What to look at before buying a flat in Terrassa

Two Terrassas in one market

Spain's 2021 census shows a city split almost in half. On one side, 8,829 homes in buildings from 1951-1960, 13,689 from 1961-1970 and 19,823 from 1971-1980. On the other, 6,791 from the 1980s, 18,168 from the 1990s and 22,330 from 2001-2010: 49,402 homes newer than 1980.

That split changes your list of questions. In a 1960s block, start with floors, façade and inspection. In a 1990s or early-2000s development, focus on build quality, any claims the community of owners has made against the developer and energy performance. So the first fact to pin down is the year in the Catastro, Spain's register of buildings.

Aluminosis in Terrassa: where the question makes sense

The Barcelona building surveyors' association (CAATEEB) dates the use of aluminous cement in floor joists to 1950-1970. In Terrassa that narrows the question to the 22,518 homes from those two decades, a little under one in four. For a 1995 flat, aluminosis is not a concern; for one from 1964, it is worth asking.

After the 1990 collapse in Barcelona's Turó de la Peira, the Catalan construction technology institute surveyed about a thousand buildings in 300 Catalan municipalities, according to the CAATEEB, and concluded the issue affected Catalonia's entire post-war stock. There is no public list of affected buildings in Terrassa, so each building is checked on its own.

On a viewing, look for rust or cracks on the underside of ceilings, especially in bathrooms, kitchens and enclosed balconies, and ask whether the community has had the floors tested or reinforced. Damp, more than age, is what harms those joists.

The 1962 flood and today's flood maps

The Vallès flood of September 1962 killed more than 600 people, and in September 2026 Terrassa City Council published the first official list of its 189 victims, based on research by the Centre d'Estudis Històrics de Terrassa and the association Niños Desaparecidos de la Riada 1962. Whole neighbourhoods were swept away; in l'Escardívol about fifty houses were lost.

Today the reference for buyers is the official mapping. Overlaying the municipality on the Spanish environment ministry's SNCZI flood maps gives 5 ARPSI and river flood zones reaching the city already at the 10-year return period. Check 10 of the report looks at whether your plot falls within the 10, 100 or 500-year zones; for ground floors near a stream, also ask about insurance and recent water episodes.

The building inspection: what to ask for in Terrassa

In Catalonia a building inspection (ITE) is compulsory before a building turns 45, based on the Catastro year, under Housing Act 18/2007 and Decree 67/2015. Half of Terrassa's stock has already reached that age; the rest will follow over the coming years, starting with the 1980s blocks.

The certificate of fitness lasts 10 years with no or minor defects, 6 with significant ones and 3 with serious or very serious ones once safety measures are in place; without them it is refused. In a sale, the seller must hand it over. If the building is under 45, it will have no certificate yet: ask for the community minutes and the building logbook (llibre de l'edifici) instead.

Radon, earthquakes and appraised value

The building code places Terrassa in radon zone I (DB-HS6, appendix B). That classification requires protection in new buildings and some renovations but does not say how much radon a given home has; in an older block, the practical question is whether the flat touches the ground. The seismic code NCSE-02 gives the city a basic ground acceleration of 0.04 g.

The average appraised value of open-market housing was €2,300.6/m² in the first quarter of 2026, 10.9% up on a year earlier, according to Spain's housing ministry. It is lower than in Barcelona, L'Hospitalet, Badalona or Sabadell and gives you a benchmark for the asking price.

What HOUSINGFAX tells you in Terrassa, and what it does not

The report runs 22 checks on any address in the city: 03 gives the aluminosis risk level from the Catastro year, which separates a 1960s block from a recent development; 10, flood exposure; 22, radon; 07, the price against the appraised value and notarial prices for the area.

There are two Catalan sources we do not check yet: the Catalan inspection register, so the building condition comes from the inspection PDF if you upload it, and the ICAEN energy certificate register, so check 06 shows no data. The report does not replace a technical inspection of the building. The free report shows the checks with your building's data; the essential one costs €11 and the complete one €19.