Flat Refurbishment London
Refurbishing a flat is not the same as renovating a house. Freeholder consent, licence-to-alter conditions, restricted working hours, tight access and neighbours on every side — it takes a contractor who deals with London apartments every week. We refurbish flats across London as a single in-house team: one contact, one fixed price, from strip-out to final clean.
What’s Included
- Strip-out & preparation — full soft strip, waste removed through communal areas cleanly and by agreement with the block
- Rewire & plumbing — new consumer unit, lighting and socket layouts, new pipe runs, boiler replacement or relocation
- Plastering — walls and ceilings brought back to a smooth, paint-ready finish
- Kitchen & bathroom — designed, supplied and fitted by our in-house team as part of one programme
- Flooring & joinery — engineered wood, LVT, skirting, doors, built-in storage
- Decorating — mist coat through to final colour throughout
- Compliance & paperwork — licence to alter, building control and certification handled for you
Flat Refurbishment Costs in London (2026)
Every flat is quoted as a fixed price after a free survey. As a guide:
| Project type | Guide price | Typical duration |
|---|---|---|
| Between-tenancy refresh (decorating, flooring, repairs) | quoted individually | 2–4 weeks |
| Full refurbishment, 1–2 bed flat (rewire, plumbing, kitchen, bathroom) | from £18,000 | 6–10 weeks |
| Larger flats, lateral conversions, structural alterations | quoted individually | 10+ weeks |
All prices are subject to VAT.
The biggest cost drivers are the state of the existing services (wiring and pipework in older conversions often needs full replacement), kitchen and bathroom specification, and access — a third-floor flat with no lift is priced honestly up front, not discovered as an “extra” later.
What Makes Flat Refurbishment Different
Freeholder consent and licence to alter. Most leases require formal consent for anything beyond decoration. We prepare the schedules of work and drawings your freeholder or managing agent needs, and we carry the insurances they ask for.
Block rules and neighbours. Working hours, communal-area protection, noise windows for drilling — we agree the rules with the managing agent before we start and stick to them, so you don’t get complaints letters.
Logistics. No skip outside the front door, no lift, one staircase: flat refurbishment is a logistics job as much as a building job. Materials in, waste out, daily, cleanly.
Period conversions. Much of West London’s flat stock is converted Victorian and Edwardian terraces — solid walls, old floors, shared services. We work with these buildings every week and price the preparation they genuinely need.
Between-Tenancy Refurbishments for Landlords
For buy-to-let owners, the refurbishment window between tenancies is short and every extra week is lost rent. We commit to a start date and programme before you serve notice or agree a check-out, sequence all trades under one roof so days aren’t lost to scheduling gaps, and hand back a flat that photographs well and lets quickly. Need the whole property done? See our full property refurbishment service.
How It Works
1. Free survey. We visit, measure and check services, access and lease constraints.
2. Fixed written quote. Itemised, fixed, with a committed programme and stage payments tied to milestones.
3. Consents. Licence to alter and building control handled before work starts.
4. The works. Strip-out, first fix, plastering, kitchen and bathroom, flooring, decoration — one in-house team throughout.
5. Handover. Certification, snagging and a full clean, with weekly photo updates along the way for remote owners.
Where We Work
We refurbish flats across London, including Ealing, Acton, Chiswick, Hammersmith, Fulham, Kensington, Shepherd’s Bush, Richmond, Twickenham and Hounslow. See all areas we cover.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does it cost to refurbish a 2-bed flat in London?
A full refurbishment of a one or two-bed flat — rewire, plumbing, new kitchen and bathroom, flooring and decoration — starts from around £18,000, with the final figure depending on specification and the state of the existing services. You get a fixed written quote after a free survey.
Do I need freeholder consent to refurbish my flat?
Usually yes, for anything beyond redecoration — it’s called a licence to alter. We prepare the schedule of works and liaise with your freeholder or managing agent as part of the job.
How long does a flat refurbishment take?
A between-tenancy refresh takes 2–4 weeks; a full refurbishment of a 1–2 bed flat typically takes 6–10 weeks. We commit to the programme in writing before we start.
Do you refurbish ex-council and purpose-built flats?
Yes — alongside period conversions, we regularly refurbish purpose-built and ex-local-authority flats, which are often excellent candidates for value-adding refurbishment.
Can you do just the kitchen or bathroom?
Of course — see our dedicated kitchen renovation and bathroom renovation pages.
Want proof? Our completed projects include full flat refurbishments and an 11-flat commercial-to-residential conversion delivered as CDM Principal Contractor.
Ready to Get Started?
Call us today for a free, no-obligation consultation and quote.