Applying for landlord consent to make changes to your home

You must get landlords consent before you begin any work inside, or outside, your home. Please wait until you have received written consent before you start any work. 

You can request landlord consent by registering and logging on to Housing Online as an existing customer. 

We will acknowledge receipt of your application. If we can give our consent, we will send you a decision letter with details of any conditions you must meet. In some cases you may have to contact Planning, Building Standards or Roads services to ensure that the appropriate permission(s) are in place before you begin work on your home to ensure current legislation is met.

The Sales & Consent Unit will grant landlords consent within a 28 day period, however it may take longer depending on the complex nature of the improvement and / or alterations.  

You don't need consent to decorate the inside your home, or lay carpets. However, for laminate flooring or floor tiles, you should contact the SCU for advice on how it should be installed.

Retrospective landlords’ consent can be provided by the Sales & Consent Unit. However, there is a risk that additional work may be required to ensure compliance with all current regulations and existing Council policies. These will include Planning Consent, Building Warrant and / or Roads Consent. 
 

If the Sales & Consent Unit are unable to provide landlord consent, this may lead to enforcement and the requirement to reinstate to the original layout. The costs for any reinstatement works will be met by the tenant.

The Sales & Consent Unit will carry out an inspection to assess all the unauthorised works undertaken at the property. If the work(s) don’t meet current legislation requirements, then enforcement action will be taken. A decision will be taken by the SCU to prioritise any enforcement, but the tenant will be informed in writing of any enforcement action. Priority will be dependent on several factors, one of the key factors being whether the works cause a health and safety issue to other neighbouring properties, or the property is deemed structurally unsafe.

Consent only applies to you and your current home. If you have not carried out the work within 1 year of receiving the Landlords Consent letter, you should contact the Sales & Consent Unit to make sure the consent remains in place. You can reapply to the Sales & Consent Unit at any time.

Once the works are complete you contact the SCU to arrange a post inspection. This will allow the SCU to ensure that all current legislation has been met and landlord consent is now in place.

Under certain circumstances the Council will pay compensation when you vacate the property. For further guidance and to ensure you meet the criteria, please use the following link: The Scottish Secure Tenants (Compensation for Improvements) Regulations 2002.