Guidance notes for tenants - apply for a licence for works

You are responsible for obtaining any statutory consents required, including planning permission and a building warrant. The Council’s consent as landlord does not constitute consent in any other capacity and planning permission and/or a building warrant may still be required.

Under the Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015, you are responsible as a client with legal duties to ensure construction work and repairs are undertaken safely and without damaging workers’ and other people’s health. Please refer to the Health & Safety Executive’s short guide to Construction (Design and Management) Regulations 2015.  The Health and Safety Executive’s website provides information on roles and responsibilities.

Please make sure all drawings include:

• Address of property
• Project name
• Drawing title
• Drawing number
• Date of drawing
• Scale

They should also be fully notated with a specification, except where there's a separate specification.

All drawings  and documents must be submitted in electronic form as individual PDFs (or other acceptable file format such as JPEGs) as part of your application. If a drawing has already been submitted to another Council service, for example as part of a planning or building warrant application, then that drawing must still be included within your application for landlord’s consent.

If the drawings do not include a detailed specification that is detailed enough to identify the proposed works, then a separate specification should be provided.

A fully annotated scale drawing or sketch is required to show the proposed building work including:

• Location of alterations and additions to the leased property
• Specification (which may be supplied as a separate document)

Before starting any work to a building or other structure, the asbestos risk register and schematic drawing for the property must be consulted. The person undertaking the work must sign the register before starting any work. This is an example of the sign-in sheet you should use.

Working on a building constructed prior to 1st January 2000 may require an asbestos survey for refurbishment/demolition. Buildings constructed from 1st January 2000 onwards do not require an asbestos survey for refurbishment/demolition, providing the property does not include equipment manufactured before 1st January 2000 and was not constructed on brownfield land.

Examples of equipment are ovens, soundproofing, insulating mats and fire blankets. Brownfield land is any land that has been previously developed.

You should always keep your asbestos records up to date.

• Update the asbestos register whenever you have work done on asbestos materials.
• Check materials at least once a year to make sure they haven't deteriorated.
• Check against your asbestos register and identify
  • who is going to make these checks
  • when, and
  • why they are able to do the work, for example training

Update your asbestos management plan and date it.

All work should be undertaken in accordance with the current IET Wiring Regulations. A scale drawing or sketch is required to show the proposed electrical work including:

• Location of the new electrical equipment
• Manufacturer and product details of all new electrical equipment
• Proposed circuit wiring details; cable type and size
• Details of circuit protective device

Immediately following the completion of the works, an Electrical Installation Condition Report (EICR) must be supplied to Fife Council’s Estates Team by email to estates.enquiries@fife.gov.uk with the reference number in the subject line that will be issued to you when you submit your application.

A scale drawing or sketch is required to show the proposed plumbing work including:

• Location of new sanitary appliances
• Manufacturer and product details of all sanitary appliances
• Proposed pipework including details of type of pipework, taps and drainage including size
• Details of fat traps, if any

A scale drawing or sketch is required to show the proposed gas pipework work (including any alterations to existing pipework). The following information must be provided:

• Location of gas supply and valves
• Manufacturer and product details of all gas appliances
• Proposed pipework including details of type of pipework and valves, including their size

Immediately following completion of the works, a gas safety certificate must be supplied to Fife Council’s Estates Team by email to estates.enquiries@fife.gov.uk with the reference number in the subject line that will be issued to you when you submit your application.

Depending on the nature of the proposed works, you may be required to provide evidence of the structural stability of the proposed works. A certificate from a Structural Engineers Registration Ltd Scotland approved Certifier of Design (Building Structures) will be acceptable evidence that the design is structurally acceptable.

A building or structure designed for another part of the UK may not be sufficiently robust to withstand the weather conditions in Fife, where stronger wind loads and heavier rainfall may be experienced than in some other parts of the UK. This is most likely to occur where the building or structure is to a standard design and constructed off-site.

You will be responsible for your own expenses in applying for the licence for works. If the Council agrees to grant landlord’s consent, it's recommended that you seek your own legal advice and instruct a solicitor, but you are not obliged to do so. You may therefore wish to consult a solicitor at this stage for an estimate of what your own legal expenses will be.

A contribution towards our costs and expenses, involved in processing your application, will normally be required. Concessions will apply to those community and not for profit organisations that are eligible for a rental concession in accordance with our Subsidised Lease Policy.

Following receipt of your application, which should be submitted through the online form, an invoice will be emailed to you for a contribution of £500 towards the Council’s costs and expenses in dealing with the application. Your application will not be considered until we've received your payment. If your application is considered eligible for exemption from this charge, then you will be informed by email.

In more complex or protracted cases, this charge will be increased to reflect the additional time involved in processing the case and/or the cost of engaging consultants to advise on your proposed works. If this happens, you will be provided with an estimate of the additional cost.