Improving my home
We recognise that you’ll want to make your home feel like your own, therefore you’re able to carry out many types of improvements and alterations. But before you do so you’ll need permission from us first (unless you want to paint, hang pictures and put-up curtains etc.).
Please refer to your tenancy agreement for further details and before making an application. You’ll have been given a copy of your tenancy agreement when you moved in. If you can’t find this you can request a copy through your MyRaven online account using the button below.
Please note, you cannot make any alterations in the first year of your tenancy.
Minor alterations
The types of minor alterations you can make with our permission are:
- Installing dishwashers and washing machines
- Laying laminate or hard wood flooring (we can’t allow hard flooring in maisonettes, flats and houses where there is another property below)
- Cat and dog flaps (if being fitted to a fire door they must be fire retardant)
- Aerials, cables and satellite dishes
- Installing CCTV
- Planting or removing trees in your garden
- A shed, greenhouse, garage or garden room
- Installing a garden pond
- Changing the cupboard doors or work surfaces in your kitchen
- Re-doing existing wall decorations (textured coating, wallpapering)
- Adding an internal wall
- Minor adaptations in your home (grab rails etc.)
Major improvements
The types of major improvements you can make with our permission are:
- Building or removing a wall, or adding a door to a wall
- Adding an extension or conservatory
- Any changes to your heating and/or hot water system
- Changes to your electrics and plumbing, such as installing an additional electrical socket
- New kitchens and bathrooms
- Driveways and hard standing areas
- Dropped kerbs
- Installing a new fence or building a wall on your boundary
- Major adaptations in your home (lifts, walk-in showers, concrete ramps etc.)
Getting permission from us
If you want to make ANY improvements and alterations to your home, you must get our written permission before you do any work. You can do this by making a Tenant Dwelling Improvement (TDI) application through your MyRaven online account or by calling 0300 123 3399.
An initial free consultation with us will determine whether your plans are minor or major. We don’t charge to assess minor alterations but we do charge a non-refundable assessment fee for major improvements as there is a lot to consider.
The cost of this is a £42+ VAT admin fee per application for homeowners and needs paying in full when you apply for permission. At this moment in time tenants do not pay this fee.
If the work you want to carry out needs building and/or planning permission, it’s your responsibility to get this permission. Even if you have planning permission or building regulations you still need to get our permission before the work begins.
On approval of a TDI we’ll no longer to have repair liability for items such as these and you’ll be required to accept the repair liability for these items.
When applying for a TDI you need to submit any supporting documentation required, this will help us make the right decision for your application. This may mean a team leader or surveyor coming to your home to offer further guidance and support of works required.
When works are completed you’ll need to supply requested certifications and sign off documents to ensure that this has been undertaken as required and to a professional standard. This may require a team leader/surveyor attending your home to sign off these works.
If you don’t follow these requirements, you could be asked to restore the property to the original condition – at your own expense.
Sometimes you may be able to claim some of the cost of the home improvements when you move out of your home.
You may also be able to make changes so your home is more suitable for someone with a disability. A grant may be available from your local council to do this, see ‘aids and adaptations’ for more information.
Remember
You shouldn’t start any improvements or alterations before we issue a formal approval for the work.
Please make sure anyone acting on your behalf, such as a contractor, does not start any work without your knowledge
When permission to proceed has been given, please let us know when the work is complete in case we need to inspect it.