We understand that you want to make your home your own and there may be times that you want to make improvements to your home. We want to make sure those improvements are done safely and won't cause you any issues if or when it is time to move on. That's why we ask you to let us know what improvements you are planning.
Apply for permission
To request permission to make improvements just complete our online form with as much detail as possible about your plans.
After receiving your request, your rent account will be checked for any arrears.
If you are in arrears, permission will not be granted. You can re-apply once your rent account is clear of arrears.
Once you have been granted permission, you can carry out the work.
We then ask that when the work has been completed, you let us know.
Any improvements you carry out will not increase the price of your home, if you later decide to buy your home through right to buy.
If you want to move and have altered the layout of the property or made any additions without our permission, you may have to remove them and return the property to its original condition. You may also be recharged for any further work we are required to do as a result.
Please check if planning permission is required first before carrying out any works.
Compensation for Improvements
If you have carried out any improvements with our permission and decide to move, you may be able to claim compensation under the compensation for improvements scheme.
The Leasehold Reform, Housing and Urban Development Act 1993 gives secure tenants the right to compensation for certain tenant financed, qualifying improvements that have had the written permission of the Council. An application can be made by the tenant within 28 days before or 14 days after the end of the tenancy.
Below are some helpful guides for common tenant alterations.
If granted permission, caravans should be kept in a good condition. Permission will be reviewed every 12 months. The caravan cannot be used for residential purposes.
You will be requested to follow the below CCTV guidance:
- you fully adhere to the Data Protection Act
- the camera is used at a domestic property and for the protection of your property only
- it is not used to view, record or capture others where a persons rights and/or privacy may be infringed or which may otherwise intrude, annoy, distress, or alarm persons.
- you should regularly delete the recordings and they should not kept for longer than is necessary for the protection of your property
- you are responsible for all of the information that is recorded on your system, you should keep your recordings secure and access to them to a minimum
- any recorded footage may be required by the Police as evidence and this must be provided to them at their request
- aou must also adhere to any updated versions of this guidance throughout the lifetime of your CCTV operations. See the government guidance on the use of domestic CCTV.
Most electrical work must be carried out by a qualified electrician. If electrical works are carried out, we will ask to see the Certificate of Electrical Compliance on completion.
Before making the decision to get an electric vehicle it is important that you consider how you will be able to charge it.
Your responsibility
We are not responsible for installing charge points for electric vehicles at your home, but if you would like to get one installed you will need to apply for permission.
Cost
You will be responsible for any costs related to purchasing and installing a charger. There may be grants available to help with this, but it will be your responsibility to investigate and apply for these.
Suitable location
As long as there is a suitable space within the boundary of your home, we would grant permission for a charger point to be installed. We cannot, however, grant permission for charging points to be installed in shared parking spaces or public spaces.
Charging without an external charging point
We do not recommend trailing cables across the pavement as, even with a mat protector or cable cover, they can be a health and safety hazard especially to the visually and / or mobility impaired. You would be liable for any criminal or civil proceedings if your cable caused an accident. Under the Highways Act 1980 action may be taken to remove cables that are deemed unsuitable or unsafe.
Public charging points
We have installed 2 Electric Vehicle Charge Points (EVCPs) in the car parking spaces outside the sheltered communal building at Wilford Furlong in Willingham and Elin Way in Meldreth.
There will be a separate electricity meter for the EVCPs, so the electricity used will not be charged back to tenants. This will be paid for by the users of the EVCPs and will cost 35p per kilowatt hour used. The EVCPs will be for the use of tenants and by your visitors, as electric vehicles (EVs) become more commonplace. To encourage uptake of EVs these chargers will also be available to other village residents who own an EV.
Charging points are also available at many supermarkets, petrol stations, park and ride sites and other locations around the district.
Other options
You can find lots of useful information about sustainable travel such as links to maps of public charging points around the country, charger sharing schemes that allow people with chargers to rent them to neighbours, and more.
If you would like to suggest a location near your home in Cambridgeshire for the installation of an on-street electric vehicle charge point contact Cambridgeshire County Council. Requests cannot be responded to individually and will be reviewed collectively to help inform delivery in areas where demand is greatest.
Please note you can gain permission to erect a fence or gate up to 3ft high in the front garden or next to a highway, or up to 6ft high in the rear garden. If you wish to erect fencing higher than stated, you will need to submit a planning application.
In order to have a dropped kerb installed to access the public highway, you must seek consent from the County Council. This consent is to ensure that any proposed crossing does not present a safety hazard to other users of the highway and to ensure that all works are carried out to the appropriate standard.
Please visit the Cambridgeshire County Council for information and guidance on how to apply for a dropped kerb.
If you are replacing internal doors they need to be fireproof. The original doors will need to be preserved and upon terminating your tenancy and vacating the premises, you may be required to reinstate the original doors.