The main rule is simple: maintenance and replacement where the roof keeps looking the same is usually permit-free. As soon as you change the appearance or add something that sticks out, it gets assessed.
The details are less simple, because there are national rules, municipal rules and sometimes an owners' association (VvE) or listed status. I am not a lawyer, so this is the general outline and not the final word for your address.
Usually permit-free
Replacing tiles in the same shape and colour. Even a completely new tiled roof, as long as the model and colour are similar and the roof surface keeps looking the same.
Renewing the roofing on a flat roof. Replacing bitumen or EPDM is maintenance and does not change the look.
Insulating on the inside. Interior work does not change the look.
A roof window in the rear roof slope. Often permit-free on an ordinary home outside a protected area, provided it does not stick out, or hardly. See
permits for a roof window.
Probably needs an assessment
A different tile model or a different colour. Going from red to black, or from a wavy to a flat tile, changes the look of the street.
Insulating on the outside. With sarking or prefab panels the roof surface ends up higher, and that can affect the look and the connection with the neighbours. See
sarking.
A dormer. In the rear roof slope, within certain dimensions, sometimes permit-free; at the front almost never. The rules vary considerably by municipality. See
dormer or roof window.
Listed building or protected townscape. Then almost any change to the roof requires a permit, even at the back. That applies in parts of Vught and other villages in the region.
A roof terrace. Besides structure and safety, overlooking the neighbours plays a role here, and that is almost always a permit matter. See
can you walk on a flat roof.
“As long as the roof keeps looking the same, there is usually nothing to worry about. If the appearance changes, it gets assessed.”
Fouad, owner of Astrodak Service
Not sure about the right approach?
I would rather come and look at your roof with my colleagues first than come up with a solution from a distance. During the free inspection you hear what is really needed, even if that is less than you thought.
What else applies apart from the permit
Even with permit-free work, the technical building requirements of the Dutch Building Regulations (Bbl) apply. The most important one for roof work is the insulation requirement: if you renew part of the roof, a minimum Rc value of 1.3 m²K/W applies to that part. With a major renovation of more than a quarter of the building envelope, the new-build requirements apply.
And with a flat
Then the roof is a communal part and it goes through the owners' association (VvE). That also applies if you own your flat and the work is directly above your own home: the VvE commissions the work and the costs come out of the communal fund.
How we tackle it
We find out what applies to your address before any material is ordered. If in doubt, we call the municipality with the plan to hand, and with a listed building or protected area we advise a preliminary consultation before a design or quote is made.
Why you should find out before the quote
A permit procedure takes time, and that affects your planning. With a roof that leaks and cannot wait, that is a real problem: you then want the leak sealed now and the permanent solution later, in the form that is permitted.
That is why we find this out before a quote goes out and not after. Then you know whether you are choosing within what is permit-free, or whether you are starting a procedure that takes time. That is information that changes your decision, so it belongs up front.
Frequently asked questions about permits for roof work
