Householder Planning AppealsFrom £449
How much does a householder planning appeal cost in London?
Preparing and submitting a householder planning appeal costs our fixed £449 in London, with no VAT charged. The deadline is usually 12 weeks from the date on the refusal letter, and the Planning Inspectorate's own published figures show how long an appeal takes, so you can weigh the cost against the time before you decide.
The short answer: a fixed fee, and a deadline that does not move
We charge £449 to prepare and submit a householder appeal. We read the council's refusal and the officer's report, write the grounds of appeal against the reasons given, assemble the documents the Inspectorate needs and submit them. It is a fixed fee agreed before we start.
The deadline is the part with no flexibility. A refused householder application can be appealed for up to 12 weeks from the date on the decision letter. If you received an enforcement notice within two years and before the refusal, you have only 28 days. Tell us as soon as the letter arrives.
- Read the refusal
We set the council's reasons against its officer report and the drawings to see what the appeal must answer.
- Write the grounds
The appeal states why each reason for refusal is wrong or can be overcome, with the plans that were before the council.
- Submit by the deadline
The appeal goes to the Planning Inspectorate within 12 weeks of the decision letter.
- Wait for the decision
An inspector decides the appeal on the written case.
How long an appeal takes
The Planning Inspectorate publishes how long its decisions take. For householder appeals decided by written representations in September 2026, there were 278 decisions, with a median of 12 weeks and a mean of 14, according to its appeals timings page. For ordinary planning appeals decided on the same basis, the median was 18 weeks.
Those figures are about appeals already decided, not a promise for yours. They are the reason an appeal is rarely the quickest answer to a refusal, and why we ask whether a revised application would get you to a decision sooner.
Why a new application is sometimes better
The Inspectorate's procedural guide is clear that an appeal decides the application the council saw. If you think an amended scheme would overcome the reasons for refusal, you should submit a revised planning application to the council; new evidence is disregarded and the appeal is decided on the original.
A revised application starts a new council clock and carries a new fee, which is £548 for a householder one, and it can give a quicker decision if the change is small. We tell you honestly which route fits. The post on what a rear extension costs shows how the fee and drawings work for a new application.
Costs beyond our fee
The guide says that all parties are expected to meet their own appeal expenses. Costs can be awarded against a party whose unreasonable behaviour caused another to spend money, but that is the exception, not the way to recover the cost of appealing.
So the honest budget is our fee, plus your own time and any specialist report an appeal needs. If a heritage statement is part of the answer to a refusal, our post on heritage statements explains the cost, and our householder planning appeals page shows the service.
Sources
Every figure in this article, where it comes from and a link to the original.
- for up to 12 weeks from the date on the decision letter: GOV.UK Appeal a householder planning decision: (source wording: "you can appeal for up to 12 weeks from the date on the decision letter you got from your local planning authority"). www.gov.uk
- 28 days: GOV.UK Appeal a householder planning decision: with an enforcement notice before the refusal (source wording: "you have 28 days from the date on your decision letter to appeal"). www.gov.uk
- 278: Planning Inspectorate, Appeals: how long they take (update of 22 October 2026, cases decided in September 2026): householder appeals, written representations, number of decisions. www.gov.uk
- median of 12 weeks: Planning Inspectorate, Appeals: how long they take (update of 22 October 2026, cases decided in September 2026): householder appeals, written representations, median in weeks. www.gov.uk
- mean of 14: Planning Inspectorate, Appeals: how long they take (update of 22 October 2026, cases decided in September 2026): householder appeals, written representations, mean in weeks. www.gov.uk
- median was 18 weeks: Planning Inspectorate, Appeals: how long they take (update of 22 October 2026, cases decided in September 2026): s78 planning appeals, written representations, median in weeks. www.gov.uk
- you should submit a revised planning application to the council: Planning Inspectorate, Planning appeals procedural guide (applications dated on or after 1 April 2026), 7.3.6: (source wording: "they should submit a revised planning application to the LPA"). www.gov.uk
- all parties are expected to meet their own appeal expenses: Planning Inspectorate, Planning appeals procedural guide (applications dated on or after 1 April 2026), 3.2.1: (source wording: "All parties are expected to meet their own appeal expenses"). www.gov.uk
Questions people ask
Who pays if I lose?
Do I pay VAT on your fee?
Can I add new drawings to the appeal?
What if I miss the deadline?
Can you promise the appeal will succeed?
Photographs: Martin Sepion (Unsplash License); Daniil Korbut (Unsplash License).
Householder Planning Appeals: a fixed fee from £449
Read more on the householder planning appeals service page, or send your address below and we reply within one working day.
Householder Planning Appeals
from £449
Every price is the full fixed fee you pay. No VAT is charged. Council application fees are paid to the council separately.
What you get
- A review of the refusal and the officer's report
- Written grounds of appeal that answer each reason for refusal
- The plans and documents the Inspectorate needs, assembled
- Submission before the deadline
- An honest view on whether a revised application is the better route