Alterations and Improving Your Home

There are lots of changes you can make to your rented home to improve it that you don’t need our permission for.

These include:

• Fitting a water meter
• Fitting white goods (where services are already available) like a washing machine or cooker
• Changing light fittings, such as a light shade
• Decorating or changing soft furnishings like curtains or blinds
• Fittings carpets.

If you are looking for affordable furniture, we can signpost you to a number of different providers including CT Furniture, which sell recycled and second hand furniture, including sofas, bed, wardrobes and dining tables.

If you are referred to CT Furniture by us, you will also receive an additional discount on any items that you purchase. 

There are changes to your home that you will need our permission for, before any work is carried out, and it is important you read our Design Guides .

Some of these changes include:

• Electrical work such as fitting a shower
• Laminate flooring in certain situations
• External television aerials and dishes, exterior lights and/or cameras
• Installing a telephone line or cable service
• Replacing fixtures and fittings in your kitchen or bathroom.

These are just a few examples and it is important that you get permission before making changes to your home, even if they comply with our Design Guides.

To apply for an alteration to your home, please go to our Apply to make an alteration to your home now page.

If you have a starter tenancy, you will not be able to carry out alterations or make improvement works to your home for the first 12 months of your tenancy.

For further details, please contact our Customer Services team by emailing enquiries@bvt.org.uk