Check the approvals, licences and risks
before you refurbish, alter or extend
your London property
Planning a flat refurbishment, house alteration, loft, basement or extension? Enter your property address to see early flags for Licence to Alter, planning permission, listed building consent, party wall matters, conservation-area limits, structural works and build-cost risks — before you call builders or commit to drawings.
Checks may flagLicence to Alter · Planning Permission · Listed Building Consent · Party Wall · Structural Works · Conservation Area
Built with Hampstead Chartered Surveyors — RICS-regulated building consultancy. This is an early-stage property check, not a guarantee of consent.
WORKS START
What your property may need before works start
Enter the exact property address and we flag the approvals, licences and risks that people often miss before calling builders — from Licence to Alter and listed building consent to party wall, planning, structural and cost issues.
Licence to Alter & leasehold consent
Flat or leasehold property? We flag where freeholder consent, a Licence to Alter or lease checks may be needed before works start.
Planning permission & permitted development
Whether the works may fall under permitted development, need a planning application, or need further checks before you rely on either route.
Listed building & conservation risk
Whether the property is listed, in a conservation area, or affected by restrictions where even internal or small external changes may need consent.
Party wall & neighbour matters
Whether shared walls, boundaries, excavations or structural works may trigger party wall notices before building work can start.
Structural works & building control
Flags where removing walls, forming openings, lofts, basements or structural changes may need structural calculations or building control approval.
Nearby approvals
Recent nearby applications and decisions that help show what has been accepted or refused around the property — useful context, not a guarantee.
Build-cost & feasibility risks
An early cost range and warning signs such as awkward access, basements, drainage, listed details or unusual site constraints.
Suggested next steps
Clear guidance on whether to speak to a chartered surveyor, planning adviser, structural engineer, freeholder or other specialist before spending more.
MAY NEED
From a free property check to the right next step
Start with a free property check. If the address shows risks, you can save a report or ask Hampstead Chartered Surveyors what should happen before you call builders, commit to drawings or start works.
Free property check
Check the exact address against property, planning and constraint data. See early flags for approvals, leasehold issues, listed/conservation risk, party wall, structure and likely next steps.
Run a free check →Property Works Feasibility Report
The self-serve option: a system-generated report for the confirmed property address, if you just want a written summary to save, share or discuss before instructing formal advice. Not individually reviewed by a surveyor.
Check an address →Surveyor-reviewed pack
The step we recommend for a decision that matters: your report individually reviewed by a chartered surveyor at Hampstead Chartered Surveyors and emailed back within 2 working days — especially for leasehold flats, listed buildings, structural works, party wall matters or pre-purchase decisions.
Order surveyor review →Professional services, when you need them
Most problems happen because owners call builders first. This check helps you understand whether you should speak to a surveyor, freeholder, planning adviser, structural engineer or party wall surveyor before works begin.
Licence to Alter
Renovating a leasehold flat? Your lease may require written freeholder consent before works start. We can help you understand the likely route and what information may be needed.
Ask a chartered surveyor →Listed building consent
Own or buying a listedLegally protected building — consent needed for most changes, inside and out. property? Internal and external changes may need listed building consent if they affect the building's character.
Read the guide →Planning permission / lawful development
For extensions, roof works, external changes or changes of use, we can help identify whether planning permission, permitted development or a lawful development route may be relevant.
Enquire →Party wall matters
Working near shared wallsA wall shared with your neighbour — legal notices required before working on or near it., boundaries or neighbouring structures? Notices may be needed before work starts.
Read the guide →Structural works & building control
Removing walls, forming openings, lofts, basements or structural alterations may need structural calculations and building control approval.
Enquire →Pre-works surveyor review
Not sure where to start? A chartered surveyor can review the property, proposed works and main risks before you call builders or commit to drawings.
Request a review →06
A property check for the decisions before works start
One page for a confirmed London property address: early flags for approvals, licences, listed/conservation risk, party wall matters, structural works, nearby decisions and build-cost range — each clearly labelled and linked to its source where available.
42 Pond Street
Full planningA formal application your council must approve before you build. required — not PDWork you can do WITHOUT a full planning application..
Property sits inside Hampstead Conservation Area (Sub-Area 3). Permitted development rights are modified. Recent approvals on this street suggest a 3m single-storey rear in matching stock brick is within policy.
