One of the requirements that the Spanish legislation includes for each of the properties is the processing of some documents to guarantee the proper functioning, and as we are going to see, one of the most important certificates is the certificate of habitability. In order for a property to have this certificate, it must be checked by a specialised technician to verify all the necessary and regulatory aspects that the house must have in order to be able to live in it. Do you know if your property has the certificate of habitability? If not, or if you need an expert, our architects in Gandía can help you with the process of the cédula de habitabilidad. But it is not necessary that the property is located in Gandia, as we also work as architects in Javea and throughout the Costa Blanca.
What is the certificate of habitability
As we have seen in previous blog posts, the cédula is a permit of habitability in which it is argued that the dwelling has the mandatory technical conditions for habitation. Some of the minimum requirements are to have a bathroom and a kitchen, to have a minimum of 36m2, etc…
What to do to find out if I have this certificate of habitability
If you intend to sell or rent your house, you should know beforehand if it has the cédula de habitabilidad. But you should know that if you have ever had it, it may also have expired. Therefore, it is possible that you have your cédula up to date and correct, that you do not have this certificate at all or that on the other hand you have it expired. You should know that current legislation states that homes built after 2012 will have a certificate valid for 25 years, but if the home is older, the certificate of habitability is only valid for 15 years. To find out its status you can go to the Town Hall of the municipality in which the property is located. You can go in person to the Town Hall or you can do it electronically with a digital certificate or pin.
What happens if I don’t have a cédula de habitabilidad and I want to get one?
If you do not have a cédula de habitabilidad and you want to apply for it, you must submit an application form with proof of payment, a copy of the title deed of the property and a photocopy of the owner’s ID card. In the event that the property has never had the cédula or if it is currently out of date, you should contact professionals so that they can issue the legal document. For these cases we always recommend that you contact architects and specialised technicians who can advise you and help you with the whole process. In these cases you can always count on our architectural firm. At Velló Monfort we have been helping our clients for more than 20 years with all the administrative and technical processes of their homes and we want to work with you too.