A housing stock built mostly in the 1960s

The 2021 Census counts 1,533,221 homes in Madrid. The busiest decade was 1961 to 1970, with 360,734 homes in buildings from those years, followed by 1971 to 1980 with 231,957 and 1951 to 1960 with 184,107. Much of what estate agents list today as a flat to renovate comes from those decades.

Those years overlap with the period when Spain used high-alumina cement in precast floor joists, mostly between 1950 and 1970. When moisture reaches the steel in those joists, the concrete can deteriorate, a problem Spaniards call aluminosis. The construction year alone does not tell you which joists a building has, but it tells you when to ask about the floor structure and about any past repairs.

The building inspection in Madrid

In the Madrid region the building inspection (ITE or IEE) is the building evaluation report regulated by Decree 103/2016. According to the regional government, it is compulsory for apartment buildings more than 50 years old and whenever owners apply for public grants for maintenance, accessibility or energy-efficiency works. A single-family house is exempt unless its owner applies for those grants.

The report covers the state of repair, accessibility and energy efficiency. A full report is valid for 10 years and must be registered within 3 months of the last inspection visit. It is commissioned by the comunidad de propietarios, the owners' association every apartment block in Spain has, and the repairs it lists are paid by all owners, often through a derrama, a one-off levy.

The Madrid region records these reports in a public register, the Registro Integrado Único. HOUSINGFAX looks up that register from the address and shows you the overall rating it publishes for the building.

Flood zones, earthquakes and radon

Spain's national flood-zone mapping system (SNCZI) finds 2 ARPSI, areas of potentially significant flood risk, in the Tajo river basin within the municipality, with mapped flood zones from the 10-year return period upwards. Madrid is large, and most streets are far from any river, so the municipal figure only tells you to check the exact address.

Madrid does not appear in the annex of the NCSE-02 seismic code, which only lists municipalities with a basic ground acceleration of 0.04 g or more, nor in radon zones I or II of the Building Code. The report checks both again at the building's exact location, using the maps of the National Geographic Institute and the Nuclear Safety Council.

Prices and context

The average appraised value of private housing in Madrid was €5,466/m² in the first quarter of 2026, 16.1% higher than a year earlier, according to Spain's Housing Ministry. It is a citywide average; valuations vary widely between districts.

The 2025 crime statistics record 65.5 known criminal offences per 1,000 residents in Madrid, against a national average of 50.4. The figure covers the whole municipality and says nothing about a particular street.

What to ask for before paying a deposit

In Spain the deposit is usually paid through a contrato de arras, and walking away afterwards means losing it. Before signing, ask the seller for the latest building evaluation report, a certificate from the owners' association that the flat is up to date with fees, the minutes of the last two general meetings and the energy certificate. Ask whether any works have been approved and who pays for them.

The nota simple from the Land Registry tells you who owns the flat; HOUSINGFAX tells you what state the building is in. Start with the free report; the essential report costs €11 and the complete one, with the building's recorded condition, €19. The report does not replace an on-site technical inspection of the building.

What the report checks in Madrid

The report runs all 22 checks for any address in Madrid. In this municipality, these also use a local source:

  1. Check 01Building condition assessment What condition is the building in?Comunidad de Madrid, RIEECM

Check my home for freeSee the 22 checksSee the sample report

Short answers

Is a building inspection compulsory in Madrid?

Yes for apartment buildings more than 50 years old: they need a building evaluation report, valid for 10 years. Single-family houses only need one if the owner applies for public renovation grants.

How can I tell whether a Madrid building has passed its inspection?

Ask the seller or the property manager for the report and look it up in the Madrid region's public register. The HOUSINGFAX report checks that register from the address and shows the overall rating it publishes.

Which parts of Madrid are in a flood zone?

The SNCZI marks 2 areas of potentially significant flood risk and mapped flood zones along the watercourses of the municipality. For a specific building, use the SNCZI viewer or the report, which checks the building's location against those maps.

Do Madrid flats have aluminosis?

There is no public list of affected buildings. What is known is that 360,734 homes are in buildings from 1961 to 1970, when high-alumina cement was most used, so in those blocks it is worth asking about the floor joists and the latest inspection.

Official sources you can consult

The links let you review the primary source. Their inclusion does not widen their purpose or turn a piece of context into a diagnosis.

Essential limit. Preliminary screening: it does not replace an inspection, a diagnosis, a test, a certificate or a safety report.