Flat Refurbishment Pimlico

Flat refurbishment is the main refurbishment work in Pimlico, because 94% of the homes here are flats. They come in two broad kinds. Stucco townhouses divided into flats carry pre-1919 fabric, and the post-war blocks, part of the 34% of homes built after 1945, usually have concrete floors and shared risers. Either way the flat sits inside a building shared with neighbours, so the lease, the managing agent and the block's rules shape the job as much as the flat does.

For Pimlico, published UK averages put a full flat refurbishment at £33,000 to £48,000 and a basic one, with budget kitchen and bathroom fittings, at £15,000 to £18,000, and London flats usually cost more (Checkatrade and MyJobQuote, 2026). GS Renovation Ltd, a building contractor based in Potters Bar, does the work in Pimlico: we refurbish the flat within the terms of your lease and licence to alter, protect the common parts throughout, and a registered electrician certifies the new consumer unit and circuits.

Converted townhouse, post-war block or new build in Pimlico

The type of block decides how a Pimlico flat is refurbished. In a flat inside a divided stucco townhouse, the floor is timber joists shared with the flat below, ceilings are often lath, and wiring can be several generations deep from earlier conversions. Pipe runs cut through joists by past plumbers need checking, and any weakened joist is assessed by a structural engineer before new ceilings go up. Old lead or iron supply pipes in a converted house are replaced while the floor is open.

Post-war estates such as Churchill Gardens are different again. About 34% of homes in Pimlico date from after 1945, and those blocks usually have concrete floors, so chasing for cables takes longer and new routes run in the screed or at skirting level. Connections to a shared riser need the managing agent's approval. Within that, 8% of all Pimlico homes date from 2000 or later, and in those blocks the warranty and the building's own fire strategy set limits on what can be altered.

Housing in Pimlico

The Council Tax list puts Pimlico at about 10,180 homes, 94% flats against 6% houses; 55% went up before 1919, 10% between the wars and 34% after 1945.

Leases, licences to alter and block rules in Pimlico

Before a Pimlico flat is stripped out, the lease has to be read. Many leases require the freeholder's licence to alter for structural work, new hard flooring, or moving a kitchen or bathroom, and the managing agent often sets working hours and asks for drawings. The licence can take weeks, so it is the first item on the programme. We supply the method statement and programme the agent asks for, your designer supplies any drawings, and we work to the conditions in the licence.

Block rules then govern the site itself. Common parts and lifts are protected before anything is carried up, loading times are booked with the agent, and waste leaves in bags rather than sitting in a hallway. Agents also ask whether earlier alterations to the flat were approved. Westminster accepts regularisation applications for past work, so an unapproved change found at strip out can be put on record before the licence is signed off.

Hard floors, leaks and fire safety inside a Pimlico block

Sound is the first thing neighbours notice in a Pimlico flat refurbishment. Where a lease requires it, a new timber or tiled floor goes down on an acoustic layer, and the edges are isolated from the walls so footfall does not travel into the flat below. Kitchen and bathroom renewals stay inside the flat footprint, and wet areas are tanked and tested before tiling, because a leak in a shared building damages someone else's ceiling.

Fire safety is split between you and the building. The flat entrance door and the compartment walls and floors are usually matters for the freeholder or the responsible person, so check with the managing agent before touching them. Westminster says a building notice can be used only where the work does not affect the layout and is not affected by the Fire Safety Order, which covers the common parts of a block. A layout change inside a Pimlico flat therefore normally goes in as full plans.

Refurbishing a Pimlico flat before letting it

A landlord refurbishing a Pimlico flat needs the energy rating and the licensing position settled before the next tenancy. Since 1 April 2020, landlords can no longer let or continue to let properties covered by the MEES Regulations with an EPC rating below E without a valid exemption. Insulating a roof void, replacing a failed boiler through an engineer on the Gas Safe Register and fitting secondary glazing to sashes are typical measures, and their order affects the making good.

Westminster's Selective Licensing Scheme has been in effect since 24 November 2025 and requires privately rented properties not already licensed as HMOs to hold a licence in 15 wards. Check with the council whether your Pimlico flat falls in one of those wards. Licence conditions can drive smoke detection, electrical certificates and the state of repair, so we build that list into the scope. The designation runs to 23 November 2030 unless revoked earlier.

• Method statements and product details for the freeholder's licence to alter
• Hard floors, carpet and vinyl laid over a level, sound base
• Unvented cylinder replacement, notified to building control

VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for Pimlico North and Pimlico South. Counts rounded by the VOA.

Related reading for Pimlico homeowners planning flat refurbishment: bathroom renovation in Pimlico, flat refurbishment across Westminster, London builders who work inside occupied blocks, fitting a new kitchen inside the flat footprint, how we handle flat refurbishment across London and Painting and Decorating Cost.

Trusted Flat Refurbishment in Pimlico

We refurbish a flat as one managed job inside a shared building, so the managing agent deals with one contact for access, deliveries and working times. The programme shows the licence to alter, strip out, first fix, plaster, second fix and finish in order. A registered electrician rewires and certifies the flat, and an engineer on the Gas Safe Register handles boilers and hobs. We protect the common parts and keep the neighbours below in mind throughout.

• Kitchens and bathrooms renewed within the existing footprint and drainage
• Free follow-up visit after completion if anything needs attention
• New pipework pressure tested so nothing leaks into the flat below

Checked by Abdelaaziz Saaid, founder and director of GS Renovation Ltd (Companies House no. 14611254).