Do You Need Permission to Renovate?

Which works need no permission?

Work that stays inside the flat and does not touch the load-bearing structure generally needs no official permission, renewing a bathroom or kitchen, painting, changing floor coverings, fitted furniture and lighting layouts.

Work that changes the facade, encloses new space or interferes with a load-bearing wall is assessed separately. The boundary is not always obvious, so where you are unsure, ask your municipality.

Can a load-bearing wall be altered?

Load-bearing walls, columns and shear walls carry the weight of the building, so altering them concerns the safety of the whole building rather than one flat. Changes of this kind should not be made without expert assessment and the necessary approvals.

A contractor saying "we can take this out, it will be fine" is not enough. Given that this is an earthquake region, it is worth being insistent here, if there is any doubt, stop before the wall is opened.

At MOSTAR we do not take on work involving the structural system on our own initiative, and we do not intervene without the necessary assessment.

Should the building management be informed?

Even where interior work needs no permission, informing the management is both courteous and practical. Working hours, use of the lift and rules on removing debris vary from building to building.

A renovation discussed in advance lets neighbours prepare for the noise and keeps the work from being halted by complaints. If the water riser will be isolated, that information must be shared beforehand.

Can a tenant commission a renovation?

A tenant making permanent changes to a rented property depends on the owner's consent. Reversible work such as painting is rarely an issue, while permanent changes to plumbing, finishes or partitions should not go ahead without written approval.

In practice the healthiest route is to put the scope of the work and the sharing of costs in writing. A verbal understanding tends to become a subject the two sides remember differently when it is time to move out.

Because this can have legal consequences, it is sensible to consult a legal adviser for substantial works.

Why is work on the facade treated separately?

The facade is the visible face of the building rather than of your flat, so any change there concerns every owner and not only you. Enclosing a balcony, the position of an air conditioning unit, the colour of window frames and balcony railings all fall under this heading.

The situation seen most often in practice is one flat fitting frames in a different colour and a mismatch across the building following from it. That is why many buildings have settled frame colour and glass balcony systems by common decision.

The order to follow is this. Ask the building management first, put it on the agenda of the owners if that is needed, and consult the municipality where the scope is larger. Going back after the work has started costs more than the work itself.

Can common parts be altered?

Common parts are the sections belonging to all the owners of the building. Stairwells, corridors, the roof, the shelter, the shared water and waste risers and the structural system all fall into this group. The freedom you have inside your own flat does not apply here.

Requests such as moving a door into the corridor, taking space from a stair landing or enclosing area at roof level are therefore a separate matter. They need a decision by the owners and in most cases a formal assessment.

With plumbing work involving the shared riser, timing becomes an issue before permission does. Closing the riser affects the whole building, so the working time is announced in advance and kept short.

Where does the waste go?

Waste is the item most often overlooked. Even one bathroom strip out produces a serious volume that has to be moved, and where it goes should be settled before work begins.

There are two routes in practice. On short jobs the waste is bagged and taken away the same day, and on larger ones a skip is placed outside the building. Skip placement usually needs information from the municipality, since it affects parking and pavement use.

Storing waste in the common parts is the most frequent cause of complaint. Bags waiting on a stair landing block the way and spread dust. When you take a quotation, get it in writing whether waste removal is inside the scope.

How are the lift and the stairs protected?

The places that take the most damage in a renovation are not inside the flat but the common parts the materials pass through. The lift car, the stair treads, the corridor walls and the entrance door all get worn during carrying.

Protecting them is straightforward. The lift car is covered, protection is laid on the stairs and corner guards go on door frames. That preparation takes about an hour and costs far less than making good afterwards.

In some buildings the management rules restrict using the lift for loads. Finding that out before work starts avoids an argument on the day the materials arrive.

How are water and power interruptions planned?

An interruption inside the flat is usually short and affects only you. What needs real planning is shutting down a shared riser.

A riser shutdown affects the whole block. The day and time are set in advance, the management is told, and it is kept to daytime hours where possible. An interruption made without notice can end with the work being stopped.

On the electrical side, work on the consumer unit is a separate matter. That requires a licensed contractor and we do not take it on alone. Renewing circuits and planning sockets inside the flat is an item we carry out within a full renovation.

Are the rules different for shops and offices?

They are. In a commercial property the working hours, the noise and the balance with neighbours all work differently from a residential block. Noisy work during the day in a shop below a block of flats causes no problem, while evening hours disturb the residential side.

The second difference is on the permitting side. If the use of the premises is changing, or something is being added to the frontage such as signage, a shopfront or a shutter, those are assessed separately by the municipality. The renovation itself may be simple and those steps still govern the schedule.

The third is lost trade. Every day closed is lost income for the business, so schedules on office and shop work are set more tightly. A conversion of 60 to 80 square metres usually completes in 20 to 30 days.