Installing solar panels without permission?

Questioner

Due to a divorce, I have not lived in the house I bought with my ex-wife since June. I now hear from the municipal gazette that she is applying for an environmental permit to install solar panels. Can she do this without permission and if not, how do I object to this? I want to get rid of my share in the house, but my wife is delaying this for the time being.

Lawyer

If you and your ex-partner are joint owners of the home, then in retrospect your ex will in principle need your permission to make structural changes to the home, such as installing solar panels. An exception would be if other agreements were made in the prenuptial agreement or cohabitation contract. If you want to object to the environmental permit, you can do so within six weeks after the permit has been granted and published. You can do this at the municipality, by submitting a motivated objection. You can state that the permit is being used improperly, because your permission as co-owner is missing. Please note, this has no influence on the civil law matters (ownership rights), it is purely directed against the environmental permit itself. However, it seems to be a symptom of a larger ongoing dispute, namely the division of the joint home after the divorce. I would advise resolving this with a family law attorney or a mediator. This can be a way to discuss and resolve all outstanding issues. Involving a third party can be an effective way to shift the impasse and get things moving. ' ---------------- Stichting Rechtswinkel.nl is a national organization with students and volunteers. The above advice is based on limited information and may be incomplete or even incorrect for your situation. Always consult a lawyer or attorney for your further steps. Read disclaimer: https://rechtswinkel.nl/disclaimer I would like to invite you to rate the above answer so that we can learn from your response. Can we help you or refer you for free? Call us during office hours on 040 2350423