Making improvements or alterations to your leasehold property

If you are a leaseholder or freeholder of a property originally owned by Bolton at Home or Bolton Council, you must obtain consent from us before making any alterations.

If you have already started or completed alteration work without applying for our consent, you will need to apply for retrospective consent. 

You must complete an application form and receive written consent from us before you make any arrangements for work to begin.

Your lease or transfer requires that permission is granted before you carry out any alterations or improvements. Some leases differ, but generally this includes works affecting: 

• The exterior of the building; or 
• The structure of the building (including the removal of internal walls). 
• Works outside the demised premises.

Permission for alterations and improvements forms part of your lease agreement or transfer.

You need to seek written permission before making any alterations or improvements because:

• We need be aware of any changes in the structure of the properties.
• It allows us to keep our residents, buildings, and associated property safe.

If you wish to carry out alterations or improvement works to your home, you must apply for our consent and provide details of the proposed works.  

Consent may be granted subject to conditions, such as obtaining planning permission and/or appropriate buildings regulations consent.  

We do not need to know about minor work such as decorating.

You will need to complete an application form and provide details of the proposed works.

For more information on applying for permission to carry out alterations or improvements — including to request a permissions application form — you can:

• Call: 01204 328000
• Email: leasehold@boltonathome.org.uk
• Write to: Owner Occupier Permissions, Bolton at Home, 98 Waters Meeting Road, Bolton, BL1 8SW

Some works will require a surveyor to visit your home. If this is the case, an appointment will be arranged.

We will provide a reason if permission is refused. If you go ahead with work after we have refused permission, you will be breaking the terms and conditions of your lease, and we may apply for the works to be removed at your cost. 

If you do something without permission, we have the right to put things back as they were and recover the costs.

There is a fee payable for permissions. Once the application form is received, an invoice will be raised.

The fees for permissions are as follows:

• Before works started: £350 plus VAT
• After works started (or works already completed): £450 plus VAT

All applications for improvements are assessed on their individual merit — however, we would not permit the following improvements or alterations:

• Alterations that adversely affect your neighbours, their property, or our property.
• Alterations that affect any part of the building which is not designated as part of your leasehold agreement.
• Alterations that affect the structure of the building.
• Alterations that affect the use of communal areas or facilities.
• Loft conversions (Flats).
• Window replacements (Flats) – case by case basis*.

*Flat windows are deemed to be part of the building’s structure and so they are our responsibility to maintain or replace. This means that there is no obligation for us to accept any request for a window renewal.

You must tell your neighbour if you want to:

• Build on or at the boundary of your two properties.
• Work on an existing Party Wall or party structure.
• Dig below and near to the foundation level of their property.

Examples of this type of work include: 

• Building a new wall.
• Cutting into a Party Wall.
• Making a Party Wall taller, shorter, or deeper.
• Removing chimneys from a Party Wall.
• Knocking down and rebuilding a Party Wall.

You can:

• Tap here to access a full guide on Party Walls and building work (including letter templates) on the gov.uk website.
• Tap here to visit the Leasehold Advisory Service website for independent leaseholder advice.
• Tap the 'What is a Party Wall, and when do I need a Party Wall Notice?' tab below for more information on Party Wall Notices.

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If you require any further information on Party Walls and building works to your leasehold property, please contact us using leasehold@boltonathome.org.uk.

If you wish to complete work on one of your walls that adjoins a Bolton at Home property, please send a Party Wall Notice — detailing all works to be completed — to  leasehold@boltonathome.org.uk when you're ready.

You must tell your neighbour(s) if you want to carry out any building work near or on your shared property boundary, or 'Party Wall', in England and Wales.

Party Walls stand on the land of two or more owners and either: 

• Form part of a building.
• Do not form part of a building, such as a garden wall (not wooden fences).

Walls on one owner’s land used by other owners (two or more) to separate their buildings are also classed as Party Walls.

Whether you’re building an extension or converting your loft, if you’re undergoing a substantial renovation and have neighbours, then it is likely you need to consider the Party Wall Act 1996. It provides a framework for preventing and resolving disputes between neighbours regarding Party Walls, boundary walls, and excavations near adjoining buildings.

A Party Wall Notice is a formal document that you must serve to your neighbour(s) before starting certain types of work that might affect these shared walls, boundaries, or structures.

