Licence to Alter Drawings and Landlord Approvals

Overview

Most commercial leases do not allow a tenant to alter the premises without the landlord's consent. That consent is normally given in a Licence to Alter, a legal agreement completed between the landlord's and tenant's solicitors. Before it is granted, the landlord's surveyor or managing agent reviews the proposed works in detail, and the licence usually sets conditions on how the work is carried out and what must be reinstated at the end of the lease.

LCC prepares the technical package the landlord needs, manages it through each round of review, and then builds the approved scheme. As a design and build contractor, the drawings the landlord approves are the drawings our team builds from.

Architects who prepare the approval and lead the build

LCC is led by an ARB-registered architect. Our team of ARB-registered architects, who are also members of RIBA and BIID, prepares every landlord submission and works alongside our fully qualified construction team. The architects who negotiate the approval remain fully involved through construction, ensuring the works on site comply with every condition of the licence.

Planning, building control and the Licence to Alter are separate

A fit-out may need three different approvals. Planning permission comes from the local authority, for example for a change of use, a new shopfront or extraction equipment. Building regulations approval covers fire safety, structure, ventilation and access. The Licence to Alter is the landlord's private consent under the lease. Having one does not replace the others, and we coordinate all three.

The approval stages we manage

1. Lease and fit-out guide review: what the lease permits and what the landlord requires in each submission
2. Concept design approval: layout, shopfront and design intent agreed with the landlord
3. Detailed design approval: full architectural drawings, finishes and specifications
4. MEP design: mechanical, electrical, drainage, ventilation and kitchen extraction, checked against the capacity of the building's services
5. Fire strategy: means of escape, compartmentation and fire alarm alterations
6. Specialist approvals: sprinklers, fire alarm, smoke extract and structural changes, often reviewed by the landlord's own consultants
7. Landlord's queries: responses to the surveyor's comments until approval in principle is given
8. Principal Designer and CDM: pre-construction information, construction phase plan and health and safety file
9. Licence to Alter: the approved technical package issued to the solicitors to complete the licence
10. Building control and site rules: method statements, risk assessments, insurances and working hours approved
11. Handover to the landlord: as-built drawings, certificates and O&M manual

What goes into a landlord approval pack

• Existing and proposed floor plans, elevations and sections
• Shopfront and signage drawings
• Reflected ceiling plans and lighting layouts
• Mechanical, electrical, drainage and ventilation drawings
• Kitchen extraction details for restaurant premises
• Fire strategy, including fire alarm and sprinkler alterations
• Structural details for any structural changes
• Specifications and finishes schedules
• Specialist consultants' reports
• Method statements, risk assessments and construction programme

Why submissions are sent back

Landlords commonly return submissions where the shopfront breaches the shopfront zone or lease line, signage exceeds the permitted size or brightness, sprinkler or fire alarm changes are not shown, structural changes lack an engineer's sign-off, or services are not checked against the building's capacity. We check these points before each submission.

Experience with major landlords

We have taken schemes through the landlord approval process at Westfield Stratford City, the Bullring in Birmingham and The O2. At Westfield Stratford City, for Yakiniku Like, our architects took the concept, detailed design, shopfront, signage and services drawings through each stage of the centre's review, agreed the fire strategy with the centre's engineers, and the restaurant opened on the date agreed with the centre. Our shopping centre fit-out guide explains the process in more detail, and our Design, Planning & Approvals page covers planning and building control.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need a Licence to Alter for my fit-out?

If your lease restricts alterations, which most commercial leases do, you will need the landlord's written consent before work starts. Your solicitor can confirm what your lease requires.

What drawings does the landlord need?

Typically existing and proposed plans, sections, ceiling and services layouts, shopfront elevations, MEP drawings, a fire strategy and specifications, together with method statements and a programme.

How long does landlord approval take?

It depends on the landlord and on how complete each submission is. A coordinated package at every stage is the most effective way to avoid repeated rounds of comments.

Who pays the landlord's fees?

The lease usually requires the tenant to pay the landlord's reasonable legal and surveyor's fees for reviewing the application. Your solicitor can confirm the terms.

Can work start before the licence is signed?

Normally no. Starting before consent is granted can put the tenant in breach of the lease.

Will I have to reinstate the premises at the end of the lease?

The licence often requires it. We record the approved works in as-built drawings so reinstatement and dilapidations can be agreed clearly later.

Does LCC grant the Licence to Alter?

No. The licence is a legal agreement between landlord and tenant. LCC prepares the technical package the landlord needs to approve it.