Renovation Permit
According to the legislation, for the remodeling or construction of a property, a permit is required from the respective Town Planning office. However, recent provisions exempt certain works from this obligation.
But even if a license is required, you should keep in mind that there are two different categories. Depending on the work set out you will need either a "Building Permit", or a building permit, or a "Small Scale Permit".
Most home renovation cases belong to the second category (Small Scale Works version, according to article 29 of Law 4995/2017). This is because the Building Permit includes renovation work costing €25,000 or more, construction of a swimming pool and change of use of the property from a home to a commercial building or vice versa. The rest of the work is more about construction and not so much about home renovation.
Small Scale License: what works does it include?
The last legislative changes concerning this issue were made in 2020. According to article 29 of Law 4495/2017 Official Gazette 167/A/3-11-2017, the "small-scale" works are as follows:
- Work for which the use of scaffolding is necessary during home renovation (eg painting external walls, building external thermal insulation).
- Installing or replacing a lift.
- The installation of a fireplace with a chimney.
- The installation of an autonomous heating system.
- The demolition of the walls inside the house.
- The construction of a pergola outside the house, which exceeds 50 sq.m.
- The reconstruction of the roof.
- Changes to the appearance of the building (e.g. the installation of a new balcony door in a different place).
Small Scale License: what supporting documents are required?
- The owner's license application.
- The technical report from an engineer, which will include the budget for the work.
- Two photos of the property showing it in its exterior view.
- Approvals from relevant agencies that may be relevant to your own home renovation. Such can be, for example, the forest office.
- The land registry certificate or other relevant official document that can replace it.
- A copy of the building permit.
- If there is a question of common areas, the consent statement of the co-owners is also needed.