Building Rehabilitation Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Rehabilitación de Edificio)

A Building Rehabilitation Agreement Spain (Acuerdo de Rehabilitación de Edificio) is a formal construction contract between the owner (promotor or propiedad) of an existing building and a contractor (contratista or empresa constructora), establishing the scope, terms, and liability framework for renovation and rehabilitation works on a building located in Spain, governed principally by the Ley de Ordenación de la Edificación (Ley 38/1999, de 5 de noviembre — LOE), specifically Article 2, which extends the LOE's application to rehabilitation, renovation, and repair works that affect the stability, safety, habitability, or accessibility of the building structure.

The Ley de Ordenación de la Edificación (LOE) is Spain's primary statute governing the construction process and the responsibilities of agents involved in building works (agentes de la edificación) — the promotor, proyectista (architect or engineer), constructor, director de obra, director de ejecución de obra, and entidades de control de calidad. Articles 8 through 16 LOE define the obligations and liability (responsabilidad) of each agent. Building rehabilitation works that affect the structure (cimentación, elementos estructurales), fire safety, or habitability trigger the full LOE liability regime — including compulsory decennial insurance (seguro decenal de daños) under Article 19 LOE for structural defects.

The Código Técnico de la Edificación (CTE), approved by Real Decreto 314/2006 and substantially updated by Real Decreto 732/2019, is the technical standards framework applicable to building rehabilitation in Spain. The CTE establishes basic requirements (requisitos básicos) for structural safety (DB-SE), fire safety (DB-SI), personal safety (DB-SUA), energy savings (DB-HE), noise (DB-HR), and hygiene, health, and environmental protection (DB-HS). Rehabilitation projects affecting these requirements must demonstrate CTE compliance through technical documentation prepared by a titulado competente (architect or technical architect — aparejador or arquitecto técnico).

Energy efficiency is a particularly significant aspect of Spanish building rehabilitation law following the implementation of EU Directive 2018/844 (EPBD recast) through Real Decreto 390/2021, which requires an Energy Performance Certificate (Certificado de Eficiencia Energética — CEE) for all buildings subject to rehabilitation that affects the thermal envelope or energy installations. The Instituto para la Diversificación y Ahorro de la Energía (IDAE), under the Ministerio para la Transición Ecológica y el Reto Demográfico, manages the registration of CEEs through the Registro de Certificados de Eficiencia Energética of each Comunidad Autónoma.

Public financial support for building rehabilitation in Spain is substantial following the Plan de Recuperación, Transformación y Resiliencia (PRTR), funded through the Mecanismo de Recuperación y Resiliencia (MRR) of the European Union under Regulation (EU) 2021/241. The Plan de Recuperación allocated approximately €6.8 billion to housing rehabilitation under Component 2 (Plan de Rehabilitación de Vivienda y Regeneración Urbana), channelled through the Real Decreto 853/2021 of 5 October 2021 and supplemented by autonomous community funding. Tax incentives for rehabilitation include deductions under Ley 35/2006 del IRPF — up to 60% of energy improvement works under Article 92 sexies LIRPF introduced by Real Decreto-Ley 19/2021.

Planificación urbanística (urban planning law) at municipal level — regulated by the Ley del Suelo (Real Decreto Legislativo 7/2015) and autonomous community urban planning legislation (e.g. Ley 9/2001 del Suelo de la Comunidad de Madrid, Ley 5/2014 d'Ordenació del Territori, Urbanisme i Paisatge in the Comunitat Valenciana) — governs whether building rehabilitation requires a licencia de obras mayor (major building permit) from the Ayuntamiento or only a comunicación previa (prior notice) for minor works. The distinction depends on the nature and extent of the works.

A Building Rehabilitation Agreement Spain is needed whenever a property owner contracts a construction company to carry out rehabilitation, renovation, or major repair works on an existing building — a situation governed by the Ley de Ordenación de la Edificación (Ley 38/1999) and the Código Técnico de la Edificación (CTE).

The document is required when a comunidad de propietarios (homeowners' association) governed by the Ley de Propiedad Horizontal (Ley 49/1960, as reformed by Ley 10/2022) commissions major rehabilitation works on a residential building — including façade renovation, roof replacement, structural repairs, elevator installation, or energy efficiency improvements. The contrato de rehabilitación establishes the contractor's scope, timeline, warranty obligations, and payment terms.

