Partitions in a leased office: licence for alterations, reinstatement and dilapidations

Updated 6 November 2026 · By the Office Partitions team

Short answer: If you lease your office, you will almost always need the landlord's written consent before installing partitions, usually through a licence for alterations. Most leases also require tenant alterations to be removed and the space reinstated at the end of the term, which feeds into dilapidations. Demountable systems, good records and agreeing reinstatement terms up front can reduce the cost later.

Why landlord consent is needed

Commercial leases usually restrict alterations. Structural changes are often prohibited outright, while non-structural internal alterations, such as partitions, typically need the landlord's prior written consent, which the landlord may not be allowed to withhold unreasonably depending on the lease wording. Consent is normally documented in a licence for alterations, prepared by the landlord's solicitor, often with the tenant paying the landlord's reasonable legal and surveyor costs.

Check the alterations clause in your lease before planning
Prepare drawings and specifications of the proposed partitions
Allow several weeks for the landlord's review and the licence to be agreed
Do not start work until the licence is completed
Ask whether the landlord requires particular contractors for fire alarm, sprinklers or air conditioning changes

What a licence for alterations usually covers

Item	What it typically says
Scope of works	The approved drawings and specification
Standards	Works must comply with Building Regulations, planning and the building's rules
Contractors	Insurance and qualification requirements for those doing the work
Building services	How fire alarm, sprinkler, ventilation and electrical changes are handled
Reinstatement	Whether partitions must be removed at lease end, or whether the landlord may choose
Costs	Who pays the landlord's legal and surveyor costs

Read the reinstatement clause carefully. Some licences require removal regardless, while others leave it to the landlord to decide at the end of the term.

Reinstatement and dilapidations

Dilapidations is the term for the tenant's liabilities at the end of a lease to repair, redecorate and reinstate the premises. Partitions you installed may need removing, with ceilings, floors, walls and services returned to their original condition. If this is not done, the landlord may claim the cost, though the claim is generally limited by law in England and Wales to the loss in value of the landlord's interest.

Photograph and record the space before your fit-out starts
Keep copies of the licence, drawings and installation records
Budget for removal and making good from the start of the lease
Consider negotiating that well-made partitions can be left in place if the landlord wants them

Cat A and Cat B fit-outs

Many offices are let in Cat A condition, with finished ceilings, raised floors, lighting, air conditioning and toilets but an open floor. The tenant's Cat B fit-out then adds partitions, meeting rooms, kitchens, furniture and IT. Partitions are typically Cat B work. Knowing the Cat A baseline matters because reinstatement usually means returning to it, and partitions that cut through the Cat A ceiling, lighting or air conditioning layout will cost more to reverse.

Choosing a system for a leased office

Demountable and many glazed systems suit leased offices well because they can be taken down cleanly, with fewer repairs to floors and ceilings, and reused in the next office or on another floor. Plasterboard is cheaper to install but creates more waste and making good at removal. For a short lease, the cheapest wall to install is not always the cheapest wall to own.

Short lease or expected relocation: favour demountable or reusable glazed systems
Long lease, stable layout: plasterboard may give the best value
Landlord wants rooms left: agree in writing whether they can stay

Practical steps at the start and end of a lease

Before signing, ask for the Cat A specification and any existing licences for alterations on the floor
Agree in heads of terms whether partitions can stay at lease end
Keep a dated photo record and schedule of condition before fit-out
File the licence, drawings, product details and fire certificates together
Twelve to eighteen months before lease end, review the reinstatement duty and get removal priced
Ask the landlord early whether they want any rooms left for the next tenant

Starting reinstatement conversations well before the lease ends gives you time to negotiate, to reuse demountable partitions in your next office, and to avoid a rushed strip-out in the final weeks.

Other permissions and checks

Internal partitions do not usually need planning permission, but listed buildings need listed building consent for internal alterations that affect their character, and some conservation-sensitive interiors are protected. Building control may be needed where escape routes or fire separation change. In older buildings, the asbestos register should be checked before fixing into ceilings, walls and floors, and the landlord should provide it. Your fire risk assessment should be reviewed once the new layout is in place.