Renovation & construction
Renovation, wiring, pipes: what to ask before buying a flat
"Reformado" in a listing says nothing about what is inside the walls. Questions on renovation, electrics, pipes, gas and windows, the documents that back the answers and how to turn them into a price.
Before buying a flat, ask the seller when and what exactly was renovated, whether the wiring and pipes were replaced, how old the boiler and windows are, who did the work and which document proves it. In Barcelona works are formalised with a licence or a comunicat (a prior notification) to the Ajuntament, and for a notification with later checking the Ajuntament has one month (Ajuntament de Barcelona). The number of that file at once tells a renovation "on paper" from a renovation "in words".
A renovation in a listing has two layers: the visible one (floors, walls, kitchen, bathroom fittings) and the hidden one (wiring, pipes, gas, ventilation, waterproofing). Sellers readily talk about the first; the buyer cares more about the second.
What to ask about the renovation in general
- When the last renovation was: the year, not "recently".
- What was done: cosmetics, a kitchen and bathroom, or a full rebuild with services.
- Who did it: a company, a crew, the owner. Whether there is a contract, invoices, a guarantee.
- Whether the layout was changed: whether walls were knocked down or moved.
- Under what permit the work was done: the licence or comunicat number at the Ajuntament and the receipt for payment of the tax on works (ICIO, the construction tax).
The new layout must match the plan, the Catastro (land registry) and the cédula de habitabilidad (habitability certificate). The legality of discrepancies is assessed by the abogado (lawyer), and the risks for the buyer are covered in the article on illegal layout changes.
Which documents back up the seller's answers
A seller's answer without a document remains words. The table links the question to the paper that confirms it.
| Question | Document | Where to get it |
|---|---|---|
| Whether the works had a permit | Licence or comunicat number, ICIO receipt | The seller, the Ajuntament's archive |
| Whether the wiring was replaced | The installer's electrical installation certificate (boletín) | The seller or the installer |
| When the gas was checked | The report of the last periodic inspection | The seller, the gas distributor |
| Whether there were leaks | Correspondence with the community and the insurer, invoices | The seller, the comunidad's minutes |
| How old the boiler and windows are | Invoices, guarantees, equipment data sheet | The seller |
| The condition of the building | ITE report and certificat d'aptitud (certificate of fitness) | The community of owners |
For gas there is a legal benchmark: the piped-gas distributor inspects users' internal installations every five years and passes the cost on to them (RD 919/2006, ITC-ICG 07). If there is no report of the last inspection, that is a question for the seller. For electrics, when the contract holder changes, the supplier may require a new boletín if the installation is old: the conditions are covered in the article on changing the holder of the meters.
What to ask about electrics, water and gas
Electrics. Whether the wiring was replaced in full or in part, and when. How old the fuse board is, whether there are circuit breakers and a residual-current device. What power is contracted and whether it is enough for the oven, the washing machine and the air conditioners at the same time. At the viewing, look at the board: old fuses, twisted wire joints and sockets without earthing are reasons to ask in more detail.
Water and drainage. What the pipes are made of and whether they were replaced. Whether there were leaks to the neighbours below or from the neighbours above, how they were stopped and who paid. The answer "new tiles were laid" usually means the pipes are old.
Gas and heating. Whether there is gas, which boiler or water heater, how old it is, when it was last serviced. What heating there is: gas radiators, electric heaters, a heat pump.
Windows and air conditioning. When the windows were replaced, what glazing they have. How old the air conditioners are and whether outdoor units on the facade are allowed under the building's rules.
The bills for electricity, water and gas for the year are doubly useful: they show the real costs, and an unusually high water bill sometimes gives away a hidden leak.
What to ask about the building
The flat shares part of its services with the building: risers, roof, facade, lift. Ask when they were repaired and whether the minutes contain plans for major works. Residential buildings undergo a technical inspection before they reach 45 years of age (Generalitat, ITE FAQ), so an old building should have a report.
The builder's guarantees under the LOE (Ley de Ordenación de la Edificación, the Building Act: one year for finishes, three for habitability, ten for the structure, art. 19 LOE) apply to works that fall under that law, that is construction and major refurbishment. An ordinary cosmetic renovation of a flat is not covered by them, and then only the contractor's guarantee under the contract remains.
How to turn the answers into a price: a worked example
Worked example, not a forecast. A 70 m² flat is described as "reformado". After the questions it turns out that the kitchen and bathroom are new, the wiring dates from the 1980s with no residual-current protection, the pipes under the new tiles are old and so are the windows. The sums are assumptions, to be replaced by quotes.
| What was found | Assumed quote |
|---|---|
| Replacing the wiring and the fuse board | 9,000 € |
| Replacing the pipes in the bathroom and kitchen, breaking up the tiles | 12,000 € |
| Windows | 10,000 € |
| Total for the hidden layer | 31,000 € |
31,000 € of hidden renovation becomes an argument for bargaining or a reason to walk away, if the seller regards the flat as "ready to move in". It is better to get the quote before the offer, otherwise the bargaining goes blind. How renovation costs are structured in Barcelona is covered in the article on the cost of renovation per square metre.
When questioning the seller does not work
Questioning is useless if the seller does not know the answers: the flat came by inheritance or was let for years. It does not help either when the answers diverge from what can be seen at the viewing. In both cases an inspection by a technical specialist is needed before the arras (the deposit contract): what they find is described in the article on hidden defects. DNPI Capital factors the effect of what is found into the price in a property valuation.
Questions and answers
What does "reformado" mean in a flat's sale listing?
Only that something was renovated. It can be a full rebuild with new services or a new kitchen on top of old wiring. The year, the scope of the work and the documents are clarified.
How do I check whether the renovation was legal?
Ask for the licence or comunicat number at the Ajuntament and the receipt for payment of the ICIO, and check the layout against the plan, the Catastro and the cédula. The conclusion on legality is given by an abogado.
How often is the gas in a flat inspected?
The piped-gas distributor inspects the user's internal installation every five years. It is worth asking the seller for the report of the last inspection.
Is there a guarantee on a renovation done by the seller?
The LOE guarantees apply to construction and major refurbishment. An ordinary renovation of a flat is covered only by the contractor's guarantee under the contract, if there was one.
What should I do if the seller knows nothing about the renovation?
Order an inspection by a technical specialist before signing the arras and take the findings into account in the price. Suppliers' bills and the community's documents will partly fill the gaps in the seller's account.
