Why does a community need a formal decision to pave common areas?
Because shared roads, car parks and entrances belong to all the owners together, and Spain's Horizontal Property Law (Ley 49/1960) requires that work on common elements is agreed by the owners' meeting under the majority rules of its article 17. The community administrator, who knows the statutes and the nature of the work, confirms which majority a particular job needs.
For many foreign owners on the Costa del Sol this is the first time they meet the Spanish system of juntas, presidents and administradores. It is more formal than an informal residents' group, and decisions taken outside a properly called meeting can be challenged. Getting the procedure right at the start avoids delays and disputes once the works are under way.
Who are the people involved, and what does each one do?
In a typical community there are four roles: the president, who represents the community; the administrator, a professional who runs its affairs; the owners' meeting, which decides; and the contractor, who executes. Some urbanizaciones also have a technical adviser or architect for larger works.
| Role | Usual tasks in a paving job |
|---|---|
| President | Represents the community, signs the contract once approved |
| Administrator (administrador de fincas) | Collects quotes, prepares the agenda, calls the meeting, manages payments |
| Owners' meeting (junta de propietarios) | Votes on the works, the budget and how costs are shared |
| Technical adviser, if appointed | Specifies layers and materials on larger or heavy-traffic areas |
| Contractor (us) | Visits, quotes, plans phasing, executes and reports progress |
If you are an owner who wants to raise the issue, the starting point is to contact your community administrator and ask for the item to be put on the agenda. If you are the president or administrator, our checklist for community administrators lists what to gather before the meeting.
What should a community ask for in a paving quote?
Quotes that can be compared line by line. A meeting cannot decide well between a one-line figure and a detailed breakdown, so we recommend asking every contractor to quote the same scope, area and items, with the build-up described rather than just named.
- Measured area of paving and length of kerbs, with a plan or marked photo of the scope.
- Excavation and disposal of the old surface, with waste handled as construction waste.
- Sub-base, any bound layer, laying course, paver type and pattern.
- Drainage items: channels, gullies and connections.
- Phasing plan and how residents keep access during the works.
- What is excluded, such as road markings, lighting or work on the public pavement.
We do not publish figures on this site. If the community wants a reference for how such jobs are priced, the factors and the published rates are explained on our sister site under what a paving quote includes.
How is the work phased so residents can still park?
By dividing the area into sections that can be closed one at a time, while the rest stays open, and by agreeing the order with the administrator before the start. A communal car park or shared drive is used every day, so phasing is often the single most important part of the planning.
- Map the area with entrances, parking spaces, bin stores and pedestrian routes.
- Choose sections so that at least one way in and out remains open at all times.
- Agree with the administrator where displaced cars can park during each phase.
- Notify residents in writing, in Spanish and English where the community is mixed.
- Close, excavate, build and lay one section, then reopen it before closing the next.
- Share photos of each completed phase with the administrator for circulation.
Our article on paving a driveway you use every day describes how we run a job when vehicles still need to come and go.
What makes community car parks different from private drives?
Traffic volume and vehicle type. A communal area sees many more movements, plus refuse trucks, removal lorries, delivery vans and sometimes emergency vehicles. Turning areas and entrances take the heaviest wear, so the base and pattern are chosen for those spots, not for the quiet corners.
Communities also have to think about drainage that crosses several plots, lighting columns and manholes in the paved area, and markings for spaces. Where an engineer has been appointed we build to their specification. The technical side is explained in our guide to base for traffic loads and on our car parks and communities page.
What about garage ramps, gates and entrances shared by the community?
These are the hardest-working parts of any communal paving and deserve their own line in the quote. Ramps down to underground garages, the apron in front of a shared gate and the junction with the public road all concentrate braking, turning and water in a small area, so they wear and sink first if the build-up is the same as on the quiet parking bays.
- Ramps: water runs down them at speed, so channels at the top and bottom and firm side edges are essential.
- Gate aprons: vehicles stop, wait and turn here, which twists the paving; an interlocking pattern and a solid edge help.
- Garage door thresholds: levels must keep water out of the garage while letting cars pass smoothly.
- Junctions with the public road: the private paving stops at the boundary; anything beyond it is municipal.
