This article explains the most important licence and construction terminology used in Spain. Understanding the Spanish licence and construction vocabulary is essential when building in Spain. It will help you understand the building process and make it far less daunting. Building in Spain can be very overwhelming if you do not know Spanish. You can feel lost, helpless, uncomfortable and in the worst case, mistrusting due to misunderstandings. In this article we explain and translate some of the terms that you might come across while building in Spain.
ZEST architecture is an English-speaking architecture studio in Barcelona. Our architects speak fluent English, Spanish and Catalan. Some of us also speak Dutch, French, German and Portuguese. This means that the building process will run smoothly and you won’t be stressed or feel left in the dark. We are used to explaining everything in detail and believe that no question is a stupid question. Therefore, we thought this list of licence and construction terminology would be useful for you.
Anteproyecto – Design Development
This is a preliminary draft that we send to the town architect to confirm that the project can be approved and that we can obtain a building permit.
Arquitecto Técnico / Aparejador – Quantity Surveyor
In Spain it is obligatory to hire a quantity surveyor. Their job is to draw up the Bill of Quantities. This is a document which describes all the materials to be used. It also calculates the amounts and serves as the basis for the financial management of the build. During construction, the QS (Quantity Surveyor) will check the exact quantities the builder has executed. They also check the quality of the execution, such as the type of concrete used, etc. They will issue written reports at the end of each site visit which can then be referred back to if something is later not built as per discussions on site.
Ayuntamiento – Town Council / municipality
Once the Construction documentation has been approved by the board of architects, the local municipality will have its say. The municipal architect will study the project and issue a report. This report has to be approved by the town council.
Cédula de Habitabilidad – Certificate of habitability
Each building to be used as a house needs to have a Cédula de Habitabilidad, which basically confirms the building is suitable for being inhabited. If you buy a house, you need to make sure it is part of the documentation presented to you. Because the absence of a cédula could point to some administrative problem. This sometimes happens when the use of the building has been changed. In the case of a new build, your architect will issue the Cédula after the works are finished. You need this document for your connections to mains water and electricity.
Certificado Energético – Energy Certificate
When your building is completed, part of the completion documents is the energy certificate, which your architect will supply you with. Since 2020, all new built houses in the EU need to comply with the label “Near Zero Energy Building”. This means that apart from being extremely low in energy consumption, the house may only use a limited amount of non renewable energy. For some architects, building low energy buildings is something they’ve been doing for a long time (this includes ZEST architecture), for others this change has meant they’ve got a lot of catching up to do. The next step is the level of CO2 emissions of the house. Again, at ZEST architecture we’ve been keeping track of (and minimizing) CO2 emissions for our buildings for years.
Certificado Final de Obra – Final Works Certificate
This is a certificate issued by both the architect and the quantity surveyor once the building has been completed and handed over to the client by the contractor. This document is needed to get a Cédula de Habitabilidad.
Certificado Urbanistico – Town Planning Certificate
This is a document you can get from the town hall explaining what type of activity is allowed on the plot and what urban regulations apply to it.
Código Técnico de Edificación (CTE) – Spanish Building Regulations
The Spanish Building Code or CTE outlines all the technical rules with which a building needs to comply (Código Técnico de Edificación – CTE). The Spanish Building Code sets out a series of technical regulations regarding safety and usability of buildings. Think of the height of stair treads, the width of a corridor, the height of doors, fire safety etc.
Colegio de Arquitectos – Board of Architects
Each province and large town has a local board of architects. Their role is to check the Licence & Construction documentation prepared by your architect for compliance with the CTE (see previous entry). This process is called “Visado” and carries a small fee. When building in Catalunya, for example, you need approval from COAC (Colegio de Arquitectos de Cataluña).
Contrato de Arras – Deposit Contract
This is a contract that both the buyer and seller sign which outlines the conditions of the sale. It is not the final purchase contract. It is not compulsory but is often good to sign it, for peace of mind. If the buyer cancels the purchase, he will lose his deposit to the seller, unless the reason for canceling was covered by one of the conditions in the Arras. If the seller cancels the sale, he has to return double the deposit to the buyer. To read more about the Contrato de Arras, click here.
Dirección Facultativa – Supervision team
By law in Spain the building of a building needs to be supervised by a team of professionals that consists of at least the architect and the arquitecto técnico. The first checks whether the execution follows the exact design, whereas the arquitecto técnico checks the technical quality of the used materials. During the execution, specific tests are done to make sure, for example, that the rebar and concrete used are of the right strength and quality, or the construction wood is of the right classification and from responsible forestry.
Escrituras – Title Deeds
When buyer and seller close the sale, both parties will sign a document at the notary confirming this. The notary (“notario”) will issue a new title deed, an important document proving ownership of a piece of land or property.
