Sometimes doing work at home can be a real mess in terms of papers that present and what is worse, we don’t know when needed and when not. Licenses to do work at home have to be ordered in the municipality and in each one they will ask us for other documentation and a payment to receive the permission.
Before we get down to work and start with our comprehensive or partial reform we have to know well what permits should be asked and what type, especially to avoid some fine of the municipality or what is worse, have problems with neighbors.
Legal requirements for doing work at home
In the event that our intention is to remodel the layout of the house, that is, to change some place stay or to erect a wall, we will need a new Habitability Certificate. This document is a document that verifies that the house meets the criteria of solidity and health required by law and takes into account the minimum equipment that a home must have. However, these requirements are not too demanding, so it is not complicated to get such a document. Once we have this paper we will go to the municipality to approve it and give us a minor works license.
If we were to make reforms that had to do with the finishes of the house, such as changing the floor or painting, we would have to request informational permits, that is to say, works announcements.
As for the reforms that affect the structure of the building, such as the pillars, the ceiling or the beams, are complicated a bit because it is necessary that we have an architect. If we lived in a community of neighbors we would have to ask for permission, in addition to requesting a major work permit from the city council. A reform in a community element, such as facades, balconies or patios, will also require this type of permits.
Often owners want to close a patio or a terrace and gain more space or amplitude for another area of their home, in this situation it would be necessary to look at what the urban law explains, in addition to having to ask for a license to act more.
As we see, in most of the occasions we are forced to obtain a major works license, while the minor is relegated to small alterations that do not affect the exterior composition of the building nor its structure. If you are thinking of doing a remodeling in your house, hope that these explanations about the permissions and licenses to make a work at home have been useful to you.