Landlord consent fees: licence to assign, sublet and alterations

Which consent is which

Most leases say you may not sell, sublet or alter the flat without the landlord's consent. Selling needs a licence to assign, the landlord's written permission for the lease to pass to the buyer, and some landlords charge for drafting and sealing it. Renting the home out needs consent to sublet. Changes to the flat, from a new bathroom to a conservatory, need consent to alterations, which many landlords price in steps: a basic or minor request, a complex or major one, and a higher price if the work was done first. Your lease says which of these applies to you.

None of these is the leasehold pack, the answers a seller buys from the landlord on a sale, and none is a notice fee, which the buyer pays after completion.

Licence to assign: what landlords publish

Five publishers print a price for the licence to assign, and one lists it and does not price it. One price is before VAT and one is a "from" price, so read the VAT words in the table before comparing.

First Choice Homes Oldham does not price the licence to assign alone: its schedule has a resale fee of £450.00 + VAT that includes the deed of covenant and the licence to assign, and a retrospective permission to assign at £265.00. The PDF prints "+ VAT" on that line even though its footer says all fees are inclusive of VAT. We leave it out of the range above.

Consent to sublet: what landlords publish

Nine publishers print a price for permission to sublet. Three do not say whether it includes VAT. Several charge more if you sublet first and ask afterwards, which is in their own words below.

Consent to alterations: what landlords publish

Thirteen publishers print a price for a basic, minor or first-stage request. The table shows that price only. The complex, major and retrospective prices, and the surveyor and legal fees several add, are in the next section.

Basic consent is £50 to £250 on the pages we read (Temphis and Guinness both print £250), but complex or major alterations and retrospective consent cost more at several publishers: L&Q's complex request is £280, Latimer's major one £309, and Islington adds technical and legal fees on top of its home ownership fee.

If your landlord is not here, the price is the one in your lease or its own schedule, and your solicitor or managing agent will be told it when you ask. The tables show how far apart landlords are, not what yours will ask. Most of the large managing agents we checked publish no price for these consents on their own sites.

What costs extra

The first figure is rarely the last. The complex or major case, a surveyor's visit, the landlord's legal costs and work done before asking are often priced separately, and several landlords say a "from" price can rise. In the publishers' own words:

• Ealing Council, landlord's consent, non-structural alterations (internal alteration). Retrospective landlord consent (non-structural alterations) / internal alteration (example: surveyor fees) £183.40 / heating disconnection (example: cost of disconnection) £157.20 / Deed of variation (major alterations) / windows (example: legal fees) £104.80 per unit
• Eden Housing Association, permission or consent letter. Permission/Consent letter which requires an inspection £270 / Retrospective consent for alterations £350
• First Choice Homes Oldham, consent to sublet in advance. Retrospective consent to sublet £150.00
• First Choice Homes Oldham, consent for minor improvements and alterations. Consent for major improvements / alterations £150.00 / Retrospective consent for minor improvements / alterations £150.00 / Retrospective consent for major improvements / alterations £200.00 / Additional External Surveyor report Provider’s Fee in full
• Guinness, licence to make alterations and improvements, initial application. Depending on the complexity of the work, there may be additional costs. This may include solicitor and surveyor fees, as well as costs if changes to a lease are required.
• Haringey Council, licence for alterations, minor. Standard (including VAT) / £144
• Islington Council, minor alterations (like flues, extractor fan), letter of consent. Major alterations (like adding a conservatory) / £134 / £243 / £1,168 / £74 per hour / Retrospective consent - fee on top of either of the above four alteration types / £388 / £495 / £1,152 / £74 per hour
• Jigsaw Homes, consent for minor works, no surveyor. Permission for Alterations (Complex) – Needs surveyor: / £96.00 / Permission for Alterations (Complex) – Needs surveyor – Retrospective: / £150.00 / Consent for Minor Works (No surveyor) Retrospective: / £96.00
• L&Q, subletting approval (leaseholders). Subletting approval with underletting notice (leaseholders): £130 / Subletting deed of variation (leaseholders): £210
• L&Q, permission request, basic (up to five requests). Permission request – complex: £280 / Loft licence: £430 / Retrospective consent: £110
• Latimer, alterations, improvements and purchase of loft space, minor. Major / £309 / Retrospective (Major) / £1,500 / Retrospective (Minor) / £142
• One Manchester, home improvements and alterations, permission request, basic. Home improvements / alterations (permission request – complex) - £100 / Retrospective consent for alterations (basic) - £100 / Retrospective consent for alterations (complex) - £200

What the law says about the fee

Where the lease says consent is not to be unreasonably withheld, the landlord must answer a written application within a reasonable time. The Act says nothing about a fee. the covenant is subject to the qualification that the consent is not to be unreasonably withheld / he owes a duty to the tenant within a reasonable time / (a) to give consent, except in a case where it is reasonable not to give consent

Where the lease lets the landlord refuse consent only for good reason, the landlord has to answer a written request in a reasonable time and say why if the answer is no. The Act is about the answer, and the fee for it is not in it.

