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Ask Baily about your London renovation. One vetted NHBC-registered London builder, not a dozen strangers.

MyBuilder blasts your renovation to a dozen strangers. Baily routes it to one London builder who files Building Control notices and Party Wall notices for a living.

London — joining waitlist

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London, UK market, 2026

London remodeling market overview

£28-42B

Market size

£35,000-£85,000

Median kitchen

£18,000-£45,000

Median bathroom

8-22 weeks

Permit timeline

How AskBaily compares to Angi and Thumbtack

The math, as arithmetic

12

strangers Angi sells one lead to.

1

licensed Los Angeles builder Baily hands your project to. Named, verifiable, CSLB #1105249.

5–10

follow-up calls a lead typically fields, in the first 48 hours.

Every other marketplace sells your kitchen remodel to a dozen strangers and calls that “choice.” Baily picks up where they cash out.

London partner

We are accepting London builder applications.

We vet one general contractor per city — licensed, insured, with a track record in London, UK. If you are a London GC who wants exclusive routing from Baily, apply at /for-pros.

What Baily scopes in London

High-ticket remodels, scoped for London, UK.

Renovation

Scoped for London, UK costs and permits

Loft Conversion

Scoped for London, UK costs and permits

Kitchen Renovation

Scoped for London, UK costs and permits

Kitchen Extension

Scoped for London, UK costs and permits

Bathroom Renovation

Scoped for London, UK costs and permits

Rear Extension

Scoped for London, UK costs and permits

Side Return Extension

Scoped for London, UK costs and permits

Basement Conversion

Scoped for London, UK costs and permits

Listed Building Renovation

Scoped for London, UK costs and permits

Energy Retrofit

Scoped for London, UK costs and permits

Service × London spoke pages are coming in a later release.

How the math actually runs

Their way. Our way.

Angi, Thumbtack, Houzz, HomeAdvisor. One pattern: your project gets sold to many strangers. AskBaily runs the other direction.

Who sees your project / Them

3–8 contractors, simultaneously

AskBaily

1 licensed LA builder

Who scopes the job / Them

You, via a category form

AskBaily

Baily + NP Line Design GC

Photo intake / Them

Upload to a form, wait for a callback

AskBaily

Gemini multimodal, analyzed in-chat

Permits and Title 24 / Them

Not considered until the call

AskBaily

LADBS + Title 24 2025 in the scoping

Wildfire rebuild and insurance / Them

Same generic intake as a kitchen refresh

AskBaily

Specialist flow — SB 1103, Xactimate, IICRC

Your info / Them

Your data is the product

AskBaily

Stays with one builder, not resold

Follow-up calls / Them

5–10 over the next 48 hours

AskBaily

1, from Netanel's team

SMS / iMessage continuity / Them

Restart from scratch

AskBaily

Same Baily, same conversation

Every column on the left is documented — FTC v. HomeAdvisor (2023, $7.2M), Angi’s own lead-share terms, Thumbtack’s pay-per-contact schedule. We cite them so you don’t have to.

London, UK rules Baily knows

Local regulation, already in the scope.

Every London renovation runs through two parallel consent regimes that must both be satisfied. Planning permission is handled by your borough council and addresses land use, amenity, massing, and design. Building Control (either a private approved inspector or the local-authority building-control team) addresses technical compliance with Building Regulations 2010 and Approved Documents A (structure) through Q (security). Miss either one and the work is unlawful even if the other has been granted.

Permitted Development Rights under GPDO 2015 (as amended) let a single-storey rear extension proceed without full planning permission — up to 6 m for semi-detached or terraced, 8 m for detached — but a Prior Approval application is still required and the scheme must meet materials, roof, and boundary tests. Article 4 Directions in Camden, Islington, Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, Hackney, and Southwark withdraw these rights in many conservation areas.

Part L 2021 of the Building Regulations raised the fabric-efficiency and heating-system bar sharply; the Future Homes Standard (effective 2025) effectively ends new gas-boiler installations in new dwellings and raises the bar again on existing-dwelling retrofit. Every notifiable work item needs either a Building Control Notice (minor works) or a Full Plans submission before commencement, and an EPC rating on completion.

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 requires written notice to adjoining owners 2 months before works affecting a shared wall (Section 1), works to an existing party structure (Section 2), or excavations within 3 m (to lower depth) or 6 m (to a 45-degree line) of neighbouring foundations (Section 6). Ignoring the Act does not invalidate consent — but it exposes the building owner to a common-law injunction and a surveyor's award running to five figures.

Gas Safe Register (which replaced CORGI in 2009) is the statutory register for any work on gas appliances, boilers, flues, or pipework. Unregistered gas work is a criminal offence under the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 — strict liability for the householder as well as the installer. Part P of the Building Regulations governs electrical work, with certification via a competent-person scheme (NICEIC, NAPIT, Stroma, or ELECSA) as the practical route to avoiding a Building Control Notice on every circuit.

