Can I get air conditioning?
The honest answer for your London address. If the rules, your freeholder or your lease stand in the way, we show what still works. Free, no email, about 60 seconds.
Rules verified against · checked 17 Jul 2026 · read our working
Used only to check public planning datasets for your area. Nothing is stored.
This is guidance, not legal or planning advice — how to rely on it.
What London's registers show
Every borough we've measured, coloured by how long "air conditioning" planning applications take to decide. Grey boroughs aren't slow or fast — they're not measured yet.
Tap or hover a borough
Source: borough planning registers, aggregated via PlanIt · snapshot 18 Jul 2026 · planning activity, not installations
Measured
Being added
Why this exists
Most advice online is written for houses with gardens. Most Londoners live in flats. The top-ranking guides contradict each other about the law: some say flats are usually fine, some say flats are never fine. Neither is right. The rules changed on 29 May 2025 and they're more generous than most people think. They also come with catches almost nobody mentions: one unit per block, a stricter size limit for flats, and a condition about what the unit is used for.
Houses aren't the simple case either. Conservation areas, and old planning conditions can switch off the rights the guides promise you. We read the legislation and cite every rule. When we don't know, we say so.
Guides
Cooling-only vs heat-and-cool units, one-per-block, MCS-020. Citations, not vibes. AC in a flat when the freeholder is the problem
Your realistic routes, in order, and the letter to send tonight. Why your portable air conditioner underperforms its box rating
The single-hose problem, explained honestly. The US regulates this; the UK doesn't. Conservation areas: what actually gets approved
Real decision times and real cases from London planning registers. Monobloc vs split vs portable, honestly compared
Including the trade-offs sellers won't tell you. R290, R32, R410A: what the gas in your aircon means
Why R290 is the greenest choice where you can have it. Your footprint, decided by the pipes. Why so many aircon installs are underpowered
Sized by habit, not heat gain. The one question that reveals a copied quote. Solar panels and aircon: the pairing London ignores
Cooling is the one load that peaks with the sun. Planning rules for both halves.