Council house home improvements

You can decorate your council home but you need to apply for permission to make major changes.

Major changes to your council house

Examples of major changes are if you:

  • fit a new kitchen or bathroom
  • put up a garage, shed, wall or fence
  • put up a satellite dish or outside aerial
  • replace windows or doors
  • replace central heating
  • paint the outside of the house

Laminate flooring

You need to get permission to lay laminate flooring. This can cause problems if we need to carry out repairs under the floor. If we need to lift laminate flooring to carry out repairs, we won't refit the flooring for you.

You can't lay laminate flooring in flats above ground floor.

Artex

You should not apply artex to your walls or ceilings. If you leave the property, we may need to remove it and we'll charge you for this work.

Some artex made before 1986 may contain asbestos. If you decide to remove any existing artex, contact us for advice.

How to apply for permission

Contact the Property Services Team to talk about your plans. We'll usually agree to reasonable requests to make changes.

If you make major changes without permission, we may charge you to undo the work if you move out. 

Last modified on 27 May 2021