Listed buildings (Grade I, Grade II*, Grade II) require Listed Building Consent from the local planning authority — reviewed against Historic England guidance — for any work affecting the building's special architectural or historic interest, including interior work. Unauthorised work is a criminal offence. In the 600+ conservation areas across London, exterior changes that would normally be permitted development often need full planning permission under an Article 4 Direction.

NHBC 10-year Buildmark warranty (or equivalent — Premier Guarantee, LABC, BuildZone) is effectively mandatory for new-build homes and major structural refurbishments if the client intends to sell or mortgage the property within ten years. Lenders will not advance on a property built or substantially altered by a non-warrantied builder.

VAT is charged at the standard 20% rate on most London residential renovation work, but at the 5% reduced rate for certain energy-saving installations, for properties empty for 2+ years, and for conversions that change the number of dwellings. New-build dwellings are zero-rated. Misclassification is an HMRC audit exposure, not just a client-facing pricing question.

Roughly 70% of London flats are held on long leasehold. Any significant alteration — a loft conversion, a structural opening, a bathroom relocation — typically requires written freeholder consent, a Licence to Alter, and often a deed of variation on the lease. Head-lease covenants frequently block works the leaseholder expected to have freedom over, and freeholder consent fees and surveyor costs routinely reach four figures before a trowel is lifted.

CDM Regulations 2015 apply to every construction project regardless of size. On notifiable projects — more than 500 person-days or more than 20 workers simultaneously — an F10 notification to the HSE is required before work starts, and the client must appoint a Principal Designer and a Principal Contractor in writing. For Victorian, Edwardian, and pre-2000 buildings, a refurbishment or demolition asbestos survey is a regulatory precondition; HSE-licensed asbestos works carry their own certification regime.

London neighborhoods

London neighborhoods — coming soon.

CamdenIslingtonHackneyHaringeyEnfieldWaltham ForestRedbridgeNewhamTower HamletsCity of LondonWestminsterKensington and ChelseaHammersmith and FulhamWandsworthLambethSouthwarkLewishamGreenwichBexleyBromleyCroydonMertonSuttonKingston upon ThamesRichmond upon ThamesHounslowEalingBrentBarnetHarrowHillingdonBarking and DagenhamHaveringMayfairMaryleboneFitzroviaSohoCovent GardenHolbornBloomsburyKing's CrossIslington AngelHighburyStoke NewingtonPrimrose HillBelsize ParkHampsteadHighgateCrouch EndMuswell HillDalstonShoreditchHoxtonBethnal GreenSpitalfieldsClerkenwellFarringdonBoroughBermondseyPeckhamDulwichBrixtonClaphamBatterseaChelseaSouth KensingtonKnightsbridgeNotting HillHolland ParkShepherd's BushChiswickHammersmithFulhamPutneyWimbledon

London neighborhood sub-pages are planned for a later release. Chat with Baily now for a London, UK scope regardless of neighborhood.

Origin

Who is Baily?

Baily is named after Francis Baily — an English stockbroker who retired at 51, became an astronomer, and in 1836 described something on the edge of a solar eclipse that nobody had properly articulated before: a string of bright beads of sunlight breaking through the valleys along the moon’s rim.

He wasn’t the first to see them. Edmond Halley saw them in 1715 and barely noticed. Baily’s contribution was clarity — describing exactly what was happening, in plain language, so vividly that the whole field of astronomy paid attention. The phenomenon is still called Baily’s beads.

That’s what we wanted our AI to do. Every inbound call and text has signal in it — a homeowner’s real question, a timeline, a budget, a hesitation that means “yes but.” Baily listens to every one, 24/7, and finds the beads of light.

Baily was a businessman before he was a scientist. That’s our vibe too.

Questions LA homeowners actually ask

Nearby markets

Cities Baily also scopes.

Compare
AskBaily vs Checkatrade in London

One vetted local builder — or twelve strangers bidding on your brief. See how the two models stack up for London renovations.

Ask Baily about your London renovation and you will not be passed around. London is the home market we built AskBaily for outside the United States because the capital's housing stock, planning framework, and builder economy punish the scattershot approach that sites like MyBuilder, Rated People and Checkatrade still use. A Victorian terrace in Islington, a Grade II listed townhouse in Chelsea and a post-war conversion in Battersea all need different specialisms, different consent pathways, and different relationships with the borough council. Baily holds that context and introduces one vetted London builder who fits your property and your scope. No dozen phone calls from strangers. No re-explaining your kitchen drawings to a new tradesperson every other day. One professional who has already seen a hundred kitchens very like yours, who understands what the local planning officer will push back on, and who will see the project through to completion. That is the whole premise, and in London it matters more than anywhere else we operate.

