Refurbing Dpanish Property

Hi Su,

In theory, you need permission from your Town Hall for any refurbishment work you want to do on your property.  However, most are pragmatic and don't have the bandwidth to deal with applications to change your kitchen wall colour from blue to yellow!  So if you want to replace your bathroom and that does not include moving the position of a window, door or water supply, then I wouldn't bother requesting a licence.

The general rule that our own Town Hall takes is that, if the work is structural, you must obtain a licence from them - this will be either a Minor Works or Major Works licence, depending on the extent of the work.  To give you a specific example, when we wanted to erect a much larger, wooden shed in our garden, we didn't have to have a licence for the building, because it was regarded as "temporary"; however, we had to obtain a Minor Works Licence for the new 5m x 3m concrete and slab base on which it was sited.  This was back in 2017 and, at that time, cost Euro 33.

To respond to your specific list, I would suggest not bothering with permission for "painting, decorating, platers g, tiling", but "knocking down walls" definitely requires a Licence.

Kind regards,

Kim

Many thanks Kim

However, notwithstanding Kimmy’s reply, I would also try and find more information from any neighbours etc. For example, where we are, builders would not contemplate our interior renovations ( no structural, basically kitchen, bathroom refitting) without a minor works licence as the Ajuntamiento have a habit of turning up unannounced to query one’s licences etc.