How can you tell what condition a Spanish building is in before buying a flat?

How do you check a building's condition before buying?

With five complementary routes: the building inspection held in a register, a survey by a technician you hire, the owners' association papers, your own viewing and a report that gathers the official records. In the Valencian Community and the Basque Country, the building inspection is compulsory once a building is 50 years old.

None of them tells the whole story. The inspection has a date and may be out of date; the surveyor sees a lot but costs money and time; the minutes show what the owners discussed, not what they left out; the viewing depends on your eye, and a report of records does not step inside. Together, though, they leave few surprises for after the arras (the reservation contract with a deposit).

What does the building inspection say and where can you find it?

The building inspection (ITE or IEE) is the periodic review the owners' association commissions from a technician: state of repair, defects and deadlines to fix them. Each Spanish region sets its own rules; in the Valencian Community and the Basque Country it is compulsory once a building is over 50 and lasts ten years.

National law only allows the authorities to require proof of the state of repair, accessibility and energy efficiency; the rest of that article was struck down by the Constitutional Court in 2017. In the Valencian Community the owners' association pays for it and it is entered in a regional register. In the Basque Country it is renewed every ten years, and the town hall can require it earlier if the building's condition justifies it.

In the Community of Madrid, the integrated register of evaluation reports lets you search a building by municipality and address; town halls supply the data, which is for information only. In other regions, ask the seller or the property manager (administrador de fincas) for it directly.

When is it worth hiring a surveyor?

When the building is old, the inspection reports structural damage, the compulsory inspection is missing or you see warning signs at the viewing. An architect or building surveyor (arquitecto or aparejador) can review the flat and the common areas, assess cracks, damp or rust and recommend openings or tests if something looks wrong.

There is no official fee: Spanish law bars professional associations from setting fee scales. Ask two or three surveyors for a fixed quote and what it includes: visit, photos, written report, tests, and whether they will also look at the roof, the facade and any visible floor structure.

Do not confuse it with the valuer's visit. A bank valuation (tasación) checks that the property matches the paperwork and notes its apparent state of construction or repair, but its purpose is to set a value for the bank, not to look for defects.

What do the minutes and community papers tell you?

They show which works have been approved, which have been discussed and which complaints keep coming back. The association's secretary keeps the minutes book and must hold notices and other relevant documents for five years. As you are not yet an owner, ask the seller for copies of the minutes from recent years.

Also ask for the certificate of community debts, which must be issued within seven calendar days, and the latest budget: the reserve fund cannot be less than 10% of the ordinary budget. An approved special levy (derrama), a facade project up for a vote or a lawsuit against the builder all change the real cost of the purchase.

What can you see for yourself at the viewing?

More than you might think, if you know where to look: facade and balconies, entrance hall and staircase, bathroom and kitchen ceilings, downpipes, the meter room and, if allowed, the roof. Look for recurring cracks, damp patches, rust on joists, spalling concrete and doors that stick.

Visit in daylight and, if you can, twice, once after rain. Ask the concierge or a neighbour about recent works. It is what the bank's valuer does when noting the apparent state of repair: looking without opening anything up. What you see is not a diagnosis: it is a list of questions for the seller, the property manager and, if something is serious, a surveyor.

Which documents should you ask the seller for?

Six papers are enough to start: the latest building inspection with its annexes, minutes of recent owners' meetings, the latest budget with the reserve fund, the certificate of community debts, any technical or joist study carried out, and invoices for recent works on the facade, roof or installations.

Ask in writing and early, because some depend on the property manager. If the seller does not have them, ask whether they can request them: as an owner they have access to the association's documents. A document that does not arrive is not a negative answer; it is an open question worth closing before you pay the deposit.

Which warning signs justify pausing the purchase?

Four, above all: an unfavourable inspection with structural defects and no work done; a building that should have an inspection and does not; major works voted without a budget or cost split; and visible damage to joists or floors. None of them forces you to walk away, but all of them call for a surveyor and a written condition.

Pausing does not mean giving up. It means asking for more time, a quote or a price reduction that covers the risk, and not signing the arras until you have it. A seller who understands the question usually hands over the papers; one who refuses is also giving you information.

What does the HOUSINGFAX report add?

It gathers within minutes what official records say about that building: 22 checks with source and date. Check 01, «What condition is the building in?», looks for the registered inspection in the Valencian Community, the Basque Country and Madrid; checks 02 and 03 cover the risks common for its year of construction and aluminosis, with a level in words.

It also crosses the location with flood zones, ground movement, seismic hazard and radon, and tells you what to ask. Start with the free report, which shows the traffic-light rating of every check with your building's real data; the Essential report costs €11 and the Complete report, with the building's recorded condition, €19, paid once and with no account.

Which combination suits each case?

It depends on the building. Recent and with no alerts: the report and the association's papers are usually enough. Over 50 years old: add the registered inspection or ask the seller for it. With open defects, warning signs at the viewing or a missing compulsory inspection: add a surveyor before the arras.

In practice, the cheapest order runs from lowest to highest cost: first the free report and the papers the seller can give you, then your own viewing with a list, and the surveyor only when the rest leaves a question open. If you buy with a mortgage, the valuation will come anyway, but it does not replace any of these routes.

What does none of these routes tell you on its own?

None of them can rule out a hidden defect. The inspection has a date; the surveyor sees what can be seen without opening up; the report reads records and does not step inside. The report does not replace an on-site technical inspection of the building: it tells you what to look into and what to ask.

If one route leaves a question unanswered, note it as «no data» rather than assuming the best, and turn it into a written condition in the arras contract or a reason to wait.