Apply for covenant consent

All property sold under the Right to Buy scheme are subject to restrictive covenants. A restrictive covenant is an agreement in a deed which restricts the use of land. The restrictive covenant stays with the property no matter how many times it changes hands.

If you own a home which was once owned by this council, we may have some control over how you change the appearance of your home, or its use through restrictive covenants.

If your property has restrictive covenants, you will need to apply for permission to make changes to your property.

Types of alterations

• Extensions and external alterations
• Additional dwelling within the boundary of the demise
• Loft conversions
• Front or rear garden alterations
• Front garden parking

Any permissions granted under a restrictive covenant are separate to planning permission and building control approval.

If covenant consent is granted, this does not mean that planning permission or building control consent will be granted. Similarly, planning and building control consents do not imply that approval under the covenant will be granted.

In all cases, you need to have permission from the council before carrying out any changes to your property. If you do not have the relevant permissions, it may be more difficult for you to sell your home in the future.

If your intention is to change the use of your home, for instance you wish to convert it into a house of multiple occupation (HMO), or you want to run a business from the property, please do not continue with this application form.

Please seek advice from the Estate and Land team, email tenancyandestates@eppingforestdc.gov.uk.

Apply for permission

To apply for permission you need to:

• Be the current registered owner of the land
• Complete the covenant consent application form
• Provide plans or drawings of the proposed alterations
• Pay the correct administration fee

Cost

Our administration fee of £96.97, inclusive of VAT is non-refundable, even if your application is unsuccessful.