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All 33 London boroughs
Coverage across all 33 London boroughs using official constraint datasets where available. Borough pages help you understand local conservation areas, Article 4 directions, planning patterns and property-risk context — but the best starting point is still the exact property address.
Camden
Westminster
Kensington and Chelsea
Hackney
Islington
Wandsworth
Greenwich
Richmond upon Thames
Croydon
Barnet
Conservation-area and Article 4 counts: planning.data.gov.uk · Open Government Licence
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Common London property works
Different works trigger different checks. A flat refurbishment, wall removal, loft, basement, garden room or extension may need different approvals, licences, structural input or neighbour notices before work starts.
Flat refurbishment
Leasehold flat works may need freeholder consent, a Licence to Alter, building-control checks, structural input or listed-building consent before works start.
Internal alterations
Removing walls, forming openings or changing layouts may need structural calculations, building control approval, lease/freeholder checks or listed-building consent before works start.
Loft conversion
May be permitted development for some houses, but flats, conservation areas, Article 4 directions and listed buildings can change the route.
Rear extension
May fall under permitted development for some houses, but conservation areas, flats, listed buildings and design constraints may require a full application.
Basement dig
Often needs planning, structural design, drainage checks, party wall notices and careful feasibility review.
Garden room
May be permitted development if limits are met, but use, height, location, services, listed status and conservation constraints can change the route.
All project guides — permitted-development limits, costs and approval odds →
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See what neighbours got approved — or refused
Recent planning decisions on streets like yours are the best guide to what your council will actually accept. As part of the £295 Surveyor-Reviewed Pack, a chartered surveyor at Hampstead Chartered Surveyors looks up recent decisions near your property on the council's public planning register and writes up what's relevant to your project.
- Recent approved, refused and withdrawn applications near your street — the schemes most comparable to yours.
- What each means for your project: which approaches the council waved through, and what drew a refusal.
- A plain-English read on the local pattern, written for your specific works.
It's the surveyor's judgement on the local pattern — useful context as you design your scheme and weigh your approach. It is not a prediction or a guarantee of your own decision, and where there are no comparable decisions nearby, the pack says so plainly.
MANUAL, SURVEYOR-CHECKED · NO AUTOMATED FEED, NO PLACEHOLDER DATA
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Methodology & confidence
Planning Permission Checker is deterministic, not chatbot-first. A rules engine checks official datasets against the property's UPRNThe unique official ID number for your property.. The language model only turns the results into a plain-English summary. It does not invent a constraint, price or approval.
Every claim carries a confidence tier. Where the data is thin or missing, we say so — and where a manual review is the right next step, we route you to a chartered surveyor (Hampstead Chartered Surveyors), not a chatbot.
Structured data present, matched to UPRN
Your property sits inside (or outside) the authoritative dataset boundary. Cited to planning.data.gov.uk or Historic England. Good enough for early feasibility — verify before drawings, purchase, submission or works.
Partial coverage — directional, not definitive
The dataset is incomplete for this borough, or the boundary is approximate. Use for exploration; verify before submission. We flag this every time.
Borough-specific manual review needed
Listed-building points, basement impact zones, TPO extents — these need a human checking the council register. We'll tell you what to look for.
Resolve to UPRN
OS Places API turns your typed address into a canonical UPRN and coordinate pair — the same identifier every dataset uses.
Run structured queries
UPRN and point queries against planning.data.gov.uk, EPC and Land Registry. Results are typed, sourced, and timestamped.
Score & classify
Each constraint is scored by coverage quality. The uplift model runs against street-cluster sold-price deltas, not borough means.
Write & cite
The LLM drafts the plain-English summary and the likely route. Every paragraph carries its source link. You can always click through.
TRUST IT
Why you can trust it
The check is built on official data and developed with Hampstead Chartered Surveyors. It is a clear first step before you spend money — not a substitute for formal professional advice.
Chartered-surveyor expertise
Built with Hampstead Chartered Surveyors, an RICS-regulated practice. The guidance is designed around real building consultancy issues: leasehold works, party wall, listed/conservation risk, structure and feasibility.
