Flat Renovation & Refurbishment in North & North West London

What do you need?

Choose the job. Each one says what to send, and whether to call.

• Flat Refurbishment

  Tell us you need flat refurbishment, and send photographs of the existing arrangement. The scope is confirmed in writing.

  Send this in a brief

• Apartment Renovation

  Tell us you need apartment renovation, and send photographs of the existing arrangement. The scope is confirmed in writing.

  Send this in a brief

• Apartment Refurbishment

  Tell us you need apartment refurbishment, and send photographs of the existing arrangement. The scope is confirmed in writing.

  Send this in a brief

• Leasehold Renovation

  Tell us you need leasehold renovation, and send photographs of the existing arrangement. The scope is confirmed in writing.

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Confirm the demise, tenure and decision-maker before design

A flat renovation begins with ownership boundaries. The lease or title plan may distinguish the internal demise from windows, structure, floor build-ups, risers, external walls and communal services. Provide the lease, building handbook and managing-agent contact where held, and identify the client authorised to instruct the work. A room may look private while the element behind it remains controlled by the freeholder. The initial scope should record what is known, what needs clarification and which proposed changes depend on landlord consent; it should not infer alteration rights from the fact that another flat has been refurbished.

Define the landlord-consent and licence-to-alter route

Landlord consent is separate from planning permission and Building Regulations approval. The lease may require written consent or a formal licence for layout changes, floors, wet areas, services, windows or structural work. The freeholder may request drawings, specifications, professional appointments, insurance evidence, deposits, condition records or technical review. Those requirements come from the specific lease and managing party. The project schedule should identify who prepares the licence package, who answers comments and what cannot be procured or started before consent, without promising the freeholder’s decision or timescale.

Turn the flat brief into a room and interface schedule

List each room, the existing condition, the proposed outcome and every element to retain or change. Mark kitchens, bathrooms, heating, ventilation, electrical work, joinery, floors, ceilings and any wall alteration. Then identify interfaces with common parts, neighbouring flats, shared drainage, risers and fire-resisting construction. A decoration-only refresh and a services-led reconfiguration need different surveys and design information. The schedule should state which items are client-supplied, which selections remain open and which defects require investigation before a fixed construction scope can be compared.

Protect structure, fire separation and acoustic performance

Removing a wall, cutting a floor, moving a wet room or altering a service penetration can affect more than the visible room. Structural load paths, compartmentation, fire stopping, escape arrangements and acoustic build-ups may require professional design or evidence. Floor finishes can be restricted by the lease even where no structural change is intended. The accepted drawings should show openings, penetrations and relevant junctions, while contractor methods should include protection and reinstatement. A flat-renovation appointment must not treat an unseen ceiling, wall or floor as safe to alter without the information appropriate to that task.

Map planning and Building Regulations responsibilities separately

Purely internal decorative work may not need planning permission, but external changes, listed buildings and changes of use can follow different routes. Building Regulations can apply to structure, fire safety, ventilation, drainage, thermal work and fixed services regardless of whether planning permission is required. The dutyholder and application route should be identified for the actual project. Freeholder approval does not replace statutory approval, and statutory approval does not grant a right under the lease. The written responsibility schedule should name each required submission, design input, inspection and final document without assuming that one consultant owns them all.

Plan communal access, protection and neighbour constraints

Porter hours, lift dimensions, stair protection, loading, parking, waste routes and noisy-work periods can control the build sequence. Record how keys are managed, which common areas require condition photographs and whether deliveries need booking. Dust and water migration are especially important around occupied neighbouring flats. The method should state where materials and tools may be stored and how an isolation or leak would be handled. These are building-specific facts, not promises attached to an area name, and the programme should remain provisional until the managing party’s current requirements and practical access have been confirmed.

Make the quote follow drawings, schedules and allowances

A comparable flat-renovation quote should refer to the current plan, room schedule and specification. It should separate strip-out, protection, building work, services, kitchens or bathrooms, joinery, finishes, waste and making good, and identify professional fees or client purchases that sit elsewhere. Unknown substrate, concealed services or licence conditions may need a provisional basis rather than false certainty. Variations should record the changed drawing or item, reason, price basis and programme effect before extra work proceeds where practicable. A single cost per square metre cannot explain these interfaces.

Close with building-specific evidence and responsibilities

Handover should align with the lease, accepted scope and statutory route. The package may include landlord correspondence, approved drawings, inspection or completion records, electrical or gas documents where relevant, product information, finish schedules, keys, commissioning notes and photographs of selected concealed work. Communal damage records and protection deposits should follow the managing party’s process. The snag list should identify responsibility and access for each item. A construction handover does not settle obligations that remain with the client, freeholder, authority or separately appointed professional, so those open items should be listed plainly.

Frequently Asked Questions

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