The notice informs the adjoining owners about the planned work and provides them with an opportunity to agree or raise concerns. If the neighbours do not agree, the Party Wall Act provides a framework for resolving the dispute

If your neighbour lives in a Bolton at Home property, you must serve a Party Wall Notice to Bolton at Home — however, we advise you also inform your neighbour of any proposed works. If your neighbour is a private owner, please contact them directly.

You must tell us (Bolton at Home) if you want to:

• Build on or at the boundary of your two properties.
• Work on an existing Party Wall or party structure.
• Dig below and near to the foundation level of their property.

You must give notice to us between two months and a year before you plan to start building works.

Once you’ve given notice, we can:

• Give consent in writing.
• Refuse consent, which will start the dispute resolution process (you can tap here for more information on the dispute resolution process on the gov.uk website).
• Serve a counter notice requesting additional works be done at the same time.

We must let you know in writing within 14 days if we consent to your notice, and you must do the same with any counter notice. A counter notice must be served within a month of the first notice.

You can:

• Tap here to access a full guide on Party Walls and building work (including letter templates) on the gov.uk website.
• Tap here to visit the Leasehold Advisory Service website for independent leaseholder advice.

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If you require any further information on Party Walls and building works to your leasehold property, please contact us using leasehold@boltonathome.org.uk.

If you wish to complete work on one of your walls that adjoins a Bolton at Home property, please send a Party Wall Notice — detailing all works to be completed — to leasehold@boltonathome.org.uk when you're ready.

Before arranging any works to your chimney, you must complete an owner's permission application form and serve a Party Wall Notice to us (Bolton at Home).

For more information on applying for permission to carry out alterations or improvements — including to request a permission application form — you can:

• Call: 01204 328000
• Email: leasehold@boltonathome.org.uk
• Write to: Owner Occupier Permissions, Bolton at Home, 98 Waters Meeting Road, Bolton, BL1 8SW

Please note that there is a fee payable for permissions. For more information on fees for permissions, please tap the 'Do I need to pay a fee for permissions?' tab above.

We recommend that you speak to your neighbour(s) with regards to any works you have planned — but please note that we (Bolton at Home) will give or refuse any permissions requests.

Works to your flue, chimney, and soil or vent pipes:

Before starting any works, please check whether you need planning permission or building control approval.

Fitting, altering, or replacing a flue, chimney, or soil and vent pipe will normally be permitted (not requiring planning consent) provided certain rules and conditions are met. However, it is likely building control approval will be needed, especially if you wish to remove the chimney.

Permission will not be granted if:

• The adjoining property has a gas fire, permission to remove the chimney will not be granted.
• No evidence of building control approval is provided.
• No fee is paid.

Provisional consent will be granted once the fee is paid, the application form is completed, and the Party Wall Notice is served. Full permission will not be granted until all requested documentation is provided.

Lack of full permission is a breach of your lease/conveyance/transfer document and can affect the future sale of your property.

You can:

• Tap here to access a full guide on Party Walls and building work (including letter templates) on the gov.uk website.
• Tap here to visit the Leasehold Advisory Service website for independent leaseholder advice.

Following a change in the law in England in October 2008, homeowners wishing to pave a front garden with a hardstanding of more than five square metres must apply for planning permission if they are using non-permeable materials.

One of the main reasons for this legislation is that the conversion of gardens to driveways in urban areas has increased the amount of water that goes into the storm drains when it rains, which can result in increased flooding.

Under these regulations, planning permission is not required if you are creating a driveway from a semi-permeable or permeable material, or if the water is directed to a lawn, border, or Soakaway to drain naturally. This is to make sure that rainwater slowly seeps into the road drainage system, rather than running straight into the drainage system which can cause flooding.

Which surfaces are considered acceptable?

The type of permeable surfaces that are acceptable include gravel, permeable block paving, and porous concrete and asphalt.

Contact your local council's Highways Department:

It is likely that to access your driveway you will have to cross a pavement or verge that belongs to your local council. To cross this land you will need permission from your local council.

The council will also require that the kerb be dropped to road level so that it isn’t damaged when you drive your car over it.

You can tap here to find your local council on the gov.uk website.

If you live in Bolton, you can tap here for more information on dropped kerbs on the Bolton Council website.

Do I need permission from Bolton at Home?

Permission from Bolton at Home is required if you need to cross our land to access your property. In most of these instances, permission is refused — which is why it is best to contact us to check land ownership.

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If you require any further information, please contact us using  leasehold@boltonathome.org.uk.

You can also tap here to visit the Leasehold Advisory Service website for independent leaseholder advice.