Renovating an apartment in Palma costs €1,200 to €2,500 per square metre for most of our residential projects on Mallorca, depending on condition and standard. Unlike with a house, though, you do not decide alone: the owners’ community, the comunidad de propietarios, has to be informed beforehand and has to approve as soon as the structure, the façade or shared parts of the building are affected. For most works inside the apartment a notification to the city is enough in Palma; larger alterations need a building licence. In the old town and on protected buildings further steps apply.

This guide explains how the cost comes together, what you may decide on your own, which permit applies, what the old town requires and when you may build. It reflects the situation in October 2026 and does not replace legal advice.

What renovating an apartment in Palma costs

Most of our residential projects on Mallorca come to €1,200 to €2,500 per square metre. For a 90 square metre apartment that is roughly €108,000 to €225,000. A full renovation including planning typically takes six to twelve months. Where your apartment falls within that range depends mainly on these points:

  • Pipes and wiring. In older buildings they are often at the end of their life. If the walls are open anyway, replace them at the same time.
  • Damp. Ground floors and old walls often draw moisture. The cause has to be fixed before new surfaces go on.
  • Kitchen and bathrooms. Per square metre they are the most expensive rooms. Reference prices are in our kitchen price guide and our guide to bathroom renovation on Mallorca.
  • Windows and air conditioning units. Both affect the façade and therefore the community. Raise both with the community early, or you will lose time.

If your project needs a building licence, Palma adds 4 percent construction tax and a 2.61 percent fee on the pure construction cost. For a first figure of your own, try the cost calculator.

What you can decide alone and what needs the community’s approval

Spain’s law on horizontal property, the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal, gives you a lot of freedom inside your apartment. You may change building elements, installations and fittings as long as you do not affect the safety of the building, its structure, its exterior appearance or the rights of other owners. You must, however, inform the community’s representative beforehand, in practice usually the administrator, the administrador de fincas.

Anything beyond that is decided by the owners’ meeting: changes to the structure of the building, to the façade or closing in a terrace need a majority and the consent of the owners affected. You may not change the rest of the building on your own, and that includes shared risers and drainage stacks.

Talk to the administrator early. In our projects that has paid off. When the lift may be used, how the stairwell and entrance are protected and where the rubble goes can be settled calmly in advance. In the middle of the building phase it quickly turns into a dispute.

Which permit you need in Palma

For most works inside an apartment a comunicación previa, a notification to the city, is enough. Simple works such as new floors, painting or a new kitchen without changing the layout may start the day after filing. Works on non-load-bearing walls or on habitability need a technician’s signature and a 15-day waiting period.

You need a building licence, the licencia urbanística, as soon as load-bearing parts are affected or more than 60 percent of the floor area is reconfigured. After completion a first occupation licence follows. Small interior works under €3,000 without a project need no procedure, except on protected buildings. How the procedures work in detail and what they cost is covered in our guide to building permits on Mallorca.

Extra rules in the old town and for protected buildings

Palma’s old town, the Centre Històric, has been protected as a historic ensemble since 1964. Many buildings there are also catalogued individually, with protection levels ranging from the whole building to single elements. For catalogued buildings a notification is never enough; a licence is needed, and depending on the building the Consell de Mallorca heritage authority reviews it too. In the rest of the historic centre extra steps apply as well, such as a 15-day waiting period and, for certain works, a report from the city’s commission for the old town and catalogue.

The rules for your building are set out in its catalogue file. We look at it before any planning, because it decides what is possible with windows, ceilings, floors and walls.

When noisy works are allowed

Palma’s noise ordinance allows noisy works on working days between 9 am and 8 pm. In designated high-tourism zones a narrower window of 11 am to 7 pm applies from 1 May to 30 October. Sundays and public holidays are excluded. Schedule noisy phases such as demolition early and let the neighbours know in advance. It saves trouble and delays.

Buildings over 50 years old: the compulsory inspection

In Palma every building must be technically assessed for the first time when it turns 50, and every ten years after that. The community commissions this report, the informe de evaluación del edificio. Ask for it before you buy or plan. It shows the condition of the building and which works on the shared property are coming up, which you will help to pay for.

An example from Palma: the Arabic Loft

The Arabic Loft is a loft in the middle of Palma, with ceiling heights of almost five metres and rooms full of light. With that much height the materials show well: lime-washed walls, marès stone, hand-glazed ceramics and oiled wood. We designed the whole interior: layout, materials, textiles and furniture. The design builds on what the building already had, above all its ceiling height.

How we handle it at CARLO Design

Our studio is in Palma. In the Project Check we look at the apartment and clarify which procedure applies and what needs to be agreed with the community, before you invest in planning. For permits we work with an architect licensed in Spain, and we handle the coordination with the administrator. Many of our clients do not live on the island. How that works is described in our piece on renovating in Mallorca from abroad. More about our work on the island is on interior design on Mallorca.

FAQ

What does it cost to renovate an apartment in Palma?

Most of our residential projects on Mallorca come to €1,200 to €2,500 per square metre, depending on condition, scope and standard. For a 90 square metre apartment that is roughly €108,000 to €225,000. If a building licence is needed, Palma adds 6.61 percent in tax and fee on the construction cost.

Does the owners’ community have to approve?

Not for works inside your apartment, as long as you do not affect the safety of the building, its structure, its exterior appearance or the rights of other owners. You must, however, inform the community’s representative beforehand, in practice the administrator. Changes to the structure or the façade, or closing in a terrace, need the approval of the owners’ meeting.

Do I need a building licence to renovate my apartment?

For most works inside an apartment in Palma a comunicación previa is enough. You need a building licence if load-bearing parts are affected or more than 60 percent of the floor area is reconfigured, and then a first occupation licence afterwards. On catalogued buildings a notification is never enough.

When are building works allowed in Palma?

Palma’s noise ordinance allows noisy works on working days between 9 am and 8 pm. In designated high-tourism zones a narrower window of 11 am to 7 pm applies from 1 May to 30 October. Noisy works are not allowed on Sundays and public holidays.

What applies in Palma’s old town?

The old town has been protected as a historic ensemble since 1964. Works there and on catalogued buildings involve extra steps, depending on the building an authorisation from the Consell de Mallorca heritage authority or a report from the city’s commission for the old town and catalogue. The rules for your building are set out in its catalogue file.

Your next step

Write us a few sentences about your apartment: the neighbourhood, its size, the year it was built if you know it, and what should change. We will come back with a date for the Project Check on site or by video.

You can work out roughly what your renovation costs in two minutes. Open the cost and timeline calculator.