Technical Inspection of Buildings in Spain

Technical Inspection of Buildings in Spanish Royal Decree 8/2011

Obligation, Requirements, Authority, Effectiveness and Justification

On July 2012 came into force the provisions in Article 21 of the Spanish Royal Decree 8/2011. That article refers to the mandatory Technical Inspection of Buildings in Spain.

The Obligation of the ‘ITE’ in Spain

In Spanish, ‘ITE’ is an acronym for ‘Inspección Técnica de Edificios’ (Technical Inspection of Buildings). Spanish Royal Decree 8/2011 stipulates that all buildings whose age exceeds fifty years (unless regional regulations prescribe other age) and whose intended use is preferably residential, must be subject to regular Technical Inspections, provided they are located in the following municipalities or zones:

• municipalities with more than 25,000 inhabitants (unless regional regulations prescribe other standards)
• municipalities where Administrations define specific zones subject to this practice
• municipalities where regional regulations provide the application of this practice, even if they don’t have specific zones defined.

All required buildings should have received their first Technical Inspection before 2015.

‘ITE’ Requirements in Spain

The regular Technical Inspection should be applied depending on the age of the buildings, and should be intended to ensure their good condition. Each Technical Inspection must be able to:

• assess the adequacy of the property to all legally required conditions of safety, health, accessibility and aesthetics
• determine the conservation works necessary to maintain the property in a legally enforceable condition.

Authority for the Regulation of the ‘ITE’ in Spain

The Autonomous Communities should regulate the method, timing and conditions under which the Technical Inspections of Buildings must be carried out. All regulations imposed by municipalities can only be developed within the framework of national and regional standards.

‘ITE’ of Real Estate Complexes

If a Technical Inspection refers to an entire building or a building complex, its effectiveness must be extended to every shop, office, dwelling or unit that belongs to it.

Justification of the Legal Conservation Duty

If a Technical Inspection report states some deficiencies in the building, the report itself will not be able to justify the compliance with the legal duty of conservation. Such justification may only be enforced after the certification of the effective performance of the conservation works required to recover the legally enforceable condition of the building.

Architect Daniel Trujillano

http://www.arquitectotrujillano.com/reports/home.html

Technical Inspection Reports for Buildings in Spain