mplaczek

Quick question...

I bought a flat about a year and a half ago. The ceilings were cracked badly, the plaster was coming off the beams in the walls, it needed TLC.

We carried out extensive repairs on the property. An inspection from the council and someone from the managing agents informed us about changes in fire and sound proofing regulations that we would now need to adhere to as this was considered a refurbishment.
All the plaster from the ceilings and walls were removed and replaced with new plaster board, with the required fire protection and sound insulation was also installed. Warped door were replaced with doors with the required fire protection also. Nothing structural was done and none of the services of the flat were changed. We put in new bathroom suites, but again, nothing was moved.

All the work was essentially repair work and getting the property up to date with regulations.

We have been asked to pay £350 for a licence for alterations, but is that nessesary??? What have we altered? They quoted the lease, 'thou shalt not injure, cut or maim the plaster'... but surely this is with respect to structural alterations... not repairs?

Or am I wrong??

Any thoughts??

Thanks in advance for any advice!

Longjing

Hmm. It does sound to me as if the work you've done could be construed as alteration rather than repair. Eg new bathroom suites - that's not required work. And anyway, you may need a licence to alter even if the work is required under regulations of some sort. It's still an alteration isn't it? New doors, new plaster, new bathrooms

I'd have thought it was the landlord's responsibility to comply with building regs etc - but this just depends what your lease says. It may be that the lease moves that responsibility to you as tenant.

Did you look at the lease terms before you started? Or when you bought it maybe? A decent lawyer should have picked up any obligations on the landlord at the time of sale, but it's hard to judge the position accurately from these limited facts.

I assume this request is from the landlord or its agent. How do they know what work you've done?