Cédula de habitabilidad

Administrative document certifying that a dwelling meets the minimum requirements to be inhabited: usable surface, ceiling height, ventilation and lighting, kitchen and bathroom equipment. Each autonomous community regulates it under its own name — in the Valencian Community the equivalent figure is the occupation licence (first or second), nowadays often processed as a responsible declaration. In practice it is needed to contract water and electricity or change their holder, to rent long-term and for holiday rentals. It is valid for ten years, after which it must be renewed. When buying, check that it exists and is still in force: a dwelling that cannot obtain it — due to planning infringements or failing the conditions — is a dwelling that cannot legally be lived in, and that must be discovered before signing, not after.