The 1988 Act: legislation.gov.uk, Landlord and Tenant Act 1988, section 1, read 2 November 2026.

A charge for the grant of an approval under a lease is an administration charge, and a variable one is payable only to the extent it is reasonable. an amount payable by a tenant of a dwelling as part of or in addition to the rent which is payable, directly or indirectly / (a) for or in connection with the grant of approvals under his lease, or applications for such approvals / A variable administration charge is payable only to the extent that the amount of the charge is reasonable.

The law treats a fee for the landlord's approval under your lease as an administration charge. If the lease does not fix the amount, it is payable only so far as it is reasonable. If the lease fixes it, read the lease.

The 2002 Act: legislation.gov.uk, Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002, Schedule 11, read 2 November 2026.

A law passed in 2024 will make landlords publish their administration charges in advance before they can demand them, but that part is not in force yet, and even then it makes them publish a fee, it does not set one. For now the figure is whatever your lease says.

The 2024 Act: legislation.gov.uk, Leasehold and Freehold Reform Act 2024, section 61, read 25 September 2026.

Who pays, and when

The leaseholder who asks. The Act describes an administration charge as an amount payable by the tenant for the grant of an approval under the lease or an application for one. On a sale, one managing agent puts it plainly: Where a charge arises from a sale, it is normally settled by the seller or the seller’s solicitor as part of the transaction.

Ask early. The landlord has to answer in a reasonable time where the lease says consent is not to be unreasonably withheld, but a sale or a tenancy start date does not wait for it, and a landlord may want the fee before it starts. If the lease fixes the fee, that is the fee. If it does not, the reasonableness test above is the check.

In their own words

Every price above, as the landlord or agent printed it.