Building-consultancy experience
Party wall, Licence to Alter, pre-purchase feasibility and planning-risk questions are everyday building consultancy issues. The check is designed to help you spot them early.
London residential knowledge
London property works are shaped by borough rules, conservation areas, leasehold controls, neighbouring properties and local planning patterns — not generic national advice.
Transparent methodology
Every figure is labelled, every confidence level is shown, and where data runs out we say so. See the methodology →
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Free check, report, or surveyor review
Start with the free property check. If the address shows risks, you can save a report for your records or ask Hampstead Chartered Surveyors to review what should happen before you call builders, commit to drawings or start works. Full report details & FAQs →
Check a confirmed property address for early planning, leasehold, listed/conservation, party wall, structural and cost-risk flags.
- Exact property address check
- Planning and constraint flags
- Listed/conservation risk
- Nearby approvals where available
- Early cost and feasibility indicators
- Suggested next steps
For a property you confirm by address. A system-generated report to save, print or share with your professional team before instructing formal advice. Generated using checks developed with Hampstead Chartered Surveyors — not individually reviewed by a chartered surveyor unless you upgrade.
- Everything in the free check
- Planning-route summary
- Listed, conservation and Article 4 risk indicators
- Licence to Alter / leasehold prompts where relevant
- Party-wall and neighbour-risk prompts
- Build-cost range indicators and suggested next steps
- Printable / saveable report
An early-stage feasibility report for a confirmed individual property — not a planning decision or a full professional survey.
Everything in the report, individually reviewed by Hampstead Chartered Surveyors. A chartered surveyor checks the key risks and tells you what to investigate next.
- Everything in the feasibility report
- Desktop review by Hampstead Chartered Surveyors
- Surveyor comments on key risks
- Licence to Alter / party wall / listed / structural issues to investigate
- Recommended next steps
- Checked by a chartered surveyor before issue
- £495 inc. VAT — add one 30-minute consultation call with HCS (Review + Consultation Call)
Delivered by email within 2 working days. No phone consultation included.
Free check vs the report, side by side
| What you get | Free property check | £59 Report | £295 Surveyor pack |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | £59 inc. VAT | £295 inc. VAT |
| Exact property check | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Planning and constraint flags | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Listed/conservation risk | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Licence to Alter / leasehold prompts | No | Yes | Yes |
| Party-wall and neighbour-risk prompts | No | Yes | Yes |
| Build-cost range indicators | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Printable / saveable report | No | Yes | Yes |
| Individually reviewed by a chartered surveyor | No | No | Yes — HCS |
| Surveyor comments on your specific risks | No | No | Yes |
| How you get it | Instant | Instant report | Order online · reviewed in 2 working days |
The £59 report is system-generated and is not individually reviewed by a chartered surveyor. The £295 Surveyor-Reviewed Pack is checked by a chartered surveyor before issue; the £495 option adds one 30-minute consultation call after the reviewed pack is sent.
SURVEYOR-REVIEWED PACKS AND REVIEWS ARE PROVIDED BY HAMPSTEAD CHARTERED SURVEYORS (RICS-REGULATED, FIRM REG. 923064). YOUR ENQUIRY IS SENT TO THEM — WE DON'T PASS YOUR DETAILS TO BUILDERS OR THIRD PARTIES WITHOUT YOUR CONSENT.
STEP
Talk to a chartered surveyor
Tell us what you are planning and we'll take you to Hampstead Chartered Surveyors to enquire directly. Pick the option that best fits the property or works.
Whichever you choose, you go straight to Hampstead Chartered Surveyors (RICS-regulated, Firm Reg. 923064) to make your enquiry. We never share your details with builders or other third parties.
Common questions
Is this formal planning advice?
Where does the data come from?
How accurate is the uplift estimate?
Which London boroughs do you cover?
Is this just ChatGPT with a planning prompt?
Do you sell my data?
Should I call a builder first?
Check the property before you commit.
An early-stage feasibility and risk-screening tool. This check is based on available planning and property data and developed with Hampstead Chartered Surveyors. It is not a planning decision, not a valuation and not a guarantee of consent. Depending on the property, formal advice may be needed from a chartered surveyor, planning consultant, solicitor, structural engineer or other specialist. Your data is not passed to builders or other third parties without your consent.