Enclosing a balcony or a terrace almost always raises two separate questions, and people usually only think of the first one. You need to know whether the authority allows it — and, in a shared building, whether your neighbours have to agree.
Question one: does the authority allow it?
Enclosing an open balcony converts outdoor space into enclosed floor area. In most planning systems that is a change to the building, not an accessory, and it may count against the plot’s permitted floor area. The threshold questions are the same everywhere:
- Does the enclosure count as floor area in your code?
- Does it change the appearance of the façade, and is the building in a conservation area?
- Are you within the permitted floor area for the plot?
- Does the system you are installing count as permanent, or as removable glazing?
Removable systems — folding glass, guillotine glass that opens fully, transparent shutters — are often treated more leniently than a fixed masonry-and-window enclosure, precisely because the balcony can be returned to its open state.
Question two: do the other owners have to agree?
This is where most projects actually stall. A balcony façade is usually a common element of the building even when the balcony itself is yours to use. Condominium law in most countries requires a decision of the owners’ assembly for changes to common elements, and the required majority varies — in some systems a simple majority, in others a qualified majority, in some cases unanimity.
Two practical points. First, get the decision minuted before you order, not after. Second, a uniform system across the whole building is far easier to approve than an individual enclosure that changes one balcony’s appearance — several buildings we have supplied went through the assembly precisely because the proposal covered every balcony in the same profile and colour.
In Türkiye
Turkish condominium law sets specific consent thresholds for works on common areas, and they differ depending on whether the work is classified as a useful addition or a change to a common element. Our Turkish guide covers the current articles and majorities.
Türkçe rehber: balkon kapatma izni
What we provide
Drawings, profile and colour specifications, and a visualisation of the whole façade with the system installed — the material an owners’ assembly needs in order to say yes. Send us photos of the building and the balcony dimensions.