I own an apartment, can I install solar panels?

Although solar panels can perfectly be installed on the roofs of apartment buildings, this has yet to be done for many of these buildings. Utilising this potential would be beneficial to the climate and would also be an interesting option for the residents of apartment buildings from a financial perspective. However, as the owner of an apartment, you need permission from the joint owners’ association if you want to install solar panels on the roof of your building.

You need permission from the joint owners’ association if you want to carry out work affecting the communal parts of an apartment building. The same holds true for the installation of solar panels on the roof, as the roof and roof covering are usually part of the structure’s communal parts. You can find this information in the basic deed of co-ownership.

If the roof and roof covering are jointly owned, you have the following options:

• You ask the joint owners’ association for permission to install solar panels on the roof on your own initiative and at your own expense. It can give this permission in the form of an exclusive right of use or enjoyment, a right of superficies or a lease. You can use the energy generated and/or you can sell it to the grid.

• You propose to the joint owners’ association that it could invest in solar panels on the association’s initiative and at the association’s expense. The joint owners’ association will then be able to use the generated energy to provide the communal parts of the building with energy and/or sell it to the grid. The association could additionally opt for an energy-sharing system, where the energy generated can be divided among the co-owners for private use.

The second option is preferred. Joint investments are generally more favourable from a financial perspective, benefit the uniform appearance of the building and anticipate potential sensitive questions such as ‘what happens if one person gets the right to cover all of the roof with solar panels and someone else later wants to invest in solar panels as well?’