Changes to your home

Adaptations can be considered for removal from South Tyneside Council properties upon request of the tenant.

Permission for removal will depend on a number of circumstances and may not be allowed.

You can ask for permission by contacting us on 0300 123 66 33 and requesting the removal of an adaptation. Our Health and Housing team will contact you to discuss.

When we will not look to remove adaptations

In such circumstances, we will not look to remove adaptations:

• Any property with a Through Floor Lift will not be granted permission to remove
• Any property with ramped access will not be granted permission to remove, unless the following conditions are met:
  • The ramp is in a state of disrepair, is situated within a family dwelling and it can be evidenced that no person within the household requires the adaptation;
  • Or, the presence of ramped access is obstructing the lettability of a family property with no other adaptations.
• Any property with a wet room or walk in shower will not be granted permission to remove unless the following conditions are met:
  • The wet room or walk in shower is situated within a family dwelling with no other adaptations, it can be evidenced that no person within the household requires the adaptation and it is deemed by South Tyneside Council that the wet room or walk in shower is in a state of disrepair. If damage has been caused by the tenant or visitors to the property, any repair will be rechargeable to the tenant.

This list is not conclusive and is not limited to the above examples. However, each request will be considered individually on merit.

What happens if you have removed an adaptation without asking permission

If it is found that a customer has removed an adaptation from a South Tyneside Council property without getting permission from South Tyneside Council, any costs to re-instate will be rechargeable to the tenant.

Permission can be only be requested by a tenant through submitting an 'Application for Alterations' form to us.

No alterations to a property should take place without confirmation of permission in writing.