The London remodel market in 2026

London's renovation market is the largest in Europe by value, and homeowners here spend noticeably more per project than the UK national average. The Office for National Statistics reported that Greater London households spent an average of £7,184 on "alterations and improvements to dwelling" in 2023, roughly 34 percent above the UK mean [verify — ONS Family Spending 2023 tables]. At the project level, a mid-range London kitchen renovation typically runs £35,000 to £85,000 fitted and installed, with bespoke kitchens in Kensington, Notting Hill and Hampstead routinely passing £120,000 once appliances, stone, joinery and rewiring are included (Houzz UK Kitchen Trends Study 2023, supplemented by HomeOwners Alliance 2024 cost surveys [verify]). Full-home refurbishments on four-bedroom period houses regularly sit in the £250,000 to £600,000 range.

The housing stock itself shapes everything. London's residential fabric is overwhelmingly pre-war — Georgian in Bloomsbury, Marylebone and parts of Greenwich, Victorian and Edwardian terraces across Islington, Clapham, Wimbledon and Hackney, and interwar semis across Richmond, Wimbledon and the outer boroughs. Post-war and modern stock sits alongside in the form of 1960s mansion blocks, 1990s gated developments and more recent apartment schemes in Battersea, Nine Elms and the Royal Docks. Typical homeowner profiles split between long-term residents undertaking once-in-a-generation whole-home refurbishments, second-time buyers extending into side returns and lofts, and overseas owners who need project managers they can trust from abroad. The trend for 2026 is toward rear and side-return extensions with glazed roofs, basement remodels where planning policy still allows them, fabric-first retrofits driven by energy costs, and listed-building-consented kitchen reconfigurations that respect original plan forms.

What homeowners need to know about London regulations

Listed Building consent for Grade I and Grade II properties. If your home is listed on the National Heritage List for England, any works that affect its "character as a building of special architectural or historic interest" require Listed Building consent under the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. That includes internal alterations, not just the facade. Unauthorised works are a criminal offence. Consent is granted by the local planning authority with Historic England consulted on Grade I and Grade II* cases. Typical determination is eight weeks, longer if revisions are requested. Your builder must know how to document minimal-intervention methodologies and deliver the consent conditions.

Conservation Area design review. London has over 1,000 Conservation Areas, including most of Kensington and Chelsea, Hampstead, Islington, Greenwich and Richmond. Works that would normally be permitted development — such as certain rear extensions, roof alterations or cladding changes — are often withdrawn or restricted by Article 4 Directions in these areas. Even a front door replacement can require planning permission. Expect a ten to twelve week planning determination once the application is validated, and expect the borough's conservation officer to scrutinise window joinery profiles, brick match and chimney retention.

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) and Section 106 contributions. Extensions over 100 square metres or new self-contained dwellings trigger CIL charges under the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010, with rates set by each borough. In 2026 Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea, and Camden apply the highest rates, regularly over £400 per square metre for market residential. Section 106 contributions may additionally apply on larger schemes. Your builder and planning consultant should model CIL before you commit to a scheme size — the charge is often the single largest non-construction cost on a rear-and-basement project.

Party Wall etc. Act 1996 notices. Any excavation within three metres of a neighbouring structure, any work to a shared wall, and any work to a boundary wall requires Party Wall notices. Surveyors on both sides then agree an Award. Expect six to eight weeks from service of notice to a signed Award. Missed Party Wall procedure is the most common cause of London projects stalling mid-build.

Building Regulations and the Building Safety Act 2022. All notifiable works require Building Regulations approval separately from planning. Since the Building Safety Act 2022, higher-risk buildings (HRBs) and certain refurbishment scopes now fall under the Building Safety Regulator within the Health and Safety Executive, with a gateway approvals regime. Most single-family renovations continue under local authority Building Control or an Approved Inspector, but competence and record-keeping expectations have tightened materially.

Renovation trends across London's neighbourhoods

Chelsea and Kensington. Stuccoed Georgian and Victorian townhouses dominate, often with listed status. Renovations lean towards sensitive kitchen reconfigurations, basement excavations where still permitted under local subterranean-development policies, and bespoke joinery. Prime Central London finishes and six-figure kitchens are the norm.

Notting Hill and Holland Park. Pastel-painted Victorian terraces, mostly within Conservation Areas. Rear extensions with Crittall glazing, side-return infills and whole-floor primary bedroom suites are signature projects. Planning here is unforgiving on roof additions.

Hampstead and Primrose Hill. Substantial Victorian and Edwardian detached and semi-detached houses, heavy listed presence around Church Row and Flask Walk. Internal reconfiguration with period restoration, retained cornicing and mouldings, and fabric-first energy upgrades.

