Illegal Construction Works in Andalusia

Illegal Building Works in Andalusia

Regularization of Illegal Buildings in Andalusia

Architect Daniel Trujillano
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Legalization of Buildings in Andalusia

Legalization and Occupation in Andalusia (II)

The Occupation of Legalized Buildings in Andalusia (II)

Occupation License for Expired Buildings that do not Require Adaptation Works

The Urban Discipline Regulations in Andalusia (RDUA) provide the documentation needed for obtaining an Occupation or Utilization License for buildings with expired deadline for the adoption of measures to protect the urban legality. If the building with expired deadline does not require the performance of any building works for the adaptation to the intended use, the documentation required for obtaining the Occupation or Utilization License depends on whether the works comply or not with the urban planning regulations.

Prescribed Building Works that Comply with the Urban Planning

If the building works conform to the urban regulations, the document needed for obtaining the Occupation or Utilization License shall be a Descriptive and Graphic Certificate stating:

• the date of completion of the works
• review about the condition of the building and of its installations
• accreditation about the fitness of the property for the contemplated purpose
• cadastral and registry identification (if applicable)
• current urban conditions
• documentation attesting the correct operation of the installations
• where applicable, certification by the supplier companies about the feasibility of the access to all building installations, without the need of new works.

In this case, the granting of the Occupation or Utilization License will involve a simultaneous recognition of legalization by prescription.

Prescribed Building Works that do not Comply with the Urban Planning

If the works do not conform to the urban planning regulations (in any case, the use must be in accordance with the urban planning) the documentation needed for obtaining the Occupation or Utilization License shall be:

• statement of the Situation of Assimilated to Outside Planning (SAFO)
• review about the condition of the building
• description of the operation of the installations, including certification by the supplier companies.

In this case, the granting of the Occupation or Utilization License will involve the simultaneous recognition of the declaration of SAFO.

Architect Daniel Trujillano

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

Legalization Documents for Building Works in Andalusia

Legalization and Occupation in Andalusia (I)

The Occupation of Legalized Buildings in Andalusia (I)

Legalization Projects and Occupation Licenses

In Andalusia, when the building works finish, whether with a granted building permit or not, upon completion it will be necessary to obtain an administrative approval for the occupancy and/or utilization, bound for the intended use of the building. Such approval will be formalized by an Occupation License if the building use is residential, and by an Utilization License in the case of any other building use.

Occupation or Utilization License for Buildings with a Building Permit

If the building works are performed counting with a granted building permit, the granting of the Occupation or Utilization License will require to verify that the finished works comply with the terms of the building permit, so it will be necessary to submit the following documents:

• a Statement about the Conformity of the works with the Construction Documents
• documents attesting the functionality of the installations
• the Final Performance Certificate, attesting the completion of the works.

If it turns out that the performed works don't comply with the terms of the granted building permit, the granting of the Occupation or Utilization License will require the prior (or simultaneous) legalization of the performed works, or the replacement of the altered physical reality.

Occupation or Utilization License for Buildings without a Building Permit

The legalization of building works performed without a building permit or breaking the conditions of a granted building permit, restores the disturbed legal order, for the sake of its substitute character of the building permit, but it does not provide for itself the licensing of the occupation or utilization, which will have to be the subject of further administrative actions. In fact, the legalization of a building does not even require that the works are completed, contrary to what happens with the occupation. The application of an Occupation or Utilization License is also required for completed buildings recognized in Situation of Assimilated to Outside Planning (SAFO).

Compliance with Urban Planning

The verification of the compliance with the Urban Planning regulations is not an attribution of the Occupation or Utilization License, but obtaining an Occupation or Utilization License for completed parties which are technically and functionally independent of the rest requires that these parties comply with the Urban Planning regulations and that the rest of the building shows no significant disagreements.

Architect Daniel Trujillano

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Legalization Projects for Building Works in Andalusia

Legalization in Andalusian Un-Developable Land

Legalization of Buildings on Un-Developable Land in Andalusia

Regime of Buildings on Un-Developable Land

In Andalusia, the buildings built on un-developable land (with or without planning permission) which comply with current territorial and urban planning, are subject to the regime established by the Andalusian laws on urban planning for all kinds of land. However, in the case of building works performed without a license or violating the conditions of a granted license is always mandatory to apply for a license (IE, the legalization of the works), whether or not they are completed, and no matter how much time elapsed since the end of the works. While in other types of land the general rule is not forcing the legalization of works in which the offense has expired if they are in conformity with the urban planning regulations, the Decree 2/2012, regulating the regime of buildings and settlements on un-developable land in Andalusia, forces the legalization of any building works performed on un-developable land, although the urban infraction has legally expired. That is, in Andalusia, for the restoration of the disturbed legal order on un-developable land, if the legalization of the works is possible, then there is actually no expiring time frame for the urban planning infractions.

