What can you change in a townhouse without the estate's consent?
Inside the house you can change almost everything: layout, kitchen, bathrooms, floors, services. Outside, almost nothing: facade colour and material, windows, boundary walls, awnings, external air-conditioning units and anything that alters the look of the estate are set by the statutes. An extension depends on planning rules and the building licence, not on the neighbours' mood.
The frame comes from the Civil Code of Catalonia. Article 553-36 lets the owner of a private unit carry out maintenance and renovation provided it does not harm the other owners or the community, does not reduce structural soundness and does not alter the configuration or exterior appearance of the complex. You must notify the president or the administrator beforehand, and if the work touches common elements the owners' meeting has to approve it.
Townhouse estates in Catalonia are usually set up as horizontal property by plots (article 553-53). The renovation rules apply to them as a fallback, while the constitution deed and the statutes speak first. So the first step of any such renovation is always the same: read the statutes before anyone draws the project.
What are the statutes of an urbanización and where do you get them?
The statutes are part of the constitution deed of the estate, which is executed before a notary and registered in the Land Registry. Under article 553-57 the deed describes the complex, the common elements and the urbanisation works, sets out the rules on use and buildable volume of each plot, includes a plan, and contains the statutes if there are any. Article 553-11 lists what statutes may regulate: use of private and common parts, restrictions on activities, how costs are shared, and governing bodies.
Next to them sits the internal rules (reglamento de régimen interior, article 553-12). They cover neighbourly conduct and use of shared areas, cannot contradict the statutes and always bind owners and occupants. This is where you usually find working hours and the rules for lorries and skips.
Where to get them. From the estate president or the property administrator (administrador de fincas), from the notary who executed the deed, and through a land registry extract (nota simple) for your plot, which shows whether the regime is registered. Statutory rules that are not registered do not harm third parties acting in good faith (article 553-11.3). That protects a buyer, but in practice the estate's rules also live in the minutes of meetings, so ask for both layers: the registered text and the minutes of recent years.
There is also a public layer: the development plan, bylaws and municipal licences. Height, site coverage and setbacks come from it. Article 553-57 says in so many words that planning data inside the deed is for information only.
Can you change the facade colour, windows and roof?
The colour, material and pattern of a facade in a private estate are almost always restricted by the statutes, even when the wall is yours. In developments set up as ordinary horizontal property, the facade is by law a common element (article 553-41). In estates divided by plots the wall belongs to you, but the restrictions from the statutes, the planning rules and the law are themselves treated as common elements (article 553-56) and must be obeyed.
What is usually spelled out: the colour palette, the type and colour of window frames, shutters and awnings, the height and style of boundary walls, external air-conditioning units, solar panels, aerials and the roof finish. Before ordering windows, get the president's answer in writing and attach the colour sample and the manufacturer's data sheet.
If the change affects common elements, the meeting must approve it (article 553-36.3). If you go ahead without consent, the community may demand that the original state be restored. But under article 553-36.4 consent is presumed when the work is conspicuous, does not weaken the building, does not take over common property and the community has not objected within four years of completion. Treat that period as a safety net for the worst case, not as a way to skip asking.
The municipality is a separate matter. Changing a facade or windows may need its own procedure, which does not replace the estate's approval. How it works in the city is covered in our guide to replacing windows and facades.
Do you need the neighbours' consent for an extension?
The law does not require every neighbour's signature, but it does require a major works licence (obra mayor) and compliance with the development plan and the statutes. The real barrier is not consent but a check: whether the plot has unused buildable volume left. Site coverage, height, boundary setbacks and number of floors are calculated from the plan and the statutes, and statutes may be stricter than the plan.
You need a decision of the owners' meeting if the extension touches a shared wall, a shared road, common services or a common area, or changes the exterior look of the complex (article 553-36). The voting threshold depends on the statutes and the type of decision, so take it from your estate's own documents, not from someone else's story.
The engineering limits still apply. Pools, basements and other pits may not be excavated closer than 60 cm to the neighbouring boundary or to a party wall, and the soil must be consolidated so the neighbouring house keeps adequate support (article 546-7 of the Civil Code of Catalonia). In terraced and semi-detached houses, the shared structure must have the fire resistance required of a residential building (DB SI, table 3.1, note 2): a beam or slab that carries two houses is not trimmed for a nice opening without a calculation.
The practical order: first the planning data sheet for the plot and the statutes; then a sketch with numbers, how many square metres and how much volume can be added; then a conversation with the president and the nearest neighbours before anything goes to the town hall. Letters of support are not a legal requirement, but at the meeting they settle half the questions.
How do you renovate when the wall is shared with a neighbour?
A party wall (pared medianera) must not be weakened, chased deeply, opened up or loaded without a calculation, and when you demolish a structure leaning on it, the wall must be left as an exterior wall. Article 555-5 of the Civil Code of Catalonia: whoever demolishes a construction loaded on the party wall must leave it in a state suitable for future use and with the appearance of an exterior wall or facade. Article 555-3 requires such a wall to have the right foundations, strength and thickness and that same exterior appearance.