Islington and Shoreditch. Tall Georgian and early-Victorian terraces, often four or five storeys. Extensive basement and rear-return work where policy allows, kitchen-and-garden open-plan reconfigurations, and contemporary interventions behind preserved facades.

Battersea and Clapham. Victorian two-storey terraces and Edwardian mansion blocks. Side-return kitchens, loft conversions with dormer or mansard roofs, and full refurbs driven by families upsizing within the neighbourhood.

Wimbledon and Richmond. Interwar semis and detached houses on larger plots. Double-storey rear extensions, garden-room outbuildings, and wholesale refurbishment with softer planning context than inner London but active Conservation Area controls around the village centres.

How AskBaily operates in London

In London we pair each homeowner with one Baily-vetted London builder who holds Construction Industry Council membership or Chartered Building Company status, Gas Safe registration for any gas works, and NICEIC approval for electrical. We verify insurance, Party Wall experience and a track record on similar property ages and listed statuses to yours. Our partner scope covers kitchen renovations, bathroom renovations, rear and side-return extensions, loft conversions, whole-home refurbishments, basement works where policy permits, and listed-building-consented internal reconfigurations. We are most differentiated against MyBuilder, Rated People and Checkatrade on heritage property work where the routing-to-twelve model collapses — most general listings cannot meaningfully verify whether a tradesperson has actually delivered a Grade II listed kitchen. Baily checks before we introduce. One pro per homeowner means your builder owns the relationship with the conservation officer, with your Party Wall surveyor, with Building Control, and with you.

Frequently asked questions — London

How long does a permit take for a typical London kitchen renovation? If the work is internal only and does not affect a listed building or flat lease, no planning permission is needed and Building Regulations approval takes two to six weeks via an Approved Inspector. A listed kitchen reconfiguration requires Listed Building consent, typically eight weeks. A rear-extension kitchen usually requires Householder Planning Permission — eight weeks validation-to-decision, longer in Conservation Areas.

What licences and registrations do you verify on your partner builder? We verify Construction Industry Council or Chartered Building Company credentials, Gas Safe registration for any gas works, NICEIC or equivalent for electrical works, FMB (Federation of Master Builders) or TrustMark registration where applicable, £5 million public liability insurance, and a clean Companies House record. We also check recent Building Control sign-offs and customer references on comparable property types.

How are payments structured in London? A typical London project uses staged payments against Practical Completion milestones: a deposit on commencement (usually 10 percent), then interim stages tied to groundworks, structure, first fix, second fix and completion. A retention of 2.5 to 5 percent is held for the defects liability period. All amounts are in pounds sterling. Baily does not take homeowner funds — you pay your builder directly.

How do you handle my personal data? Baily operates under the UK GDPR and the Data Protection Act 2018. Your enquiry data is processed on the lawful basis of legitimate interest to match you to a builder. You can request access, correction or erasure at any time. We do not sell your data, we do not broadcast it to a panel of builders, and we do not share it outside the UK without appropriate safeguards. Our privacy policy covers the full detail.

What language do you handle enquiries in? English is the primary service language. Baily itself operates multilingually through Gemini-backed natural-language understanding, so you can open a conversation in Mandarin, Arabic, French, Polish or any other widely-spoken London community language and Baily will handle the conversation. Written contracts and Building Regulations paperwork are issued in English.

How is a dispute resolved if something goes wrong? We encourage direct resolution first. If a dispute escalates, FMB and Chartered Building Company members are covered by the Ombudsman Services: Property scheme. The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) offers Dispute Resolution Service appointments for contractual disagreements. For consumer contracts, the Consumer Rights Act 2015 applies. Small-claim thresholds run up to £10,000 in England and Wales.

Press and podcast coverage

We are targeting editorial coverage in Homes & Gardens, House & Garden UK, Country Life, The World of Interiors, Livingetc and Grand Designs Magazine for the London launch, with business-press angles for City AM, The Times bricks-and-mortar desk and Financial Times House & Home. Podcast targets include The Restoration Couple, Grand Designs: The Podcast, The Modern House Podcast and Never Too Small for property-stock-specific angles. The story for London press is specific: AskBaily is introducing a one-pro-per-homeowner model into a market where the dominant lead-generation sites route a single enquiry to a dozen tradespeople — a model British homeowners have grown visibly tired of, particularly on heritage properties where the stakes are highest. Launch timing pairs with the Listed Property Owners' Club quarterly newsletter and RIBA's London chapter events calendar for architect referrals.

Authoritative guides

All guides →

Deeply-researched regulatory + cost pillars for this city — written for homeowners who want to hire one vetted GC, not twelve strangers.