Freeholder and managing agent

Licence to alter readiness guide

What to establish before leasehold works are treated as designed, tender-ready or ready to start.

Consent pathwayPublishedReviewed 26 August 2026

The practical answer

Do not treat one encouraging document or assurance as the whole start position.

Use it where the property is leasehold, share of freehold or managed and the alterations process is not yet settled. Start-Ready brings the immediate decision back to the evidence that supports it, the matters that remain assumptions and the person who normally needs to respond.

The correct answer depends on the project documents, property arrangements and current professional advice. This guide provides a structured owner-side route, not a project-specific determination.

What this resource contains

  • Lease and alterations-process questions
  • Submission-package checklist
  • Conditions, fees, deposits and inspection dependencies

Questions to put on the record

  1. Who has authority to consent?
  2. What must the submission contain?
  3. Which licence conditions affect contractor selection and programme?

Sources and boundaries

No statutory source is presented as governing this resource. Project documents and appropriately qualified advice remain necessary.

Author: Anthony Lilley for Planning & Project Advisory Ltd. London-based planning, design coordination and owner-side project context.

Limit: This material is not legal advice, technical approval, a compliance certificate or authority to commence work.

Apply it to your project

Check your own position first. Ask for help only if one issue still needs a clear way forward.

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