Building a house in Croatia

[helena]

(Unlike the title might suggest, I will not pretend to be as informative or entertaining in this thread as someone in a thread with a similar name, moreover, due to a very low budget our building process will be even slower than croatian bureaucracy. You will all fall asleep.)

Our location permit came through last week. (After almost a year.)
Now we will have to ask our neighbours for signatures, to prove that they don't object to the build. Neighbours don't live there (yet), just own the land.

Does any of you have experience with this? Any pitfalls?
What kind of letter did you have them sign, should it be notarized?

Your comments are appreciated.

[mambo]

Good luck !

They have to sign the request form of the building permission and normally the office where you file for the permission arranges that.

After your location permission you will have to provide them with the 'project' for the building permission and this is quite a heavy load of paper.
The office where you file will then send copies to the police, the fire brigade, company for the sewage and garbage, but will also prepare the papers for your neighbors. Only if you want to win some time I would do it myself. Best option however is to pay a local, who knows all these people and let him/her contact them.
Some people simply refuse to sign unless you hand them some money.

But it is also good to check the law again, they are in the process of changing it and one part is that it is now mandatory to handle the whole application in maximum 1 month. Furthermore, the new law states that neighbors now really need valid obligations if they want to stop you. They can no longer simply refuse to sign for the fun of it.

Then again, I have not met anybody who actually knows this law and since they refuse to accept it you are back at square one again. You will definitely need good help with this permission, unless you are very good in manipulating.

[Carol]

where are you building your house? 1st row to the sea? Within 1km of the sea? which county?
regarding signatures: private persons signatures are only valid if notarized whatever the situation, so i can't see this one being any different. As I undrestand it though, you do not need ALL your neighbours agreement

[helena]

Thanks, mambo and carol.

Why do you want to know where, carol? Does it matter for the procedure? No it's not within kms by the sea.

I think I need signatures from all the owners of the "gradevinsko" land bordering on mine.

The office in opcina didn't mention they would prepare a paper to be signed, mambo. I'll ask. Could one find this new law on the internet?

I also heard that the difference between lokacziska and gradevinska dozvola will be abolished because they have so many applications waiting - they ARE stressed there!!!
There was something in the papers about it, anyone read it? My croatian is not so good yet that I can understand this kind of articles.

[Carol]

i was asking because the level of planning restriction and general official interest in what you are building varies by proximity to the sea, or at least it does here in Dalmatia. I suspect building costs and availability of labour may also vary by area. I was just trying to put the story you are about to relate into a context, but its not important and I didn't intend to pressure you into revealing details you'd prefer to keep secret.

[helena]

Thanks for your clarification.

It's not a secret, Carol, I was just wondering why it mattered...not used to all the 'subtle' regional variations in building laws yet, I guess.

Anyway, it's in inland Istria, and I didn't doubt your good intentions by the way!

We'll be in touch with the neighbours soon and I'll post the outcome here.