Skips (contenedores), rubble and working hours during renovation

Key rules

• Working hours: Your town hall's noise ordinance sets the hours, and nights, Sundays and holidays are normally off limits.
• Skip permit: A skip on a public road needs a municipal permit, which your contractor usually requests.
• Community: The community can set reasonable hours but cannot ban works inside your flat.
• Notice: Tell the administrator or president before you start.
• August: Trades and councils slow down in August, so plan and book early.

Working hours: your town hall sets them

Each town hall sets its own hours in its noise ordinance. Noisy work is usually allowed on weekdays in the daytime, commonly from about 8:00 to 20:00 or 21:00. Saturdays often have shorter hours. Nights, Sundays and public holidays are normally off limits. Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia and Málaga all follow this pattern, and Madrid and Barcelona also limit noise levels. Take the exact hours from your town hall's current ordinance before you tell your contractor.

July and August limits

Some tourist and coastal towns ban or limit works in July and August, or in peak season. Check this with your town hall before you fix a start date. Your community may add its own summer limit (see below).

Skips and rubble

Put a skip (contenedor) on a public road only with a municipal permit. Your contractor usually requests it, and you pay a fee. Ask who is handling it and get it in writing.

Expect rules on these points:

• Placement, size and time limits.
• Signals and night-time lighting.
• The skip must not block access, hydrants or bus stops.
• It must be covered when full.

Rubble from works is regulated waste. As the person ordering the works, you must have a waste management plan, hand the waste to an authorised manager or recycling plant, and keep the delivery certificate. Many councils charge a deposit or guarantee for waste management. Dumping on public land is fined. Small amounts can go to the municipal punto limpio, but it usually limits how much works rubble it accepts. Fees and rules differ by city.

Your community of owners

You can do works inside your own flat. The community cannot ban them outright. It can, however, set reasonable hours for noisy work through its estatutos or its internal rules, and enforce them. Rules such as no works in August or after certain hours are valid if they are registered or approved and not abusive. Municipal hours still apply on top.

Inside your flat you must not harm the building's safety, structure, general services or appearance, or damage other owners. Tell the administrator or president about the works before you start. Anything touching common elements or the facade needs community approval, by majority or unanimity depending on the case.

Read the estatutos and recent meeting minutes first. They show any hour or August limits.

August and September

August is close to a shutdown. Many contractors, suppliers and architects close for two to three weeks, and councils work slowly, so permits and deliveries are delayed. September is busy, so book trades early. The timeline and FAQ below cover the order of steps.

Timeline and deadlines

• Book contractors and suppliers early, especially for September: well before August, as September is busy

• Plan around the August shutdown of trades, suppliers and councils: two to three weeks in August, when permits and deliveries slow down

• Tell the administrator or president about the works: before works start

Frequently asked questions

Can my community ban renovation works in August?

Yes, a community can set rules such as no works in August, as long as the rule is approved or registered and is not abusive. These rules usually sit in the statutes (estatutos) or the internal rules. Read them and the recent meeting minutes before you book trades.

Can the community stop me doing works inside my own flat?

No, the community cannot ban works inside your private flat outright, but it can set reasonable hours for noisy work. You must not harm the building's safety, structure, shared services or outside appearance, and you must tell the administrator or president about the works.

Who handles the skip permit and where does the rubble go?

The contractor usually requests the street-occupation permit (licencia de ocupación de vía pública) and you pay the fee. The rubble must go to an authorised waste manager or recycling plant, and you should keep the delivery certificate. Small amounts may go to the municipal clean point (punto limpio), which usually limits works rubble.