• Bromford. A housing association's price for the licence on a shared ownership sale, with the work it covers spelled out. Licence to Assign / This fee includes drafting, signing, and sealing the Licence to Assign. £120 / All fees are inclusive of VAT unless stated. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• Centrick. A managing agent's price, before VAT, so the bill is a fifth higher. License to Assign / Fee: £200 + VAT VAT: plus VAT.
• Ealing Council. A council's price for consent to internal alterations, with the retrospective and deed-of-variation prices beside it. Landlords consent (non-structural alterations) / internal alteration (example: surveyor fees) £78.60 / heating disconnection (example: cost of disconnection) £78.60 VAT: not stated.
• Ealing Council. A council's one-line price for permission to sublet, on its 2026 to 2027 schedule. Home ownership services administration charges 2026 to 2027 / sub-letting fee £31.44 VAT: not stated.
• East Valley Block Management. A small managing agent's "from" price for a licence to alter, and not VAT registered, so the price on the page is the price. Licence to Alter / From £150 / East Valley Block Management Ltd does not currently charge VAT. VAT: no VAT charged.
• Eden Housing Association. A housing association's consent letter price, with the inspection and retrospective prices beside it. Permission/Consent letter £120 / All fees are inclusive of VAT where applicable. VAT: inclusive of VAT where applicable.
• Eden Housing Association. A housing association's price for approving and registering a sublet, dated 1 April 2026 on its own page. Subletting approval and registration £120 / All fees are inclusive of VAT where applicable. VAT: inclusive of VAT where applicable.
• First Choice Homes Oldham. A housing association's minor-works price, with the major, surveyor-visit and retrospective prices beside it. Consent for minor improvements / alterations £100.00 / All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• First Choice Homes Oldham. A housing association's price to sublet in advance, with the dearer retrospective price beside it. Consent to sublet in advance £100.00 / All fees quoted are inclusive of VAT. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• Guinness. The dearest first-stage price we read, for an application that the landlord says can cost more once the work is judged. Licence to make alterations and improvements to your home, e.g, kitchens, bathrooms, conservatories, etc. / Cost: / £250 (initial application only) VAT: not stated.
• Haringey Council. A council's minor-works price, with the standard case priced at more than double and the major case not priced on the page. Licence for alterations / Standard (including VAT) / £144 / Minor (including VAT) / £60 VAT: including VAT.
• Islington Council. A council's price for a letter of consent to minor works, with the major and retrospective rows, which add technical and legal fees, beside it. Minor alterations (like flues, extractor fan) / £112 for letter of consent VAT: not stated.
• Islington Council. A council's price to allow subletting, short-term lets included. Sublet registration / To allow subletting of property including short-term "holiday" lets / £53 VAT: not stated.
• Jigsaw Homes. A housing association's price for minor works without a surveyor, with the surveyor and retrospective prices beside it. Consent for Minor Works (No surveyor): / £60.00 / All fees shown are inclusive of VAT. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• Jigsaw Homes. A housing association's price for consent to sub-let, dated January 2026 on its own page. Consent to Sub-Let: / £60.00 / All fees shown are inclusive of VAT. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• L&Q. A large housing association's basic price, with the complex, loft and retrospective prices beside it. Permission request – basic (up to five requests): £70 / All prices include VAT. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• L&Q. A large landlord's price for the licence, held fixed until 31 March 2027 on its own page. Licence to assign: £145 / All prices include VAT. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• L&Q. The cheapest sublet consent we read, from a large housing association, with the dearer variants priced separately. Subletting approval (leaseholders): £30 / All prices include VAT. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• Latimer. A housing association's minor-alterations price, with the major and retrospective prices, one of them fifteen times the minor price, beside it. Alterations, improvements and purchase of loft space / Minor (some cases require a deed of variation) / £95 / Costs are inclusive of VAT unless otherwise stated. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• Latimer. A housing association's price for a leaseholder's consent to sublet, on its 2026/2027 fee table. Subletting / Leaseholder consent / £95 / Costs are inclusive of VAT unless otherwise stated. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• One Manchester. The cheapest basic permission request we read, with the complex and retrospective prices beside it. Home improvements / alterations (permission request - basic) - £50 VAT: not stated.
• One Manchester. A housing association's price for a general consent, subletting included. Provide Consent i.e subletting, pets etc - £50 VAT: not stated.
• Temphis. One agent puts the licence to assign, the sublet consent and the alteration consent on one line at "from" £250, so the real figure can be higher. License to Assign / Sublet / Alteration – From £250.00 / All fees listed above are inclusive of VAT unless otherwise stated. VAT: inclusive of VAT.
• Warwick Estates. An agent that lists the licence on its own price list and sends you to the landlord for the figure. Licence to Assign £TBC plus VAT (please refer to Landlord) VAT: plus VAT.
• West Kent. A housing association that charges nothing for fairly minor changes and a flat fee, plus VAT, for the more involved works that need a licence. For fairly minor changes we will not charge a fee. For more involved works our fee is £150 + VAT and we will issue a Licence for Alterations. VAT: plus VAT.
• West Kent. A housing association's flat price for the licence, with its legal costs stated as a possible extra. Licence to Assign £120.00 / All fees include VAT. VAT: inclusive of VAT.

How it fits with the other leasehold fees

The consent fees are the leaseholder's own, paid before a sale, a letting or a building job. The seller also buys the leasehold pack. The buyer then meets the notice of transfer fee for registering the new owner and any mortgage, the deed of covenant fee where the lease asks the buyer to sign one, and the certificate of compliance fee where the Land Registry needs the landlord's confirmation. Why a leasehold purchase costs more to convey at all is on the leasehold conveyancing costs page.

See the full conveyancing bill

Questions people ask

Where to go next

• Conveyancing fees: the whole bill in one place, the legal fee, the disbursements and the tax.
• Leasehold pack cost: what landlords and managing agents charge the seller for the management pack and LPE1, quoted from their own pages.
• Notice of transfer fee: what landlords charge to register a new owner and a mortgage, quoted from their own pages.
• Deed of covenant fee: what landlords charge for a deed of covenant and a certificate of compliance, quoted from their own pages.
• Certificate of compliance fee: what landlords charge for the certificate the Land Registry waits for, quoted from their own pages.
• Leasehold conveyancing costs: why a leasehold purchase costs more to convey, and which of the extra fees anyone can price.
• Every page Deedsum keeps: the hub, with the whole set on it.