Gestión de Residios – Waste Management
Before the build starts, the client will have to pay a waste management fee to the municipality, based on an estimate.
IBI (Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles) – Real Estate Tax
IBI or Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles is a real estate tax on property in Spain, which all property owners must pay. In some parts of the country, it may be known as SUMA, named after the agency that collects the tax in those provinces.
ICIO (Impuesto de Construcciones y Obras) – Construction and Works Tax
The ICIO tax forms part of the cost of the building permit. It is normally 4% of the PEM and you pay it directly to the municipality.
Informe de Tasación – Evaluation Report
When buying a property, the bank normally assigns a professional appraiser. They will evaluate the property you want to buy, to ensure its value as an insurance for the loan from the bank.
IVA – VAT
VAT in Spain is 21% but VAT on construction is 10%.
Licencia de Obra – Building Licence
This is the permit you need to start construction. The costs are normally about 3-5% of the PEM and you pay them directly to the municipality. There are two types of licences: the Minor Works License (“Licencia de Obra Menor”) and the Major Works Licence (“Licencia de Obra Mayor”). The Minor Works Licence is for interior renovations that do not change the load bearing construction or façade. In the case of kitchen and bathroom renovations, sometimes a simple notification suffices. The Major Works Licence is for new buildings, large renovations including changes to structure and facade, etc. To learn more about the Minor Works Licence and Major Works Licence in Spain, click here.
Mediciones – Bill of Quantities
Normally the quantity surveyor draws up the bill of quantities. In some cases the architect and / or the contractor may do it, although we advise against this. It is a detailed document that specifies each construction component and material, giving m2 areas and prices. The Bill of Quantities allows us to estimate the construction budget before commencing building works. During the tender process, different contractors add their prices to each component / material. This means that you compare apples with apples when comparing the offers from different contractors.
Normativa – Regulations
Normativa is the general word for regulations. When building in Spain, there is the Spanish Building Code (CTE) but there are also local municipal building regulations. The latter depend on where you build. The local municipal building code regulates land use, building height etc, while the Spanish Building Code is more technically oriented.
Nota Simple – Property Registry Filing
This is a non-certified document giving a detailed description of the property such as ownership, size, cadastral reference, location, debts, mortgages, classification, boundaries, restrictions, rights, etc. The Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad) issues the Nota Simple. You need it for getting loans and buying or selling a property.
Obra – Building Works / Construction Site
This refers to the site itself and / or the building under construction.
OCT (Organismo de Control Técnico) – Technical Control Body
This is only applicable to new buildings. Their role is to check that the building is built correctly for insurance (Seguro Decenal) purposes.
Plan de Seguridad y Salud – Health and Safety Plan
The QS will draw up a general plan for health and safety procedures to be followed during construction. Before going on site, the contractor needs to issue a detailed document that addresses these. The cost of the materials needed for keeping the personnel safe during the build is normally 1-2% of the PEM. The client pays this directly to the contractor.
PEM (Presupuesto de Ejecución Material) – Total cost of construction
This is the total construction cost (including material and labour), excluding VAT and profits.
Proyecto Básico y Ejecutivo – Licence & Construction Documentation
The Licence documentation (Proyecto Básico) is the documentation which includes the drawings required for a Planning Approval. Before going on site (to get the final Building permit), your architect needs to present the Construction documentation to the municipality. In Spain, it is often possible to present the combined License & Construction Documentation to get a building permit. But this only makes sense if there is already approval on the basis of a preliminary project (Anteproyecto). The “Ejecutivo” or Construction Documentation includes construction details, structural drawings, installation drawings and specifications of all materials, elements and construction systems.
Referencia Catastral – Cadastral Reference
The cadastral reference is an alpha-numerical number that identifies the property. To find your cadastral reference you can access the official website (Sede Electrónica del Catastro).
Seguro Decenal – 10 Year Insurance for new buildings
This is the obligatory 10-year insurance applicable to new buildings. It ensures compensation in the case of structural failure due to settlement of the soil, errors during construction, etc, but not for damage caused by the deterioration of houses due to the passage of time and their use.
Tasa Administrativa – Administration Tax
This is the other part of the tax you pay when getting a construction license. It is normally 1-1.5% of the PEM and you must pay it directly to the municipality.
Técnicos Municipales – Town Architects
These are architects working for the municipality of each individual area. They will tell you what is and isn’t possible in the municipality you are building in and help ensure that you get your building license.
Conclusion
These are just a few Spanish terms that come to mind and that we think you might find useful when building in Spain. If you are interested in learning more Spanish vocabulary that is useful when building in Spain, click here. Or if you want to read more tips on how to build a house in Spain, read our article here.
The great thing about ZEST architecture is that we hold your hand every step of the way and will explain everything in detail so that the process is smooth and not overwhelming.
If you have any questions, get in touch!