The short answer
- Read the lease. It says whether the windows belong to your flat or to the building, and who repairs and replaces them.
- Get the landlord’s written consent before you order, usually as a licence for alterations.
- Check planning. Flats have no householder permitted development rights; windows that look different usually need planning permission.
- Building Regulations apply as in a house. An installer registered with a competent person scheme certifies the work.
1. Who the windows belong to
The lease defines what is yours: the demise. Many leases keep the windows, or at least the frames, as part of the structure that the freeholder repairs and replaces, with the cost shared through the service charge. Others make the windows the leaseholder’s responsibility. If the freeholder replaces windows across the building as major works, they must consult the leaseholders first when the cost to any one flat goes above a set amount.
2. The landlord’s consent
Most leases need the landlord’s written consent for alterations, often as a formal licence for alterations. Expect to provide the specification, drawings and the installer’s details and insurance, and the landlord may charge fees for the paperwork. The landlord or managing agent may also set what new windows must look like (material, colour, opening style, glazing bars) so the building stays consistent. Don’t order before consent is in writing.
3. Planning
Flats and maisonettes have no householder permitted development rights. Work that doesn’t materially affect the external appearance of the building isn’t development, so like-for-like replacements often don’t need planning permission. A different material, colour, opening style or glazing bar pattern usually does. In a conservation area councils look more closely, and a listed building needs listed building consent. If in doubt, ask the council or apply for a lawful development certificate.
4. Building Regulations and fire safety
- Energy: a U-value of 1.4 W/m²K or better, or Window Energy Rating band B.
- Ventilation and escape: no worse than before, so keep trickle vents where there were any, and keep escape openings at least as large.
- Safety glass in critical locations, such as low-level glazing.
An installer registered with a competent person scheme certifies the work; otherwise apply to building control. In a higher-risk building (at least 18 m or seven storeys, with at least two homes), building work normally needs approval from the Building Safety Regulator, but work done under a competent person scheme doesn’t. Tell the managing agent in any case: windows can affect the building’s fire strategy. See replacing windows for the details.
5. Access and fitting
On upper floors, windows are usually fitted from inside. Large units may need scaffolding or access equipment, and the managing agent may set working hours, lift protection and parking rules. Agree them before the fitting is booked.
- The lease clause on windows, read and understood
- The landlord’s written consent
- Planning or listed building consent checked
- Specification agreed with the managing agent
- Certification route: competent person scheme or building control
- Access and working hours agreed
Our windows
We supply windows in aluminium, timber and PVC to order, including sash and steel-look windows.
Questions
Do I need the freeholder’s permission to replace windows in a leasehold flat?
Almost always. Most leases need the landlord’s written consent for alterations, and in many the windows belong to the building, not the flat. Read the lease and get consent in writing before you order.
Who pays for new windows in a leasehold flat?
It depends on the lease. If the windows are part of the building, the freeholder replaces them and recovers the cost through the service charge. If they are part of your flat, you pay.
Do flats need planning permission for new windows?
Often not for a like-for-like replacement that doesn’t change the building’s appearance. Different materials, colours or glazing bars usually need planning permission, because flats have no householder permitted development rights.
Can I fit double glazing in a flat in a conservation area?
Often, if the new windows match the look of the old ones and the landlord consents. Expect the council to look closely at anything that changes the appearance, and listed buildings need listed building consent.
Sources
The official documents this guide is based on. Check the current edition before you order.
- Leasehold property (GOV.UK)
- Leasehold property: service charges and other expenses (GOV.UK)
- Town and Country Planning Act 1990, section 55: meaning of development (legislation.gov.uk)
- When is permission required? (including Article 4 directions) (GOV.UK)
- Lawful development certificates (GOV.UK)
- Building regulations approval (including higher-risk buildings) (GOV.UK)
- Competent person schemes (GOV.UK)
- Approved Document L: conservation of fuel and power (GOV.UK)