Home improvements for leaseholders

If you want to make improvements to your home, you need to complete an application form and receive written permission from us before you make any plans for work to begin. You can also find the form at one of our Hubs or we can send you a paper copy if you call us.

If you complete a hard copy form, you can hand this in at our Wakefield or Pontefract Hubs or post it to us at:

Vico Homes Survey Team 
Merefield House 
Whistler Drive 
Castleford
WF10 5HX 

Please make sure you include any plans or drawings so your application can be processed without delay.

If you have any questions please call our Survey Team on 01977 788248 or email [email protected]

If you’re the leaseholder of an apartment, we still own the building you live in. Getting permission for alterations and improvements forms part of your lease agreement. We manage and consider all applications for alterations or improvements affecting the building you live in and the surrounding areas, including communal areas, gardens, roof and loft space. This guarantees the structure of the building remains safe for all occupants and that any changes don’t impact the rights of other people living in the building.

If you are a shared owner, until you staircase to own 100% of the home, you will need to ask for permission for any alterations or improvements to your home. 

Not for most home improvements. However, major improvements like extending the property or changing its structure, may affect your lease.

Any legal costs to make the necessary changes will be your responsibility. We will tell you if this is the case and the costs involved before your application goes any further.

If the alterations are significant, you may also need the permission of the bank or the building society who lent you the money to buy your home.

There is a standard admin fee of £33.33 which includes VAT to cover the cost of processing your application. This needs to be paid before we can look at your request.

In a few exceptional cases, the improvements may need your lease agreement to be updated, the plans of the property amended, or additional work to amend your current service charges. If this is the case, we will tell you what the costs will be, so you can decide if you still want to continue. These costs would need to be paid before we can give written permission for the works to start.

You can pay by:

• using a credit or debit card, by phoning us on 0345 8 507 507, or over the counter at our Hubs in Wakefield or Pontefract. 
• cheque made payable to Vico Homes Limited and returned with your application form to our Survey Team.

All fees are subject to an annual review.

Find out more about the fees involved.

If you carry out improvements without our written permission, there is a charge of £72 including VAT to apply for approval retrospectively and you will need to apply for approval for the unauthorised work immediately.

Doing work without our permission breaks the terms of your lease. Any costs to provide retrospective authorisation would be your responsibility to pay until permission is granted. If you can’t prove you have received written permission from us for any improvements or alterations you have carried out, the future sale of your lease may be affected.

We have a table that summarises the improvements which usually need planning or building permission from a local authority. Once you have received our permission for your improvement, it’s your responsibility to get any formal planning permission and / or building regulations approval from your local authority, or any other permission you may need, before you start the work.

Or check out our Leaseholder Guide to Making Improvements.

We assess all applications individually, but we wouldn't permit any improvements or alterations which may:

• Adversely affect or impact on our, your neighbours’ or your neighbours’ home
• Affect any part of the building which is not designated as part of your leasehold agreement
• Affect the structure of the building
• Affect the use of communal areas or facilities. 

We won’t unreasonably refuse permission for improvements, but we may impose conditions which will apply to granting permission. Any conditions will be clearly identified in the letter we send you and they must be followed. If you don’t follow them, it will be considered as a breach of your lease agreement.

For your own safety, work must be done in line with current regulations.

Gas work – This work must be completed by a tradesperson who is registered on the Gas Safe Register, they must also be registered with the current gas registration body for the United Kingdom.

Electrical work - The work must be completed by a tradesperson who is qualified to IEE Wiring Regulations 18th Edition and a member of a government approved competency scheme, such as NICEIC (National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) or NAPIT (National Association of Professional Inspectors and Testers).

Fire Compartmentation work - Where any work being done in your home requires certification relating to fire, this must be done by a competent person or organisation who holds the relevant qualifications and registration with one of the governing bodies.

Asbestos work - To do this work you need to use a qualified and competent asbestos removal contractor, who will be required to work to the requirements of Control of Asbestos Regulations 2012.

The tradesperson, in all instances, will provide you with the appropriate certificates for the work. The original certificates must be sent to us so a copy can be taken and we will return the original certificates to you. If you don’t send the certificates, we’ll send out an engineer to inspect the work and issue the appropriate certification. The full cost of this service and any payment for associated repairs or alterations will be your responsibility.

Our Survey Team will assess your application once we’ve got it. We’ll try to let you know our decision within 20 working days. If we need further information or need to visit your home to check the work you want to do, this may cause a delay. We will contact you to arrange a time to visit, if necessary.

You will receive a letter letting you know  the decision we’ve made following your application. The permission letter is only valid for three months. If you don’t do  the work and return the ‘Notification of completion’ form (contained within the permission letter) within three months, we’ll send you a letter and visit your home to check this. If you don’t start work within three months, the application will be cancelled and you’d need to apply again to complete the work in the future. 

If you’re unhappy with our decision, you have the right to appeal within 28 days of the date of the letter. Please write to the Survey Manager, giving the reasons for your appeal. We might not consider your appeal if:

• You can’t give a valid reason(s) why this requires further consideration;
• Approval is outside our control
• We’ve complied with and followed our approved policies and procedures.

We’ll respond within 20 working days from when we get your letter.

When the work is completed, please return the ‘Notification of completion form’ with any gas, electrical, fire compartmentation and asbestos certificates you have been given. When we get these, our surveyor will come to your home to inspect the work and make sure it complies with any conditions we gave you.

If the final inspection finds any faults or that the work has not been carried out under the conditions set out by us, we’ll send a letter telling you the work you still need to do. This work must be completed within the timeframe set out in the ‘Further Works’ letter.

If you don’t complete the work, you’ll be breaching your lease agreement, and we may do the work and recharge you.

If everything is satisfactory, you’ll receive a ‘Certificate of acceptance’. The surveyor will send this out to you within five working days of the final inspection.