Renting out the roof (phone mast, advertising): money for the community

Your roof could pay part of the community's costs. But it is one of the trickiest resolutions to get through.

The majority needed

Leasing common elements that have no specific use (the roof for a phone mast, a party wall for advertising) requires three fifths of owners and shares — and gives dissenters rights in certain cases where the building is altered. A solid, well-documented resolution, always.

The typical numbers

• A phone mast: €4,000–12,000 a year depending on location and operator (very negotiable — there are consultancies that renegotiate old, undervalued contracts on a success fee).
• Advertising on a party wall: enormously variable depending on visibility (from hundreds to thousands a month in prime locations).

The contract

A capped term with indexation, who maintains and insures the installation, conditions for removal at the end, and regulated technical access. A legal review of the contract: here it is worth spending on a lawyer.

The tax detail nobody mentions

Income from leasing common elements is attributed to each owner by share (the community's information return plus each owner's income tax return). It is not a problem — but tell people before the tax office does.

And the health concerns (masts)?

It is the debate that sinks half of these resolutions. Emission limits are set and monitored by national rules; the community's decision is free — but taking it informed and cleanly voted avoids years of bad atmosphere.