipes through, can require notice to the owners affected. Everyday work such as plastering, replacing sockets or putting up shelves does not.

Sound is the most common source of complaints. Replacing carpet with hard flooring without proper acoustic layers, removing old lath and plaster ceilings, or fixing kitchen units to a party wall can all make noise travel. Ask the firm how it deals with sound in floors and walls, not only how it will look.

Source: legislation.gov.uk

In a block of flats, your front door protects the common escape route. Government guidance on the Fire Safety (England) Regulations 2022 stresses that flat entrance doors must be effectively self-closing. Do not swap the entrance door for an ordinary door, remove its closer, or cut it for a new letterbox without checking with the freeholder or managing agent, who has duties for the common parts.

Inside the flat, knocking down the walls around a hallway to create an open-plan layout changes how people escape in a fire, especially in flats on upper floors. That is Building Regulations work and may need a fire engineer's solution, such as sprinklers or a protected route. Kitchen extract ducting and new openings through walls also affect fire compartments.

Source: legislation.gov.uk

Flats do not have the same permitted development rights as houses. The Planning Portal notes that new windows in a flat may need planning permission if they differ from the originals, and leaseholders usually need the landlord's permission first. Gas work needs a Gas Safe registered engineer, and new bathrooms or electrics near a bath or shower involve Building Regulations like in any home.

The HSE's duty to manage asbestos applies to the shared parts of some domestic premises. The freeholder or managing agent of an older block may therefore hold an asbestos survey for the common areas, which can help your builder. Inside your own flat, a survey before stripping out is still your builder's concern.

Everything comes up and goes down the stairs or the lift. Materials deliveries, protecting the common parts, parking for vans and where the skip goes can all need agreement with the managing agent. On upper floors without a lift, carrying plasterboard, sanitaryware and waste adds real labour, and a quote that ignores it is not realistic.

• work that needs the landlord's licence, and who prepares the drawings for it
• acoustic specification for floors and any party wall work
• fire safety: entrance door, internal layout, compartment penetrations
• protection of common parts, lift use and delivery arrangements
• gas, electrical and Building Control certificates to be handed over
• working hours set by the lease and the building's rules

Once you confirm your phone number and email, local renovation firms can see the job without seeing who you are. One firm can buy it, and it pays Offrano for it. We then email you that firm's name, address and phone number, and only afterwards does the firm receive your details. For you the service is free.

There is no guarantee that a firm takes it, and requests nobody buys are withdrawn after 21 days. You can refuse the quote. Offrano checks only that the buyer is a registered business, so ask about previous flat projects and check Gas Safe or electrical scheme registrations where relevant.