Lawful development certificate drawings for Lambeth, £539
For works already built, Lambeth puts the onus on you to prove lawfulness “on the balance of probability”, and it has set out which evidence it expects. We build the drawings and the evidence bundle together.
- £389 drawings + £150 survey (£539 total)
- Evidence bundle built
- Time limits explained
What does a lawful development certificate pack cost in Lambeth?
We charge £539: £389 for the drawings, forms and submission and £150 for the survey, with no VAT to add. Lambeth Council’s certificate fee is paid to the council.
What the Lambeth price covers
- A survey that fixes what exists today, to compare with the dates in your evidence
- Existing and proposed plans and elevations, or existing only for old works
- A checklist of the evidence Lambeth names, with gaps flagged
- The application forms and submission to Lambeth
- Replies to the case officer
Lambeth’s evidence rule for existing works
Lambeth’s local list (item 31) says a certificate of existing lawful development needs sufficient evidence to show lawfulness on the balance of probability, and that the onus is firmly on the applicant; otherwise the application may be refused (Lambeth local list).
It adds that operational development, meaning building works, is lawful if substantially completed four or more years before the application and before 25 April 2024, and that on or after that date the period is extended from 4 to 10 years. For a change of use to a home commenced on or after that date the same 4 to 10 year extension applies.
What counts as evidence in Lambeth
The local list says evidence should show continuity over the relevant period, and names statutory declarations, council tax or business rates records, electoral records, service bills, tenancy agreements and dated photographs. For example, an extension built in 2019 could be backed by the builder’s invoice, a building control completion letter and dated aerial photographs, drawn against our measured survey.
Lambeth also runs an online submission pilot for householder applications (Lambeth householder applications), and had earlier run a beta for lawful development certificates. We submit by whichever route the case suits.
Constraints and timing
Lambeth has 62 conservation areas (Lambeth conservation areas), and Article 4 directions cover all or part of nine of them (Lambeth Article 4). A proposed certificate cannot confirm permitted development where those rights have been removed. For example, a certificate for a rear extension on a Stockwell Park house would be refused as the rights are limited there.
Lambeth decided 333 of 354 householder applications inside 8 weeks in the year to June 2026; certificates are separate, and we cannot promise a date. The local list above is also what Lambeth checks at validation.
Lambeth certificate applications in numbers
- 4 or 10 years
- Time limits Lambeth’s list sets for building works to become lawful: four years before 25 April 2024, ten after it. Lambeth: Local Information Requirements 2024
- 25 Apr 2024
- Date from which Lambeth’s list says the period to acquire lawfulness is extended from 4 to 10 years. Lambeth: Local Information Requirements 2024
- Item 31
- Item of Lambeth’s local list that sets the evidence rule for certificates of existing lawful development. Lambeth: Local Information Requirements 2024
- Balance of probability
- The standard of proof Lambeth’s local list sets for lawfulness evidence, with the onus on the applicant. Lambeth: Local Information Requirements 2024
- 62
- Conservation areas in Lambeth. Lambeth: conservation area profiles
- 333 of 354
- Lambeth Council householder applications decided within 8 weeks in the year to June 2026, out of all it decided (prior approvals not counted). MHCLG live table PS2, planning application statistics by district, July 2025 to June 2026 (GOV.UK)
- £72.73 per m²
- The Mayor of London’s CIL in Lambeth (band 2) for permissions granted in 2026, owed only when a scheme is liable for CIL in the first place. Mayoral CIL: annual rate summary for 2026, Table 1 (Greater London Authority)
Lambeth certificate questions
How long must a building have stood to be lawful in Lambeth?
Lambeth’s list says four years if substantially completed before 25 April 2024, and ten years on or after that date.
What evidence does Lambeth accept?
Statutory declarations, council tax or business rates records, electoral records, service bills, tenancy agreements and dated photographs.
Who has to prove it?
The applicant. Lambeth says the onus is firmly on you and that an application without enough evidence may be refused.
Can you do the evidence for me?
We draw the survey and drawings and list the evidence you need. The documents themselves have to come from you.
Other services people book with this one
- Rear extension drawings£439 drawings + £150 survey (£589 total)
- Loft conversion drawings£439 drawings + £150 survey (£589 total)
- Prior approval for a larger home extension£349 drawings + £150 survey (£499 total)
- Householder planning drawings£479 drawings + £150 survey (£629 total)
- Building regulations drawings£479 drawings + £150 survey (£629 total)
Price your Lambeth certificate
Send the address and the year the work was done. We say whether a certificate fits and quote a fixed fee.