Licence to Alter
Licence to Alter and landlord approvals
Most commercial leases need the landlord’s consent before work can start.
W1 Design prepares the drawings, specifications and supporting information landlords need for a Licence to Alter or landlord approval, and coordinates with landlords, managing agents and their surveyors through to consent.
Because we design the fit-out at the same time, the landlord’s comments are resolved in the design rather than in a later round of revisions.
Landlord approval for shops, restaurants and offices, prepared alongside the design.
What we prepare
Licence to Alter drawings
Existing and proposed plans, sections, elevations, ceilings and finishes for the landlord’s review.
Shopfronts and signage
Shopfront and signage drawings to the landlord’s and the council’s requirements.
Services and extraction
Mechanical and electrical proposals, including ventilation and kitchen extract routes, coordinated with the building.
Fire and life safety
Fire strategy information showing how the fit-out relates to the building’s fire systems and means of escape.
Structure
Structural information for new openings, mezzanines and heavy equipment, prepared with the structural engineer.
Contractor information
Method statements, programme and insurance details for the works.
How it works
01Review the lease and fit-out guide
We check the lease and the landlord’s technical requirements before the design is developed.
02Prepare the submission
Drawings and supporting information are prepared alongside the design.
03Respond to comments
We work through the landlord’s surveyor’s comments and update the drawings.
04Approval and works
Once approved, the project can move to site, with W1 as designer or as design and build contractor.
Licence to Alter questions
A legal agreement in which the landlord gives consent for specific alterations to the premises, on stated terms. Read more in our journal article.
Most leases require the tenant to cover the landlord’s reasonable legal and surveyor’s fees. Your solicitor can confirm what your lease says.
Usually, yes. Landlord approval and building regulations are separate, and many fit-outs also need planning permission for shopfronts, signage or extraction.
Only if the landlord agrees. Many shopping centres will not allow work on site until the drawings are approved.
Further reading
Guides from our journal on the questions that come up most at this stage.
Start your project
Taking new premises or planning a fit-out?
Send us the lease plan or the landlord’s fit-out guide and we will tell you what the approval is likely to involve.
205 Regent Street, London W1B 4HB · Registered in England, company no. 08259165