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Before you start

Before you make any alterations or improvements to your home, you should check the terms of your lease to see if you can do the work you have in mind.

You cannot make improvements to areas that belong to us, such as the communal areas or parts of the building that do not belong to you.

You can do some things without our permission, such as adding fitted wardrobes or replacing the central heating. However, the latter does not apply if there is an estate-wide heating system.

Information we need from you

In most cases, you need our permission before making any changes. You will need to contact us and explain what you intend to do. We don't unreasonably withhold consent, but we must carefully consider your request. When you contact us, you need to include:

  • detailed plans of the works you intend to carry out
  • (where applicable) building and/or planning regulation approvals
  • details of the builders you will use and the costs involved
  • a completed request form.

You will also need to get a licence for alterations from us. The cost of the licence is usually around £150 + VAT.

Your application will be allocated to a surveyor who will arrange a site visit. The surveyor may also contact your builder to obtain more information. They will then consider your request, and if approval is given, you can start work on the improvements.

If the work impacts other residents, you must inform your neighbours and our Neighbourhood Manager. If we receive complaints from neighbours, we may restrict the times your contractors can work at your property.

If you need planning permission or another type of building consent, you must apply for and pay for that permission or consent before we can consider your application.

Where there is a superior landlord to ISHA, we will need their permission as well. If that is the case, you must seek their consent by fulfilling any criteria they set and pay any fees. If there is more than one landlord, this will often lengthen the process of being granted consent by ISHA.

When the improvements or alterations are complete, please send us any copies of paid invoices, guarantees/test certificates, and planning/building regulation sign-off documentation.

We may inspect the work before and after its completion.

If the work will improve your home's value, we will consider it if you staircase (increase the share you own). Below, you can see an example list of works we consider.

If you choose to purchase more shares in your property, depending on how long ago the improvements were carried out, we may consider them when re-valuing your home.

It's therefore important that you register any improvements you have made with us.

Below is an example list of works we will consider if you staircase.

  • New central heating installation (if previously you had storage heating/warm air heating).
  • Double glazing of windows and doors (if previously they weren't double glazed.
  • A new fitted kitchen.
  • A new bathroom.
  • Cavity wall insulation.

We are likely to refuse applications for the following reasons:

  • if you do not own the area where you want to do the work
  • the work is in a communal area and will impact other residents
  • the planned improvement work will devalue the costs of your home
  • there is a scheme-based heating system, and you want to install your own heating system.

If you are unhappy with our decision, you can appeal to the Head of Asset and Property Management.

You can also make a formal complaint, which our Complaints Team will investigate.

More information

If you have any questions about making home improvements or need more information, get in touch.