Detached Properties Built Before 1975

Andalusian Decree 2/2012 provides that the regime of the detached properties built without a license on un-developable land and completed prior to the entry into force of the Spanish Land Law of 1975 is assimilated to the regime of the properties built with a granted license, but only if they still carry the same use and typological features that they had before the entry into force of the Land Law and they are not in legal status of urban ruin. Depending on whether or not they conform to the current legislation, those buildings are considered:

• legalized, if they comply with all current regulations
• in legal status of outside planning, if they don't comply.

The recognition of the Situation of Assimilated to the Out of Planning regime (SAFO) is not applicable, because the status of this kind of buildings is comparable to that of the properties built under a granted license. For each building performed without any building permit on un-developable land prior to the entry into force of the Land Law of 1975, is necessary to obtain a municipal certification attesting whether the agreement with the urban planning or the legal status of outside planning, depending on the accordance between the performed works and the territorial and urban planning regulations.

Architect Daniel Trujillano
http://www.arquitectotrujillano.com/legalization/home.html
Legalization Projects for Buildings in Andalusia

Limitation Periods for Urban Offenses in Andalusia

Time Limits for Urban Offenses in Andalusia

Rules for the Legalization of Illegal Buildings

In Andalusia, the Urban Discipline Regulations (RDUA) and the Andalusian Law on Urban Planning (LOUA) establish the following limitation periods for urban offenses:

• for important and major offenses: 4 years
• for minor offenses: 1 year.

Such limitation periods represent the timeframe within disciplinary proceedings can begin, although for the adoption of measures for the reinstatement of the disturbed civil order, either by legalizing the works or by replacement of the altered physical reality (demolition), the timeframe is 6 years since the full completion of the works.

Illegal Constructions with Prescribed Urban Offense

The type of procedure applicable to the buildings performed without building permit or violating the conditions of a granted permit, in which the urban infraction is already prescribed will depend on the situation:

• if the performed works are clearly in disagreement with the urban planning it will be necessary to obtain the recognition of Situation Assimilated to Outside Planning regime (SAFO)
• if the performed works are in conformity with the urban planning and they are completed, its occupation and use, and also the performance of any works on them, will require the recognition or accreditation that the works are in situation of urban conformity, and the legalization will be automatically granted by prescription.

If the performed works are in conformity with the urban planning but they are still not completed, the urban offense cannot be considered prescribed, so the legalization will be mandatory.

Rules for the Legalization of Building Works in Andalusia

The legalization of building works performed without building permit, or violating the conditions of a granted permit, is subject to the same documentary, procedural and adjudicative rules that apply for obtaining a building permit. In other words, the legalization of building works is proposed as an equivalent substitute for the building permit. The current urban legislation in Andalusia (LOUA and RDUA) does not specify the required documentary content for the Legalization Projects, but in establishing that the rules for the application are the same as for building permits it suggests that the documents needed shall be equivalent to the Construction Documents established by the RDUA for the processing of building permits.

Architect Daniel Trujillano

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

Legalization Documents for Buildings in Andalusia

PD03. Legalizing Building Works in Andalusia

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Legalization Projects for Construction Works in Andalusia

The General Review of Building Works (III)

General Review in Spain (III)

Coordinator for Safety and Health. Types of Builders.

If the works of a building project involve more than one company or freelancer, the developer must designate a Coordinator for Safety and Health during the performance of the works. According to the Spanish LOE (Law on Construction Planning), the enabling qualifications to serve as a Coordinator for Safety and Health in building projects are:

• Architect
• Technical Architect
• Engineer
• Technical Engineer.

The Coordinator for Safety and Health shall perform the following functions:

• coordinating the implementation of the general principles of prevention and safety in making technical decisions, in order to plan the work to develop
• coordinating the activities of the work, in order to ensure that contractors, subcontractors and freelancers apply the principles of preventive action in a consistent and responsible manner
• approving the Safety and Health Plan prepared by the builder and, when applicable, the modifications introduced therein
• organizing business activities
• coordinating actions to control the correct application of the working methods
• taking measures to limit the access to the building works.

When the building works are not very complex, the developer tends to shift the appointment of the Coordinator to any of the professionals in the Professional Management, either the Director of the Works or the Director of the Performance of the Works.

The Builder

Construction firms can respond to the following classification:

• small companies: they have little business infrastructure and use to outsource some services
• medium companies: they have some technician workforce, which use to act as representative on site
• big companies: they have complex charts composed of delegates, team leaders, production managers, etc.

