Solar panels when you live in a flat

Key rules

• Shared solar vote: Shared solar on the community roof needs a simple majority of owners at a meeting, and must be approved before work starts.
• Roof for one flat: Panels on the common roof for your flat alone need written community authorisation.
• Private terrace: Panels on a private terrace are usually fine if they do not touch the facade, structure or common elements.
• Sharing energy: Neighbours sharing a plant must sign an agreement and give it to the distributor.

Is solar realistic in a flat?

Yes, but you rarely decide alone. The roof is almost always a common element, so panels there need the community of owners. Your options are shared solar for the whole building, panels on the roof for your flat only, or panels on a private terrace.

Shared solar on the roof

If the panels serve the community, no neighbour can veto them. Approval is a simple majority at a community meeting: more owners vote yes than no. It must be approved before any work starts.

Owners who voted against cannot stop it. They also cannot be charged for it if the cost is more than three monthly ordinary charges.

To start, ask the administrator to put the proposal on the agenda of the next meeting.

Panels on the roof for your flat only

If you want panels on the common roof for your own use, the community must authorise it in writing. The other owners must not be harmed. Here the vote is stricter than for shared solar: generally a majority of owners who also represent a majority of the ownership shares. Ask your administrator or a lawyer which majority applies to your building.

Panels on a private terrace or balcony

You can normally fit panels on a private terrace if they do not change the facade or structure and do not affect common elements. Many communities do not object when panels are hidden from view and not fixed to common structure.

You will probably need community approval if panels are fixed to the facade or stick out beyond the building line. Your community statutes can also restrict changes, so read them first. Your town hall may require a notification or a minor works licence, so ask it before you buy anything.

Sharing energy with neighbours

Collective self-consumption lets several homes share one nearby plant. It suits a building where the roof is used by many flats.

• Everyone taking part is linked to the same plant and signs a sharing agreement.
• The plant and the homes must be on the same low-voltage network or within the permitted distance. That distance was extended in 2022, so confirm the current limit with your distributor.
• You and your neighbours agree allocation coefficients, which split the energy between homes. They can be fixed or variable.
• You give the signed agreement to your electricity distributor, which applies the coefficients to each bill.
• The installation is registered with your region's energy department and in the national self-consumption register.
• Surplus energy can be credited on your bill for installations up to 100 kW.

Some rules differ in the islands, so check locally if you live there.

What to do first

Use the checklist below, and the FAQ for common doubts. Start by reading your statutes and deciding whether the panels are for shared use or for your flat only, because the vote differs.

Checklist

• Read your community statutes to see whether they restrict changes to the roof, facade or terraces.

• Decide whether the panels are for shared use or for one flat only, because the vote differs.

• Ask the administrator to put shared solar on the agenda of a community meeting, and get the simple majority approval before any work starts.

• Ask for written community authorisation if one owner wants panels on the common roof for their own use.

• Check with your town hall whether a private terrace installation needs a notification or a minor works licence.

• Confirm that the plant and every participating home are on the same low-voltage network or within the allowed distance.

• Agree allocation coefficients with your neighbours, fixed or variable, and sign the sharing agreement.

• Register the installation with your regional energy department.

Frequently asked questions

Can I put panels on my private terrace without community approval?

Often yes, if the panels sit on a private terrace, are not fixed to the facade or common structure and do not stick out beyond the building line. Your community statutes can still restrict this, and your town hall may ask for a notification or a minor works licence. The roof is usually a common element, so panels there always need the community's go-ahead.

Can neighbours block a shared solar installation on the roof?

No, neighbours cannot veto a shared installation, because it passes if more owners vote yes than no. An owner who voted against can avoid paying if the cost exceeds three monthly ordinary charges. If only one owner wants panels for their own use, the community must authorise it and the other owners must not be harmed.

How far away can the panels be from the flats sharing the energy?

For collective self-consumption, the plant and the homes must be on the same low-voltage network or within a set distance, originally 500 m and extended to 2,000 m in some cases in 2022. All participants agree on allocation coefficients, which can be fixed or variable, and the distributor applies them to each bill.