Start with what the work affects, not who pays
Paying for work privately does not make every affected element private. A pipe, load-bearing wall, slab, exterior opening or ventilation duct may involve common parts or external appearance. Begin with the règlement de copropriété and a precise description of the intervention.
This article concerns an owner arranging ordinary renovation of their apartment. Tenancy consent, common works decided by the building and special statutory procedures need their own assessment. Under the ordinary co-ownership rules, an owner can generally alter private areas within the applicable limits, but work affecting common parts or the exterior may need a general-meeting authorisation.
Use a screening list, then confirm the classification
| Proposed work | What to establish before ordering |
|---|---|
| Painting and replacement furniture | Private scope, building rules and effect on neighbours |
| Removing a wall or cutting a slab | Structural role, ownership classification and professional design |
| Replacing windows or shutters | Effect on the exterior, building specifications and planning rules |
| Changing a branch or common stack | Exact ownership boundary, access and shutdown responsibility |
| Adding kitchen extraction | Existing ventilation, safety, external route and permissions |
| Changing floor finishes | Building requirements and acoustic performance |
This table is a way to ask the right questions, not a legal classification of your building. Do not decide a wall is non-structural from thickness alone. Request a competent assessment and check the governing documents. Keep unresolved points in the schedule rather than treating silence as approval.
Prepare a file describing the real project
- Identify the lot, owner and work locations.
- Attach existing and proposed drawings with relevant dimensions.
- Describe affected common elements, the method and professional assessments.
- Identify contractors, relevant insurance and responsibility for protection and damage.
- Explain access, waste, shutdowns and foreseeable disturbance.
- Provide the proposed resolution and documents for the applicable procedure.
Ask the syndic early about putting an authorisation on the agenda. The official guidance describes a registered request with supporting documents and the possibility of a specific meeting at the requesting owner’s expense. Confirm the timetable before committing to a contractor start date.
An exchange with the syndic is not always the authorisation
The syndic is a useful contact and organiser, but cannot replace a required general-meeting decision with personal agreement. The conseil syndical’s informal approval is not a substitute either. Obtain the adopted resolution and meeting record for work requiring a vote.
The voting rules depend on the resolution and any applicable special procedure. Do not copy a majority threshold from another project. Have the syndic or a housing-law adviser confirm the classification, required decision and any relevant implementation or challenge period before starting.
If the meeting refuses the project, do not start on the assumption that the decision can be fixed later. Clarify reasons and options with the appropriate adviser. Unauthorised work can lead to a demand to stop or remove what has been built.
Keep planning permission on a separate track
A favourable co-ownership vote does not replace an authorisation d’urbanisme. Changing the exterior may require a separate application, and a protected location can add constraints. Conversely, a mairie decision does not settle private rights under the building’s rules.
For a hood, the AQC guide explains that it must not be connected to the VMC or a flue. Resolve technical compatibility as well as permission; authorisation alone does not make an unsuitable design safe.
Put logistics and change control in the contract
Agree protection of lifts, corridors and stairs; unloading and storage; waste handling; work hours under local and building rules; and who organises shared-service shutdowns. Photograph the starting condition of access areas with the appropriate parties. Inform neighbours of the practical arrangements without presenting notice as a substitute for permission.
The quotation guidance includes waste arrangements. Specify them rather than letting a contractor leave bags in a common area. If the approved solution changes, determine whether the authorisation also needs updating before proceeding. Keep the change in the written contractual process.
A short start file prevents an expensive misunderstanding
Before authorising the relevant work, hold the final scope, required decisions, planning permission if applicable, technical assessments, insurance, signed quotation and access arrangements together. Mark remaining conditions. For dependent work, consider an appropriately drafted contractual condition rather than paying for a non-refundable order while permission remains uncertain.
Your useful record is not “the syndic knows”. It is a documented link between the work described, the authorisation obtained and the specification being executed. Keep that record for maintenance, disputes and a future sale.
Sources and method
- Service Public — Travaux dans l’appartement en copropriété
- Service Public — Règles de vote en assemblée générale
- Agence Qualité Construction — Créer ou rénover sa cuisine, 2e édition
- Service Public — Devis et contrat de travaux
- ANIL — Contrat d’entreprise : précautions et avenants
Sources consulted on 18 October 2026. Worked cost tables are editorial examples, not average market prices or contractors’ offers. Tax explanations concern metropolitan France.