Application to make home improvements and alterations
If you wish to make improvements or alterations in your home, you must ask our permission by completing this form.
Please be reassured that although we require an application to be made, we will be helpful and supportive of your application where we can. Health and safety, and the requirement for your home to meet certain minimum standards is a priority for us when considering your application. This is so that your home continues to be “fit for purpose” and a safe place to live for you and your family.
What happens after I apply for permission from Cornerstone.
We may need to visit your home to carry out an inspection, and then we will write to tell you if you have been given permission to do the work, this will be within 28 days. There may be certain conditions that you need to adhere to when carrying out the work. Please do not start work until you have returned the signed acceptance form and have any other necessary permissions.
Who can make alterations to their home
If you are a secure tenant, you have the right to make alterations to your home and garden, however, it is a condition of your Tenancy Agreement that you must seek written permission from Cornerstone Housing, as your landlord. Leaseholders may also need written permission for some home improvements. Starter tenants can decorate their homes, but do not have the right to alter their home in any other way. If you are unsure of your tenancy type please contact us.
What is an alteration?
Any changes, other than decorating your home are classed as an alteration. You must not alter your home or fix anything to it without first getting our written permission.
Examples of alterations that you need permission for are:
Some examples of alterations that you need permission for below. If you are unsure please contact us.
- Installing your own bathroom or kitchen
- Changing the layout of your home, e.g. knocking down walls
- Taking doors off
- Fitting satellite and phone dishes
- Installing CCTV
- Changes in the provision of services in your home such as changing the position of gas, electrical or water supplies
- Structural alterations such as construction of porches and other extensions
- Knocking down walls, inside or outside your home
- Installing laminated wood flooring
- Painting the outside of your property
Alterations that are not permitted
There are some alterations that are not permitted, these are:
- Conservatories
- Car ports
- Cat flaps
- Loft conversions
- Decking
- Extensions
- Log burners
- Laminate flooring (if you live in a 1st or 2nd floor flat)
Requirements
Your chosen contractor(s) must hold professional indemnity, public liability insurance and be accredited by their governing body, such as FENSA, Gas Safe, or NICEIC. Please see the table below, which indicates the sort of information you need to send in with your application.
As well as applying for permission from Cornerstone, depending on the type of work you plan to carry out, you may also need to obtain permission from other Council Services etc, Planning Services and/or Building Control.
We closely monitor alterations in our properties, your homes, to ensure that you are safe. If alterations do not meet the required standard they can be hazardous and jeopardise your safety. If in doubt, please ask.
If you carry out an alteration without permission, Cornerstone will need to carry out an inspection to grant retrospective permission. You will be charged for this inspection. In the event that retrospective
permission is not granted you will be asked to remove the alteration at your cost.
Do I have to?
Depending on the type of work that you have carried out we will need to inspect the work, you will also be required to send Cornerstone any relevant certification relating to electrical or gas work.
Cornerstone do not charge a fee. However, fees may be charged by other services, such as Planning, Building Control or County Council Highways department. All applications to carryout alterations should be submitted in writing, a written response will be given advising you if permission has been granted or refused.
You will be responsible for maintaining any alterations and any associated repairs, including kitchen repairs. Please also be aware that you may be asked to remove the alteration and return the property to its’ original condition when you leave your home.
Specific Areas
The installation of CCTV at your home is considered a tenant alteration and therefore you must first obtain permission from us in writing. All requests will be assessed on a case by case basis.
Some things to consider:
• The system must be fitted by a suitably qualified technician. We may ask that you provide evidence of this.
• You will be responsible for maintaining the equipment and must remove the CCTV system when you move and repair any damage caused to the property, such as where holes have been drilled in walls.
• The CCTV cameras must only record images within your boundary. We will not give permission for CCTV to be fitted to flats that would monitor internal or external communal areas and any CCTV installation must not breach data protection legislation.
• The CCTV camera must not cause a nuisance to neighbours, for example be directed on to another person’s property. This would constitute a violation of privacy and/or harassment.
When asking for permission to install CCTV you must tell us:
• The reason you wish to install CCTV.
• Details of the number of cameras and where they will be positioned.
• Information regarding what the cameras will be monitoring.
We reserve the right to review or withdraw permission should the CCTV be misused or is the subject of a complaint. Once we have reviewed your application we will provide you with a decision in writing.
For more information on CCTV in your home click here
We will give permission to lay laminate flooring if you live in a house, bungalow or ground floor flat. Please be aware that you will be responsible for lifting and relaying the laminate flooring to enable work to be carried out in your home (such as a rewire). If you do not do this, Cornerstone Housing will instruct a contractor to do this and you will be recharged for this. Cornerstone Housing will not take responsibility for any damage to your flooring caused by this.
How to apply
If you would like to apply to make an alteration to your property click here. Please make sure you have checked the table below for the required evidence which will be need to process your application. If you need any further information please email mail@cornerstonehousing.net
Supporting Information
As part of your application, you will need to provide clear information that shows how the proposed works affect your property.
- Plans for internal alterations or extensions such as bathrooms and kitchens, must show the existing and proposed floor plans and elevations.
- Ideally drawn to a scale of 1:50 for the floor plans and 1:100 for the elevations.
- Plans for external alterations such as fencing, should be drawn to a scale 1:200 and show the existing and proposed building, garden structures and boundary outline.
- Provide photographs which show the whole area and closeups of where the work is proposed.
- A schedule of works, with details of the exact products and materials you are proposing to use.
If scale drawings are not possible then we would accept accurate hand drawn sketches that are fully annotated with all relevant dimensions.
| Type of work | Plan/sketch showing layout or location | Photo | Detailed description of work | To be carried out by a contractor who is part of an accreditation scheme |
| Installing a water meter | – | – | – | Yes |
| Installing an external satellite dish * | Yes | Yes | Yes | – |
| Putting up a shed, summer house or scooter store* | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Installing CCTV | – | Yes | – | – |
| Replacing external doors* | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Redecorating the outside of your home, including doors and windows* | – | Yes | Yes | – |
| Fitting laminate flooring | – | Yes | Yes | – |
| Installing an outside tap* | Yes | Yes | Yes | – |
| Installing a gas supply or relocating the meter | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fitting a shower over the bath | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fitting a stair lift* | – | – | Yes | Yes |
| Installing a water butt* | Yes | Yes | – | – |
| Bathroom or kitchen alterations | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Laying of patio or paths* | Yes | Yes | Yes | – |
| Creating a driveway or dropped kerb* | Yes | Yes | Yes | – |
| Altering electrics, including replacing light fittings | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Installing fencing* | Yes | Yes | Yes | – |
| Constructing a garage* | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Landscaping your garden, such as replacing grass with shingle* | Yes | Yes | Yes | – |
| Altering heating systems, including replacing or relocating a boiler or radiators | Yes | – | Yes | Yes |
| Internal changes, including removal of walls | Yes | Yes | Yes | – |
| Soundproofing or other insulation, including external wall insulation | Yes | Yes | Yes | – |
| Replacing windows* | – | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Any works that require building consent or planning permission | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
