An apartment renovation should not connect to condominium water or electricity simply because it is convenient: first identify the supply point and obtain a written agreement from the building manager. An extension lead in the corridor, a hose connected to a shared tap or use of the common electrical board can affect bills paid by every owner, safety and access through the building. Settling these points before the first delivery avoids disputes that become hard to resolve when an invoice arrives or damage is found.
Contents
- Can the work use water or electricity from common parts?
- What to ask the building manager before work starts
- How to measure and pay for use without a later dispute
- Cables, extension leads and hoses: the route is the risk
- What if the renovation needs space on the street?
- Make a short agreement before the first connection
Can the work use water or electricity from common parts?
As a general rule, the flat should support its own renovation. General water and electricity installations are normally common parts, and their use must comply with the constitutive title, the condominium rules and owners’ resolutions. The relationship between exclusive ownership of a flat and the restrictions arising from horizontal property is explained in a decision on horizontal property published in the Diário da República.
A small temporary connection does not automatically require an owners’ meeting. It also does not create an automatic right to run equipment from the stairwell socket or leave a hose connected in the garage. First check whether there is an internal rule, an earlier resolution or a condition set by the manager. If there is doubt, treat the use as specific permission, limited in time and suspended if it causes risk or disruption.
Charging a tool for a few minutes differs from continuously supplying site lighting, industrial vacuums, mixers or other demanding equipment. Likewise, a shared tap for occasional cleaning should not become the regular arrangement for washing down, mixing mortar or plumbing tests.
| Situation | Minimum agreement | Safest arrangement |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity in the stairwell or garage | Authorised point, equipment, hours and person responsible | Protected temporary distribution board, suitable circuit and consumption record where relevant |
| Shared tap or water point | Purpose, period of use, cleaning and cost | Supervised temporary connection; avoid hoses across walking routes |
| Corridor, courtyard or garage | Route, protection, duration and reinstatement | Defined area, clear access and before-and-after photographs |
What to ask the building manager before work starts
Send a straightforward request with enough detail for a useful reply. State the flat, contractor, site contact, expected dates, equipment that may need power or water, and the exact proposed connection point. A photograph is useful where an older building has several similar boards, meters or taps.
Ask for three confirmations: whether the point belongs to the common parts; whether the building has rules on consumption and corridor use; and whether owners simply need notice or the matter should go to a meeting. The manager implements resolutions and carries out several condominium management duties under Article 1436 published in the Diário da República. An email with clear conditions is more reliable than verbal permission passed through a neighbour or the person who opens the garage.
If the connection depends on locked service areas, establish who provides keys, who supervises access and when the contractor may touch breakers, valves or meters. Workers should not alter shared installations without explicit permission and without someone who knows the building.
- State the intended start and end of use.
- Describe tools, expected load and water needs.
- Explain how cable and hose routes will be protected.
- Set out responsibility for cleaning, damage, leaks and tripped circuits.
How to measure and pay for use without a later dispute
The preferred arrangement is for the work to use the flat’s own meter. If that is not yet possible, or the internal installation is disconnected during electrical work, the permission should state how reimbursement will be calculated. “The contractor will pay later” defines neither the amount nor the deadline or responsible party.
There are three useful approaches, in order of clarity: a temporary submeter fitted by a competent technician; opening and closing readings from a meter feeding only the authorised point; or a fixed amount for a very limited need. For consumption over several weeks, an estimate is likely to cause disagreement.
Record readings with dates, photographs and meter identification. For electricity, confirm the expected load and the circuit capacity. For water, agree that the tap is shut at the end of every shift. An overnight leak or equipment left running can cost more than arranging a proper temporary supply.
Include reimbursement in the agreement with the condominium or in a written instruction to the contractor. Link the installation, opening reading and route protection to renovation hold points before allowing the next work stage to proceed.
Cables, extension leads and hoses: the route is the risk
A temporary connection only works if it does not create an obstruction or damage. Loose cables on stairs, hoses crossing fire doors and extension leads improvised around handrails can cause trips, hinder evacuation or stop a shared door from closing properly.
Plan a short, visible and protected route. In walking areas, use suitable cable protection, remove slack and keep doors operational. Do not run cables beneath doors where insulation will be crushed, and do not attach hoses to elements that were never designed for that load. At the end of the day, disconnect and store anything that does not need to remain in service.
If the renovation needs continuous supply for significant equipment, ask for a solution prepared for that purpose, with appropriate electrical protection. The company responsible for private works must hold a qualification covering the overall value of the work; check the IMPIC guidance on qualifications for private works. That qualification does not replace safety planning, but it helps identify who is responsible for execution.
Where routes through common parts are unavoidable, notify the building of sensitive days and times. Protect lifts, wall corners and floors before deliveries, then retain photographs and records in the renovation handover file.
What if the renovation needs space on the street?
Do not treat the corridor, courtyard or garage as an automatic alternative to a skip, material store or scaffold on the street. Beyond requiring internal agreement, this can compromise emergency routes, manoeuvring areas and spaces that must stay clear.
In Lisbon, work exempt from planning permission or prior notification may still require a licence or notice to occupy public space with hoardings, scaffolds, deposits, equipment or skips. The City Council explains the cases in its service on public-space occupation for exempt works. A simple notice only applies to specific scaffolding situations; other occupations may require a licence and an occupation plan.
Decide early where materials arrive, where waste waits, how the lift is protected and which route reaches the flat. Municipal permission for the street does not replace condominium coordination: they are separate decisions.
Make a short agreement before the first connection
A temporary connection does not need a lengthy contract. One page, signed or confirmed by email by the manager and flat owner, can settle the essentials: authorised point, purpose, period, reading or payment method, route, working hours, daily cleaning and reinstatement duty.
Add a stop-use rule. If there is a burning smell, repeated circuit trips, water on the floor, a leak, damage or blocked access, use stops until the issue is checked. This avoids leaving the contractor to decide alone about a shared installation they do not know.
Before walls are closed or the site is demobilised, check that no improvised branches, unsealed holes, clips, extension leads or unpaid bills remain. Final reinstatement is what returns the building to normal use.
Key takeaways
- Do not connect site work to shared utilities without confirming the point, responsible party and permission.
- Record the period, consumption, route protection, cleaning and reinstatement in writing.
- For extended use, choose verifiable metering rather than estimated consumption.
- Treat public-space permission and condominium authorisation as separate processes.
If your renovation needs coordination with the building manager, deliveries and common areas, Obra Lisboa can help organise those decisions into a clear work plan before the start date. The next step is to gather the flat, condominium and contractor information needed to define access, responsibilities and work sequence.
Sources and further reading
- decision on horizontal property published in the Diário da República
- Article 1436 published in the Diário da República
- IMPIC guidance on qualifications for private works
- public-space occupation for exempt works
Editorial image; it does not depict an Obra Lisboa project.
Obra Lisboa
