Renovation permit: when it is needed

Renovating an owner-occupied flat is a lengthy process. Sometimes there are formalities that must be seen to before certain work is carried out. Find out when a permit is needed to renovate a flat or house.

Minor and major renovation

Renovating a flat can take many forms. Today we will focus on larger changes made to residential premises. These are the ones that require notification to the authorities or a specific permit. Changes are notified at the city office. You need to state the type of modernisation, as well as the scope and methods of the work. At that point you also state the date of the renovation. A declaration of the right to dispose of the property must be attached to the documents. If no objection is filed within thirty days of notifying the intention to carry out renovation work, we can start making the changes. Below is a list of renovation work that requires notification:

• plastering walls
• insulating the property from the inside
• converting a basement or attic for residential use without rebuilding the space
• repairing driveways and pavements
• modernising a boiler room
• replacing windows
• changing the roof covering
• bricking up windows or doors
• insulating the outside of a building up to 12 metres high
• painting the building's facade
• replacing a fence

Renovation permit: when it is needed for a tenement house or block of flats

Many tenement houses and houses have been registered as historic monuments. In this case, any renovation work on the property requires the appropriate permission from the heritage conservation officer (konserwator zabytków), as well as a building permit. This also applies to putting signs or equipment on the building. For a block of flats the problem is much smaller.

An application for a building permit must also be submitted to the city office. However, the office may take up to 65 days from the date of submission to respond to the application. We must obtain a permit in the case of:

• replacing or installing natural gas pipework
• building a septic tank
• building a chimney and a fireplace
• building internal and external stairs that affect the structure of the building
• converting a basement or attic for residential use where rebuilding is required
• demolishing a load-bearing wall
• cutting a door opening in an internal load-bearing wall
• insulating a building whose height exceeds the 12 metres mentioned
• adding new windows or doors on an external wall
• replacing windows if we plan to change their size
• adding a garage or terrace, as well as a veranda or porch, if their area exceeds 25 square metres
• replacing the roof truss
• raising the top storey of the building

If you have further questions about carrying out renovation work, we encourage you to contact the agents of the estate agency REMAX Gold in Katowice. We will gladly help you dispel any doubts and prepare the required documents.