Home Improvements by tenants

As a tenant you may want to improve your home. Before altering anything, you must ask our permission in writing.

This is a term of the occupation contract. Asking permission is necessary to ensure that any improvements you carry out are safe, within the law, will not de-value the property and will not result in additional costs for the council.

Even for relatively small improvements like installing a satellite dish, laying laminate flooring, laying a patio or erecting a fence, you need to ask permission.

You do not need permission to decorate the inside of your home or to carry out minor improvements such as putting up shelves or curtain rails.

Permission

If you do decide you would like to make improvements to your home, you should contact us before you make changes to your home. You will be provided you with advice on how to carry out improvements safely. We will support you to improve your home, as long as your request is reasonable. Under no circumstances will we give verbal permission. Permission or refusal will be always in writing.

We will respond positively to reasonable proposals to improve your home. A permission letter will set out any conditions, including who is responsible for maintaining the improvement and if you can leave the improvement behind when the contract ends. Conditions may also include that works are carried out by a competent person.

No permission?

Improvement works without written permission are in breach of the terms of the occupation contract. If we incur costs because of the unauthorised improvements, this can be recharged to you. If you have previously made alterations without written permission, you should let us know and we can advise if we give permission retrospectively, if you must bring the improvement up to standard or if you have to undo the improvement.

Request for permission for an alteration to the premises

Use the online form if you are a Contract Holder of Powys County Council and would like to request written permission to make changes to the premises you rent.

Written permission is needed from Powys County Council, before you are allowed to make alterations to the premises. We will not refuse permission unreasonably.

If you already have made alterations or improvements to your property without written permission, you are breaching your Contract.

You will need to complete the online form to ask for permission retrospectively.

Permission is for example needed for:

• removing walls
• adding new heating systems
• adding showers or WCs
• installing new fitted kitchens
• applying external decoration
• erecting boundary fences
• felling of trees
• fitting additional electrical sockets
• fixing a satellite dish or TV aerial
• erecting pigeon lofts or poultry sheds
• erecting a shed, outhouse, conservatory, or other structure
• constructing a garage, hard standing and/or dropped kerbs
• fitting laminate flooring to any room in the premises.

Please note the above are examples and the list does not include all works that need written permission.

After receiving your request, we will visit you or respond in writing within 10 working days.

We will take photos of the state of the premises when we visit.

Our decision to give or withhold permission will always be in writing.

Request permission for an alteration Request permission for an alteration