Roof repairs

Hola, my husband is doing roof repairs to an outside building, he is also making it an area that we can sit on for the views, we had a visit from the Guardia who say we need a licence, we can do this but where do we go and what do we need please?t

Minor building licences are issued by your town hall. You'll need details of the plans, costs and permission from your commmunity president if you are on a community of owners  Cost is usually a percentage of the cost and is normally quite small (talking of 20 to 40 euro type charge but will vary).

Please check with your town hall first. Some changes require a major works licence and will require an architect report  and I believe changes to structure of the roof (which could be just the main structure) will require one of these.

Major works licences are also issued by your town hall. 

Hello Terry

I must admit this can be a confusing subject, not sure why you would need a licence to repair a roof, or even create a sitting area. But who knows? Perhaps the Guardia are the authority who I thought were only police and not town planning enforcement officers.

I wonder what happened to all the recent flood victims that sustained damage; did they need a licence to restore their homes?

The key word here maybe ‘’improvements’’. Is repairing a roof an improvement, I suppose it could be if the occupant is sat in the house with a mop bucket.

Try this link to get started.

https://blog.abacoadvisers.com/new-law-affects-home-improvements/

Best of luck

Thank you, my townhall is Orihuela, but I believe there are two but I'm not sure which one to go to. My husband is doing the repairs himself, and we aren't on An urbanisation.

From my experience.   If you are going to do something minor which would not be possible to result in any danger, refitting kitchen, Re tiling floor etc, building a wall which is not above the ground floor, then you may need a minor building licence.  However if the work could result in any danger for people, then you need an architects plan and a building licence.   From what you say it appears you need a building license,  roof over peoples head, viewing platform above ground level,  from the townhall.  That  situation  is policed by the Policia local or guadia civil. 

But John I do not wish to be argumentative. How is Joe Public to know when he/she needs a minor building licence or a full building licence? Or no licence at all. Is it a trip to the town hall every time you need to replace a light bulb or paint the front gate?

Surely there must be some guidelines in Spanish and English, or maybe not.

I see your point but I have lived here for sufficient time to know there are considerable differences between municipalities. One I know fined a guy 400 euros for re-tiling hid kitchen because he did not have a licence but in an adjoining municipality I re- fitted a kitchen completely and the town hall told me they did not require me to have a licence.

Another townhalL said I needed a minor works licence, when I rebuilt an entry to my property, moving the gates and rebuilding the 2.5 mtr walls, creating a new vehicular access and a separate pedestrian gate and steps. Quite a lot of work.  When they said they needed a plan I was going to draw something 'professional.'  They said no need and I made a very rough sketch at the counter.  The fee was I think 5% of 'my estimate' which was pretty low as I was doing the work.

The best thing if one does not know for sure, is to ask the building department at the townhall.   That way .one cannot get it wrong and this no nasty surprises.

Hello John, is it really another money making scheme?

Not all that different from uk

About 45 years ago I was in the middle of closing in an existing covered area at my front door.  The roof was there from new.  A single brick wall about 15" high the rest wood frame with glass and a door. About 5ft x 2.5 ft area no more.  I had a visit from the building inspector. I had to stop work, prepare detailed plans, and formally apply for permission.  The inspector said he would do me a favour and not make me knock down what I had done. I don't remember the fee.  It took a couple of months before I got approval and was able to complete the proces. The inspe

In 1964 I installed central heating myself in my house in uk. I had to inform the town hall. They inspected the work and increased my rateable value.

As I said, Spain ain't all that bad.

Hi John, do you think it is all a moneymaking game?

Some ayuntamientos may use it as a money making scheme but it's the actual inconsistency that is the bugbear.
We have a shed (well, a brick outhouse really) with ceramic tiles that kept cracking every time the wind got up. We were about to replace it with the ready made plastic stuff that looks like ceramics and were told we'd need a license.

Went to the town hall and they looked at my husband as if he was stupid. No, no license. 

When we had the bath removed (the thing was so big the water was going cold by the time it filled) and a walk in shower fitted, again the chap at the town hall said once the door is closed, you can do what you want.

Yet just up in the next council area, a chap got done for, like johnzx says, retiling his kitchen without permission and was even told he'd need permission to paint his bedroom a different colour.

Pretty sure a lot of things are made up on the spot or it becomes expat rumour control. Currently a couple up the road are having a spat because one wants to erect a gazebo. Now, I could understand it if this were a permanent, wooden or concrete edifice but, no, it's just one ot these metal ones that can be taken down if necessary. Nope, big argument going on in that community so we've been told.

We had a chap who'd made an agreement with the builders that all gardens and pathways had to be paved with a certain type of brick and this was put in the community statutes (He, of course, doing the work). To be honest, the work was rubbish with no proper base and the stuff started sinking or having weeds coming up through the surface. One chap had his ripped up and replaced with proper tiling and a proper concrete base with expansion and contraction zones. After about half a dozen owners had done the same thing, it was agreed at a meeting that this was acceptable (might have had a riot if they'd made people take it up). Must admit it does look a lot better.

And satellite dishes? It amazes me in this day and age that some people still object to satellite dishes. We don't have huge high rise flats (highest is 2 storeys, ground and upper) so there's no plethora of dishes hanging off the side but had to have 3 meetings to get it agreed we could have dishes. And don't even mention the aircon outside units. Thought there'd be fisticuffs over that.