Small companies use to pursue reform projects for homes, shops and public buildings, and new-building projects for single houses and small housing developments. Medium companies access to more types of works, through tender or auction. Big companies reach high budget building projects.

Architect Daniel Trujillano

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

Architectural Services for Building Projects in Spain

Video 04: Legalization Process for Construction Works in Andalusia

Architect Daniel Trujillano
http://www.arquitectotrujillano.com/legalization/home.html
Legalization Documents for Buildings in Andalusia

PD02. Legalization Documents for Construction Works in Spain

Legalization Documents for Building Works in Spain from Arquitecto Daniel Trujillano

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Technical Documents for the Legalization of Construction Works in Spain

The General Review of Building Works (I)

General Review in Spain (I)

Responsibility. Replacement.

In Spain, the Director of the Works ('Director de obra' in Spanish) is the ultimate authority during the performance of the works, whatever the type of his recruitment. His function is the General Review of the works during the construction process, and this is an independent professional activity, so it is possible that one single building project has one architect assigned to the Architectural Design and the Construction Documents, and another architect assigned just for the General Review. It can also happen that the same construction work has several Directors, all of them assigned together.

Responsibility of the Director of the Works

If an architect accepts making the General Review of the works in a building project and he is not the author of the Construction Documents, he will be forced to assume the responsibilities arising from any possible deficiency that may be present in them. However, he will be entitled to recourse against the author of the documents. Moreover, when the construction is completed, he shall be responsible, together with the Director of the Performance of the Works ('Director de la Ejecución de la Obra' in Spanish), about the veracity of the statement on the Certificate of Completion of the Works ('Certificado final de obra' in Spanish). When several architects are hired as Directors of the Works, all of them will share the responsibility.

Replacement of the Director of the Works

If the Developer ('Promotor' in Spanish) decides to terminate his contract with the Director of the Works, or the Director decides to resign, the architect who comes to accept the new contract will have to notify the event to the Architects' Association and to the ceased architect, and his assignment will not become effective until the removal, replacement or resignation of the substituted architect is drafted and signed. The replacement shall be recorded in the Book of Orders and Assists ('Libro de órdenes y asistencias' in Spanish). The responsibility of the outgoing architect will be limited just to the works performed under his direction. The incoming architect, new Director of the Works, will have to take on the Construction Documents and the portion of the works already performed. The procedure requires drafting an Act of Acceptance and Transfer of Authority, which will state the current status of the works. The Act of Acceptance shall be submitted to the Architects' Association, and the replacement shall be notified to the City Council.

Architect Daniel Trujillano

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

Architectural Services for Building Works in Spain

Endorsement by Architects' Association in Spain (II)

Non-Mandatory Endorsement by Architects' Association in Spain

Architectural Services that Don't Require Endorsement by Architects' Association

In Spain, Royal Decree 1000/2010 determines which professional services should get mandatory endorsement by a Professional Association, as an exception to the client's choice. If we study its content, collated with the requirements of the 'Ley de Ordenación de la Edificación' (LOE), we can deduce which Architectural Services are considered to be exempt from endorsement.

1. Building Works Exempt from Endorsement

According to the LOE, new construction one-storey works with only minor constructive value and with technical simplicity, which character is not residential nor public, are not considered to be building works, so all architectural services needed to develop this kind of works are nor forced to be endorsed by the Architects' Association.

And the same goes for the projects of expansion, modification, alteration or rehabilitation of buildings, if they do not alter the architectural configuration and if they don't affect parts or elements subject to environmental protection, historical protection or artistic protection. It is understood that the work alters the architectural configuration of a building when it produces a substantial variation of the architectural composition, the built volumes, or the entire structural system, or it's targeted to change the characteristic building uses.

2. Exemption from Endorsement in Professional Services for Civil Services

Professional services contracted by Civil Services do not require endorsement by any Professional Association if they are subject to report by a project supervision office, or equivalent. The same goes for professional services contracted by a Civil Service in which the hiring process performs the verification of the identity and professional qualifications of the author's work, and checks the formal correctness and completeness of the delivered documentation.

3. Other Architectural Services without Endorsement

The following non-exhaustive list displays professional services that Spanish Architects can provide and which do not require endorsement by the Architects' Association:

• Urban Planning Services
• Definition of Boundaries, Stakeouts, Measurements and Valuations
• Technical Reports, Expert Opinions and Certificates
• Decor and Interior Design Services
• Structural Calculations, Documentation for Opening Permits, Construction Cost Schedules and Technical Inspection of Buildings.