We treat each of these areas as a separate detail within the community job. The specific points are explained on our pages for garage entrances and sloping driveways, which apply equally to shared ramps. Where the existing paving has already sunk at these spots, the community may only need a targeted repair rather than a full relay, and our sister site explains how sinking at garage entrances is diagnosed.
Owners sometimes ask whether the community can pave the bays now and leave the ramp for later. It can, but the junction between old and new paving needs a clean edge and matching levels, and drainage should be planned for the whole area even if it is built in stages, otherwise the new section can end up receiving water from the old one.
Do communities also need town hall paperwork?
Possibly, in addition to the meeting resolution. In Andalusia, minor works without a project generally go through a responsible declaration under the LISTA law, but each town hall's ordinance decides which procedure applies. If the works touch the public pavement or a vehicle crossing at the entrance, separate municipal authorisation is needed, requested as that ordinance sets out.
The community, through its administrator, normally files whatever the town hall requires. We supply the written description and the quote that the filing needs. Our guide to vehicle crossings and permits goes into the municipal side in more detail.
How do we work with communities, and how do we report progress?
We visit, measure and photograph the area, then send a written quote addressed to the community that the administrator can circulate before the meeting. Questions from owners are answered in writing, so everyone receives the same information. We can quote in Spanish and English when the community is mixed.
During the works we report to the administrator or president, not to individual owners, so that instructions come from one point. Photo updates at the end of each phase help owners who live abroad follow progress. All six websites in this network are run by the same autónomo, so you deal with one person from first contact to completion.
To begin, send us a photo and the approximate m² – free, no-obligation quote. Tell us how many entrances the area has, whether heavy vehicles use it and when the next owners' meeting is planned, so the quote arrives in time.
Frequently asked questions
Which law governs paving in a community of owners?
The Horizontal Property Law, Ley 49/1960 of 21 July. Work on common elements needs a resolution of the owners' meeting under the majority rules in article 17. The exact majority for a particular paving job depends on the nature of the works, so confirm it with the community administrator before the vote.
Can the president approve paving works alone?
Not for works that require a meeting resolution. The president represents the community and signs once the meeting has agreed, but the decision itself belongs to the owners' meeting. For urgent repairs the rules may differ, which is a question for the administrator.
How many quotes should a community collect?
There is no fixed legal number in what we cite here, but administrators commonly present several comparable quotes so owners can choose. What matters most is that each quote covers the same scope, area and items, so the meeting compares like with like rather than a short figure against a full breakdown.
Can owners who live abroad vote?
Representation at the meeting by another person is common practice, and many communities on the coast include non-resident owners. How proxies and remote participation work in your community is a question for the administrator, who sends the notices and the agenda and can explain the options open to you.
Will residents lose access to their parking during the works?
Not entirely, if the job is phased. We divide the area so that at least one entrance and route stays open, and agree alternative parking for each phase with the administrator. Residents receive written notice of each phase and its order before it starts.
Do you send quotes in English?
Yes. For mixed communities we can prepare the quote and answers to owners' questions in Spanish and English, so the administrator can circulate both. Technical terms are explained in plain language, which helps owners who are not familiar with Spanish construction vocabulary.
Who pays for paving the common areas?
The community pays, and the share of each owner follows the participation quotas or whatever the statutes and the meeting resolution establish. That allocation is decided within the community, not by the contractor. We invoice the community as agreed in the contract signed by the president.
Can a single owner repave the part of the shared road in front of their house?
Not on their own initiative if that strip is a common element. Altering common elements needs a meeting resolution. An owner can propose it to the administrator, and the meeting may approve it, possibly with conditions on materials and appearance so the road stays consistent.
Do you need an engineer's specification for a communal car park?
For areas used by heavy vehicles or with poor ground, a technician's specification is advisable, and we build to it when it exists. We are the paving contractor and do not design pavement structures. For lighter communal drives we propose the build-up after the site visit.
How do we start the process with you?
Send a photo and the approximate m², plus the number of entrances and the date of the next meeting. We arrange a visit, measure the area and send a written quote addressed to the community. The administrator can then circulate it to owners ahead of the vote.