You may think that since you are the master of your own house or apartment, you can do whatever you like on your property. Is this really the case?
It is true that these rules are much stricter for renters than for owners, but owning a property doesn’t automatically give you the right to do whatever you want with it.
A huge advantage over someone who rents a place is that you don’t have to ask a landlord’s permission to remodel or renovate any room of your house or flat.
You can, for instance, paint the walls any colour you want, change the flooring, fix simple leaks in faucets or toilets, and in general handle minor improvements and repairs on your own (unless you have two left hands).
But there are certain tasks that you should never undertake by yourself because they must be done by specialists.
Stay away from electricity and gas
Anything that requires handling of electrical wires or gas lines; in depth plumbing work, structural changes to walls, or roof work (such as repairs or installing solar panels), must be done by licensed professionals — even if you think you are fully capable of doing all that yourself.
The reasons for these restrictions are simple and logical.
Firstly, because handling electricity or gas lines by non-professionals is rife with potential dangers like electrocutions, explosions, and fires.
The same applies to plumbing: if you do anything other than a simple task that requires nothing more than turning a water valve off or on, you risk bursting the pipes and flooding your (and other, if you live in a building) apartment.
One consequence of this type of DIY attempts at jobs that require licensed professionals, is that your insurance will not pay for any damage you may inflict to your property.
This is a perfect example of the phrease ‘you only have yourself to blame’.
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What about exterior work?
If you own a single family home, you have more flexibility about what you can or cannot do, especially when it comes to yard work.
But if you want to modify the exterior in any way, you may require a building permit to do so.
If you are not sure whether you need a permit and what kind, ask your municipality.
If you own an apartment in a residential building, your ability to act as you wish with regard to the exterior are even more limited.
That’s because you are bound by the rules of the homeowners’ association, called Stockwerkeigentum in German, and PPE in French and Italian.
Typically, any changes to the roof or the façade of the building, or common inside areas (like staircases) as well as common ground outside, must by approved by the other owners.
