For most renovations inside your apartment, you do not need permission from the owners’ association (VvE). A new kitchen, a new bathroom or a different layout is up to you. You do need permission if you touch the load-bearing structure, such as a load-bearing wall, and in a few other cases: flue gas outlets, an open fireplace or chimney breast, and windows and window frames. For a load-bearing wall, you also need an environmental permit (omgevingsvergunning) from the municipality.
I get this question at almost every viewing. Buyers want to know whether they need a permit, whether they need permission, and what they do and do not have to report to the VvE. It is actually quite simple once you know the difference.
What can you do without permission from the VvE?
Your apartment is yours, but the building belongs to all the owners together. Anything that happens inside your own home and does not touch the structure or the shared parts of the building, you can in principle do yourself. For example:
- a new kitchen
- a new bathroom
- a different layout, as long as you do not remove a load-bearing wall
- plastering, painting and a new floor (but do think about noise, more on that below)
What exactly applies to your building is set out in the deed of division (splitsingsakte) and the division regulations (splitsingsreglement) of the VvE. If in doubt, check those first.
If you have just moved in, let your neighbours know you are going to renovate. A note in the stairwell or a message in the building’s group chat prevents a lot of irritation, especially in a building where you will be running into each other for years to come.
When do you need permission?
Removing a load-bearing wall
A load-bearing wall is part of the structure of the entire building. If you remove it, that affects everyone in the building. So you need two things: permission from the VvE and an environmental permit from the municipality. For both, you have a structural engineer calculate how the building stays standing without that wall.
Flue gas outlets, an open fireplace or a chimney breast
You also need permission for flue gas outlets, and for opening up, closing off or removing an open fireplace or chimney breast. An outlet usually runs through shared parts of the building, such as the roof, and a chimney breast is often connected to a flue that your neighbours may be connected to as well.
Replacing windows and window frames
The facade belongs to all the owners together, including the part around your windows. New frames or windows change the look of the building, so the VvE has a say. If the building is a listed monument, also check whether you need a permit from the municipality.
How do you ask for permission?
You usually ask for permission at a VvE meeting. Have you just become the new owner, has the annual meeting just taken place and is the next one nine months away? You do not have to wait: you can request an extraordinary meeting to present your plan.
Your fellow owners decide on your plans, so back them up as well as you can:
- a plan of approach
- the structural calculation
- if possible, a visualisation of the end result
Amsterdam has many small VvEs, with two or three apartments in one building. There, things are often much more informal, by email or even WhatsApp. Do keep that approval safe: if you sell later, the buyer will ask for it.
A hard floor: think of your downstairs neighbours
You can lay a new floor without permission, but this is exactly where things often go wrong in apartments. In the walk-up flats of De Baarsjes, for example, you quickly hear your upstairs neighbours walking around. So first check the rules of your VvE, which sometimes set requirements for sound insulation. And pay attention to these three things:
- Lay a good underlay that insulates at least 10 dB, and keep the invoice. If there are noise complaints later on, you can show what you did.
- Lay the floor floating: do not glue or nail it to the subfloor.
- Leave some space along the walls and do not fix the skirting boards to the floor. That way, as little impact noise as possible travels downstairs.
What does this mean if you sell your apartment?
I recently sold an apartment in Duivendrecht where the load-bearing wall between the kitchen and the living room had been removed. Viewers asked about it straight away: had the VvE given permission, and had an environmental permit been applied for? Because I had asked the seller for this at the start of the sale, I could simply share the documents with the viewers and later with the buyer.
Do I know that permission was never requested, for example for a removed wall or new window frames? Then I am legally required to tell buyers. That is in your interest as a seller too: an honest sale prevents hassle afterwards. As a selling agent, I therefore always ask for these documents at the start.
Buying an apartment to renovate?
If it is a light renovation that does not need permission, you can in principle buy the home with peace of mind and carry out your plans afterwards.
Is your goal precisely to remove a load-bearing wall or build an extension, and is that so important that you could not live there otherwise? Then I will tell you honestly: you are buying with a risk. If the VvE says no, or the municipality refuses the permit, you have bought a home where you cannot carry out your plans. So discuss your plans with your buying agent before you make an offer, so you know what you are getting into. Read more in Need a buying agent in Amsterdam?
Not sure whether your renovation needs permission, or what it means if you want to sell? Feel free to call or email.
Frequently asked questions
Can I install a new kitchen or bathroom without permission from the VvE?
Yes. A new kitchen, a new bathroom or a different layout inside your own apartment does not need permission from the VvE, as long as you do not touch a load-bearing wall, flue gas outlets, an open fireplace or chimney breast, or windows and window frames.
Do I need a permit to remove a load-bearing wall?
Yes. You need an environmental permit (omgevingsvergunning) from the municipality and permission from the VvE. Have a structural engineer make a calculation, as you need it for both.
Which underlay do I need for a hard floor in an apartment?
An underlay that insulates at least 10 dB. Lay the floor floating, leave space along the walls and keep the invoice in case there are noise complaints later on.
As a seller, do I have to report that renovations were done without permission?
Yes. If you know that, for example, a load-bearing wall was removed or window frames were replaced without permission, you have to tell buyers. That prevents problems after the sale.
