planning permission ?

Hi, Can anyone give me advice on fitting  french doors on a exterior wall, taking out a existing window , i would then like to put a juliet balcony on the outside of the exterior wall, do i require planning permission?

The short answer is yes you do. In Spain you need planning permission to change almost everything but it is a very easy process

Ask your town hall.  I found that if the work would be ‘overhead’ or ‘above ground floor’ then qualified architects plans were required and formal planning permission were required (i.e. work that could be dangerous or cause injury if not properly constructed).  For other work, it varies with each municipality.

Be aware that whatever you do you may need either a major or minor building licence. That is separate from planning permission.

Town halls l have varying criteria as to when a licence is require. Some (Benalmádena used to one such) require a minor licence even for re-tiling a kitchen back-splash (friend was fined 300 euros for doing just that )whilst where I live does not unless structural alterations are being made. I completely re-fitted a kitchen and did not require one.

srenault1

You don't say if your property is a private villa or part of a community, if part of a community you may need additional permission from them.

In our area (Mijas) there is a version of the minor works licence that costs nothing if the total cost of the work is under 1000€ This permit covers things like outside painting, tiling and window/door replacement.

As mentioned earlier you will have to check with your own town hall, I would imagine they would also have a website

Lorraine 56, it may be a very easy process, but there is a cost to it, which adds up if you have lots to do.

it's just an easy way of collecting money , particularly from expats.

can you imagine Senor Martinez or whoever queuing up to get permission to tile his bathroom?

Could someone please explain why you need planning permission for interior works? I have gone through my deeds and it does not say, anywhere, what type of tiling/decoration or whatever. Agreed, the outside is very well covered and it you wnat tiling or extensions or colour changes or anything then you need agreement and permissions to alter anything. But inside? I've never heard of this in my 15 years here. Tiling a kitchen or bathroom? Never.

Is this another way of bashing the Spanish and their perceived downer on expats? Or is there a law that says "Foreigners must ask and pay for permission whilst the Spanish can do what they want"?

A bit like the one price for Spanish and one price for the Brits load of cobblers that gets regurgitated every now and again.

Should some people actually be living in Spain?

Could someone please explain why you need planning permission for interior works?

It's not really planning permission, just the requirement for a licence to carry out the works that you want to undertake. I went to my town hall and asked about tiling the bathroom and they were very helpful, they explained that if the work was going to cost less than 1000€ then there would be no cost. I was out of the office with my stamped licence within 5 minutes.

The reason I wanted to get a licence was three fold, firstly I needed a small skip to take the rubbish away, secondly, just in case the busybody neighbours decided to complain for some reason and thirdly, in our area, it's quite common for the police to stop at houses with obvious signs of building work and ask to see the licence.

Team GB,

I guess you know, in some (may be all)  municipalities  one needs a skip licence too.

In our area (Mijas) there is a version of the minor works licence that costs nothing if the total cost of the work is under 1000€

In about 2001  in Mijas they charged 5% ot the cost of minor works for the licence.  As you might imagine, my estimate was pretty low (even though it cost me more ). I needed a skip licence too albeit that it was put on private land..

Yes, that's right. A lot of skip companies want to see your licence before they unload it, even if on private land.

If town halls are charging and or insisting on licecnces for non structural interior work then they should pay the mortgage and provide the materil and the tradesmen to ensure the job is done. It is ridiculous and should be challenged and people should refuse to pay, They are sooooooooooooo wrong and it is probably some jobsworth getting it wrong or misundertstanding the rule for structural and exterior work or dare.

The town halls do NOT own your property what's next telling  you what you eat / cook, what furniture you can and cant have, what clothes to wear / buy etc etc

As for urbanistions why would anyone want to know or care or have any say or authority on what tiles or paint or cupboards you having - if it does not affect them or their property tell them to do one

If you require a skip then the compnay providingt he skip should obtain the necesary permissions to supply

What a novel  idea that one can decide what a law SHOULD BE instead of having to comply with what the law actually is !

Tadd1966

 You can't really do a great deal in Spain without a stamped piece of paper !! That's the way it is, you either learn to comply or become very frustrated and disillusioned

Frustrating as it may seem, if these are the regs then those of us with property in Spain (whether we live in the property full time or use as a holiday home) need to abide by the rules. Hubby and I have some medium term plans for improving our property and will be applying for the necessary authorisation / documents. We dont want to be in a position later on if we are trying to sell to find out that X, Y and Z paperwork isnt in place. My understanding from others is that it wouldnt be possible to sell without the required licences.

I would be interested to know if this is correct.....  ????

When we bought, both times, the solicitors went through the deeds and told us what we could and couldn't do. Outside walls, outside tiling, outside window shutters and so on. We could only do things outside with community permission and then a license from the town hall. However, they said we could do anything inside.

We had tiling to the front and got a license from the town hall which cost €20. We were told the awning did not need a license providing it didn't alter the construction.  Glass curtains are also acceptable as the community rules state they can be fitted. Garden walls were an off yellow colour and people started painting them white. The community then got all the walls repainted so the white would match.

I wouldn't have even thought of getting permission for interior tiling but would if, for example, we had an internal wall removed or one built. (ie, extending or partitioning living room). Getting a license to put a backsplash in a kitchen sounds ludicrous.

Team GB I understand your comment but that does not make it right and it is easy to challenge what some jobsworth from a Town hall says 

Just becuase as you say that is the way in Spain it is does not mean that is the law and a legal requirement (many things are put down to it is simply that way in Spain and many are very very wrong!!!!)

As johnzx implies (I think) what law says that you have to pay a licence for interior decorating etc? Ask for the legal reference then check it out!

Too often  expats suffer at the hands of jobsworths at the town hall, rumours and presidents of communities etc without checking the real facts

What this basically indicates is you might think you own your property but what you actually have are the liabilities for keeping it in order.

The property belongs to the Crown. So obviously you need to get permission to change anything and if you do change anything you need to pay for the privilege.

All the land in England, for example belongs to the Crown. On the house deeds i remember being called a tenant in common with my wife. I was a tenant.

We are all treated as property. We are treated as slaves inside the legal system.