Landlord or housing-provider permission
Permanent physical changes to rented homes normally need the landlord or provider involved, and social landlords may have their own adaptations pathway.
Planning & Support
Home adaptation permission planner
Work out who may need to approve a home adaptation, what to ask for in writing and which extra permission issues may apply to rented, leasehold, shared or publicly funded work.
Step 1 of 5
Start with location
Where is the property?
Housing, tenancy and shared-area rules differ across the UK, so the planner changes its cautions accordingly.
Why permission can be complicated
One adaptation can involve several different approvals
A home adaptation can involve the person who owns the dwelling, a landlord or housing provider, a freeholder or managing agent, other owners of common parts, a grant authority and planning or building-control processes. Approval from one does not automatically replace the others.
Leasehold and communal areas
Structural alterations, external changes and common parts may bring in the lease, freeholder, managing agent, factor or other owners even when the adaptation benefits one home.
Planning and Building Regulations
Property-owner consent and DFG approval are separate from statutory approvals. Larger structural or external work may require additional formal checks.
Common questions this planner can help organise
Do I need permission for a disabled home adaptation?
People often need answers to questions such as whether a private landlord must approve a wet room, whether a leaseholder needs freeholder consent for a ramp or stairlift, whether a council tenant can arrange work independently, whether a DFG replaces landlord permission, or who must agree changes to a communal entrance. The answer depends on tenure, where the work happens and the exact adaptation.
- Can I install a stairlift in a rented home?
- Do I need landlord permission for a disabled bathroom or wet room?
- Does a leaseholder need freeholder permission for a ramp or door widening?
- Can a landlord refuse disability-related adaptations?
- Who approves adaptations to communal entrances or shared hallways?
- Does DFG approval mean I can start the work?
Continue your planning
Keep permission, funding and contractor preparation connected
Once the property permission route is clearer, use the pre-start checklist to make sure funding approval, statutory checks and specialist installation details are not missed.