Get permission to make changes to your council home

If you want to make improvements to your council home, you may need permission from us.

You do not need permission for general decoration inside your home such as painting, wallpaper, shelving or adding curtains or blinds.

You will need permission from us for works such as:

• changes to your kitchen or bathroom fixtures and fittings, including installing a shower
• knocking down walls inside your home or in your garden
• changes to water, gas or electricity fixtures and fittings
• putting up sheds, greenhouses or other structures in your garden
• building a dropped kerb and hard standing
• putting up any external aerials (such as TV aerials or satellite dishes)
• putting up conservatories or porches

If you are unsure if you need permission, you can contact us. 

Email: housingmanagement@woking.gov.uk 

Alterations we cannot approve

Changes to your council home

We will not approve:

• cat flaps – on any door or window
• staircases – any changes to the balustrade, banister, railing or spindles
• any solid fuel burners including wood
• modifications to fire doors
• modifications to utility pipework, including drains
• EV chargers where there is no private driveway
• boarding of lofts
• loft rooms
• loft hatch changes
• changes to fire alarm/sprinkler systems

Changes to communal areas

We will not approve:

• fixed children play equipment that cannot be moved and stored at the end of each day
• birdboxes on council owned tree
• digging up communal garden areas
• ponds in communal gardens
• fencing around communal area for personal use
• changes to balconies, such as in filling, creating another room, blocking a fire exit
• hanging baskets on balconies
• tree planting
• structural changes to communal facilities, for example, creating car ports