How a community of owners restores its communal garage, step by step
A communal garage restoration usually moves through six stages: documenting the condition, defining the scope, deciding whether it is conservation or improvement under the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal, agreeing the cost split, planning the phases with residents and handing over the finished floor for line marking.
Send us a photo and the m²Step 1: How should the garage condition be documented?
Document it with photos and a short written description before anyone talks about money. Owners who rarely go down to the garage, or who live abroad, need to see the problem to understand it.
- Wide photos of the ramp, every lane and a sample of bays
- Close-ups of cracks, flaking patches, oil stains and broken edges
- Any damp patches, rust stains or water marks on the floor
- A plan or sketch of the garage with approximate areas
Damp coming up through the slab, rust bleeding from reinforcement or cracks that keep widening are not cosmetic. If they appear, the community should get a technical opinion before planning a surface restoration.
Step 2: What should the scope of work include?
The scope should say exactly which surfaces are treated and how. For a floor restoration, that means the areas (ramp, lanes, bays, outdoor parking), the preparation (cleaning and repairs), the cut-in along walls and columns, and the number of coats.
Just as important are the exclusions. In our case these are line marking and bay numbering, wall and column painting, structural work and drainage repairs. A written scope with clear exclusions avoids arguments between owners later.
Our communal garage service page shows the scope we normally propose.
Step 3: Is it conservation or an improvement under the LPH?
This is the question that decides how the community approves the work. Article 10.1.a of the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal states that works needed for the proper maintenance and the duty of conservation of the building and its common services and installations are mandatory and do not require a prior agreement of the Junta.
Article 10.2 adds that the owners bear the cost and that the Junta limits itself to agreeing the share-out of the derrama and the payment terms. A worn, cracked garage floor that needs repairing to stay in proper condition is a typical candidate for this category, but the classification of each project is for the administrator to confirm.
Improvements that are not required follow article 17, rule 4: three fifths of the owners, representing three fifths of the participation shares, must agree, and an owner who votes against is not obliged to pay. Other agreements follow rule 7, a majority of owners who also represent a majority of the shares, with different rules at second call.
Step 4: How is the cost shared between owners?
The cost is shared according to the community's participation shares unless the statutes or a valid agreement say otherwise. For mandatory conservation, the Junta's role is to agree the derrama and the payment dates, not whether the work happens.
Garages can complicate this. In some buildings, the garage is a separate unit with its own sub-community or its own shares; in others, only owners with a parking space contribute. The administrator should check the deeds and statutes before the budget is presented.
On VAT, the tax authority's criteria extend the reduced rate for renovations of dwellings to communities of owners, under conditions. Whether that reduced rate covers annexes such as garages has not been verified (to be verified), so ask your tax adviser.
Step 5: How is the work phased so residents can still park?
The garage is split into zones and each zone is closed, treated and reopened in turn. The ramp needs special thought because it is usually the only way in.
- The contractor proposes zones and an order based on the layout.
- The administrator circulates a notice with dates and the bays affected.
- Residents move their cars out of the active zone the evening before.
- Each zone is cleaned, repaired, cut in and given two coats.
- The zone reopens when the product data sheet allows traffic.
- The ramp is coated in halves or during a short, announced closure.
For more on slopes, edges and grip, see our garage ramp restoration page. Communication is half of the job: one notice too few and a single car parked in the wrong bay can stop a whole zone.
Step 6: What happens after the floor is finished?
After the floor has cured, the bays are marked again by a line-marking firm, the administrator receives the completion photos and the community agrees how the floor will be cleaned and looked after.
A simple cleaning routine, prompt attention to oil drips and a check of the ramp after winter keep the new floor looking good for longer. Our guide on looking after a restored driveway or garage floor covers maintenance in detail.
What surprises can a community run into?
The most common surprises are cars left in the wrong zone, line marking that was not booked in time and owners who assumed the walls would be painted too. All three are avoided by a written scope and a clear notice to residents.
Our post on what owners wish they had known before restoring a communal garage collects these lessons.
Frequently asked questions
Does a garage floor restoration need a Junta vote?
If the work is necessary conservation of a common element, article 10.1.a of the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal makes it mandatory without a prior Junta agreement. The Junta then agrees how the cost is shared and the payment terms. If the work is an improvement beyond what conservation requires, article 17 rule 4 applies. The administrator should confirm the classification.
What majority does an improvement to the garage need?
Under article 17, rule 4, improvements that are not required for conservation need the vote of three fifths of the owners, who must also represent three fifths of the participation shares. An owner who votes against is not obliged to pay for the improvement, according to the same rule. Check with your administrator for your community's specific case.
Can one owner refuse to pay for a garage floor repair?
For necessary conservation works under article 10.1.a, the LPH makes the work mandatory and the owners bear the cost under article 10.2, so an individual owner cannot simply opt out. The rules for improvements differ. Disputes about payment are a legal matter for the administrator or a lawyer, not something a contractor can resolve.
Who signs the contract with the contractor?
Usually the president, as the community's legal representative, or the administrator acting on the community's behalf, depending on how the community is organised. We send the quote and scope to whoever is the agreed contact and work to the community's internal procedure for approval.
Do only owners with a parking space pay?
That depends on the deeds, the statutes and how the garage is legally organised. In some buildings the garage forms a separate unit or sub-community; in others, all owners contribute according to their shares. The administrator should check the documents before presenting the budget to the Junta.
How long before the work can the community notify residents?
There is no fixed rule in our process; the earlier the better. Residents need time to plan where to park, especially if the ramp will close. We give the administrator the zones and dates as soon as the plan is agreed, so the notice can go out with enough margin for everyone.
What if a resident's car is left in a zone being worked on?
Work in that zone cannot go ahead safely, which can delay the whole sequence. The community should have a clear procedure for contacting the owner. Clear notices, reminders the day before and a phone list held by the president or caretaker usually prevent the problem.
Can the community restore the garage in stages over different years?
Yes. Some communities restore the ramp first and the parking floor later, or one level at a time. Phasing over time spreads the cost, but colours may differ slightly between stages, so it is worth agreeing the colour and keeping a record of the product used.
Do we need a permit from the ayuntamiento?
In Málaga city, repairing or coating slabs in common areas is listed as a minor work under a declaración responsable with a fee. Elsewhere, the procedure depends on the municipality and has not been verified by us (to be verified). The community should confirm with the ayuntamiento before work starts.
Who is responsible for health and safety during the work?
Health and safety on construction sites in Spain is governed by Real Decreto 1627/1997. The contractor organises its own work safely, while the community helps by closing zones, informing residents and keeping children and pets away from active areas. Clear signage and barriers are part of every phase.