The costs of the wall are shared as agreed and, if nothing was agreed, in proportion to use (article 555-5). So before you load the wall with a new beam or a fireplace flue, find out what is recorded in the house documents and what previous owners agreed.
What to do on site. Before work starts, record the condition of the neighbouring house: photos, video, an inspection report and, if needed, an independent expert's opinion. The contractor should carry third-party liability insurance with a sensible limit. Acoustic insulation should be a free-standing lining (trasdosado) with a cavity, not rigidly fixed to the party wall, otherwise vibration travels to the neighbour. Hammer-drill work should be announced a few days ahead and scheduled for the morning.
Services are a separate topic. In terraced houses, electrics, water and drainage sometimes cross the neighbouring plot. Before redesigning kitchen and bathrooms, open the diagram and check you are not cutting someone else's run. It is cheaper to find such surprises in the survey before the estimate than halfway through chasing the walls.
What about the pool, parking and estate roads during construction?
During construction in a gated estate, the load falls on the shared road, the gate, the parking and the green areas, and almost all of it is in the internal rules or has to be agreed with the administrator. So the delivery schedule and the rules for machinery are settled before work begins, not after the first complaint.
What people usually ask: permitted weight and size of lorries, which streets and at what hours they may enter, where the skip and the concrete pump go, whether a deposit is needed for damage to the road and kerbs, and how passes for workers are issued. Working hours in the estate can be stricter than the municipal ones: check the internal rules first, then the city rules.
A private pool on your own plot follows the development plan and the 60 cm rule to the boundary (article 546-7). Pumps and equipment make noise, so they go away from the neighbours' bedrooms. The shared pool and green areas are paid for by all owners by quota (article 553-45), and you cannot use them as a work area, draw water from them or store materials there without permission.
Parking. Statutes often allocate spaces to each house. Site vehicles must not take other people's spaces, and it is better to tell the crew on day one. Electric-car charging in an estate with shared networks is agreed separately: see how it works in our guide to charging points in villas.
Which documents should you collect before the design starts?
Before the first sketch it is worth collecting eight documents. A land registry extract (nota simple) for the plot. The estate's constitution deed with the statutes and the plan. The internal rules. Minutes of the meetings of the last two or three years where facades, windows, building works and fees were discussed. A certificate that you are up to date with the community. The planning data sheet for the plot: development plan, parameters and current restrictions. The house's original licences, the completion certificate and the cadastral plan. The community's insurance policy and the administrator's contact details.
What each one is for. The extract shows what is legally registered and whether there are charges or attachments. The statutes and rules answer what can be changed outside and at what hours work is allowed. The minutes show how the rules are applied in reality: how many times the answer was no, and why. The debt certificate matters because arrears can block voting and the community's consent. The plan and original licences show whether there is buildable margin left and whether earlier works without a licence would have to be regularised.
Then two letters. In the first you ask the president for written confirmation that the planned exterior changes do not contradict the statutes. In the second you tell the neighbours about the timetable and the noisy phases. If a document is missing, you find out before the design, not at the meeting and not when the crew is already at the gate.
How does BCN YARD work on townhouses in gated estates?
We renovate private houses and townhouses in Barcelona, on the coast and in the province, in Russian and Spanish. One person responsible for the site, our own crew and trusted subcontractors, payment by stages under the contract. Project signatures are provided by independent specialists.
If you do not live in Spain, send us the land registry extract, the statutes and a photo of the facade. We reply within an hour and tell you what is held up by the statutes, what by the town hall and what can start right away. The exact price comes in the estimate after a visit and measurements. Guide prices excluding VAT: Premium from 1,000 €/m², Luxury from 2,000 €/m², Signature from 3,000 €/m². VAT on renovating a resale home in our estimates is usually 21 %. The 21% applies because in our renovations materials usually exceed 40% of the taxable base; when they do not, renovating a private individual's home is taxed at 10% (Law 37/1992, art. 91).
Permits for this kind of work can be handled together with the renovation: see our permit support service.
Frequently asked questions
Can I repaint my townhouse a different colour?
Open the statutes and the minutes first: the facade palette is almost always there. Then ask the president for a written reply and attach a colour sample. If common elements are being painted, the meeting must approve. The town hall may regulate colour too, so check its rules. Painting without consent can end in a demand to restore the original colour.
Do I need the neighbours' consent to add a floor or an extension?
The law does not require your neighbours' signatures. You need a major works licence and must comply with the development plan and the statutes. A meeting decision is required if the work touches common elements or changes the look of the complex. Statutes can restrict building more strictly than the plan, so first check how much buildable volume the plot has left.
Where do I get the urbanización statutes?
From the estate president or administrator, from the notary who executed the constitution deed, and through a land registry extract for your plot. Rules that are not registered do not harm good-faith third parties, but the estate's rules may live in the meeting minutes. Ask for both the registered text and the minutes.
What do I do about the shared wall during the renovation?
Do not weaken it or chase it deeply, and do not load it without a calculation. Before work, record the condition of the neighbouring house, make sure the contractor is insured and build acoustic insulation as a free-standing lining without rigid fixing to the wall. If you demolish a structure, the wall has to be left looking like an exterior wall.