A Rehabilitation Agreement is needed when a private owner or investor commissions rehabilitation works to meet the Inspección Técnica de Edificios (ITE) or Informe de Evaluación de Edificios (IEE) requirements under Real Decreto 233/2013. Buildings over 50 years old must undergo periodic evaluation — when the ITE identifies deficiencies (deficiencias), the Ayuntamiento may require rehabilitation works within a specified period, backed by the owner's obligation to maintain buildings in adequate conditions under Article 17 of the Ley del Suelo (RDL 7/2015).

The document is required when a property owner applies for a licencia de obras mayor from the Ayuntamiento and must demonstrate the technical project (proyecto técnico) and the identity of the contractor responsible for execution. Ayuntamientos typically require the signed construction contract as part of the building permit application dossier.

A Building Rehabilitation Agreement Spain is needed when the rehabilitation works are funded through EU Recovery funds under the Real Decreto 853/2021 — grant recipients must demonstrate that works are contracted with a registered construction company (empresa constructora inscrita en el Registro de Contratistas), that the technical project is signed by a competente titulado, and that the works are completed within the programme's deadlines. The IDAE and the Comunidades Autónomas manage the grant applications through their respective housing rehabilitation programmes.

The document is required when a listed building (edificio protegido or BIC — Bien de Interés Cultural) is rehabilitated — works on protected buildings require specific authorisation from the relevant Comunidad Autónoma's heritage authority (Dirección General de Patrimonio Cultural) under Ley 16/1985 del Patrimonio Histórico Español, and the rehabilitation agreement must reference these additional permissions.

A Rehabilitation Agreement is also needed when the works involve asbestos removal (retirada de amianto) — governed by Real Decreto 396/2006 sobre la protección de la salud y seguridad de los trabajadores frente a los riesgos relacionados con la exposición al amianto, administered by the Inspección de Trabajo y Seguridad Social (ITSS). The contractor must hold the appropriate authorisation for asbestos removal works.

A valid Building Rehabilitation Agreement Spain under the Ley de Ordenación de la Edificación (LOE) and the Código Técnico de la Edificación (CTE) must contain the following essential elements to be legally sound and to satisfy building permit and liability requirements.

Identification of Parties: Full legal names, DNI/NIF, and addresses of the property owner (promotor or propiedad) and the contractor (contratista or empresa constructora). Where either party is a legal entity, the company's CIF, Registro Mercantil registration, and legal representative must be identified. The contractor's inscripción en el Registro de Contratistas of the relevant Comunidad Autónoma and, where required, their clasificación empresarial under Ley 9/2017 de Contratos del Sector Público (for public works) should be confirmed.

Description of the Building and Works: Full address of the building (including catastral reference — referencia catastral — from the Dirección General del Catastro), building registration data (Registro de la Propiedad finca number), and a detailed technical description of the rehabilitation works to be carried out. The description should reference the proyecto técnico (technical project) prepared by the architect or arquitecto técnico — a document that forms an integral part of the agreement.

Technical Project and Technical Direction: Reference to the proyecto de rehabilitación (rehabilitation project) signed by the titulado competente (architect or aparejador), approved for the purposes of the licencia de obras. The name, professional college number (número de colegiado), and professional indemnity insurance details of the director de obra and director de ejecución de obra designated under Articles 12 and 13 LOE must be included. The Colegio Oficial de Arquitectos and the Colegio de Aparejadores and Arquitectos Técnicos of each province register and supervise their members.

Scope and Technical Standards: A specific list of the rehabilitation works to be performed — broken down by trade (estructura, instalaciones, fachada, cubierta, carpintería, etc.) — with reference to the applicable Documentos Básicos (DB) of the CTE that govern each element. Any works affecting the energy efficiency of the thermal envelope must include reference to DB-HE of the CTE and the Energy Performance Certificate (Certificado de Eficiencia Energética) requirements under Real Decreto 390/2021.

Contract Price and Payment Schedule: The total agreed price (precio total de la obra) in euros, broken down by work packages (partidas) or by certification periods (certificaciones de obra). Payment is typically made against monthly architect-certified progress valuations (certificaciones de obra). Retention (retención de garantía) of 5% to 10% of each certification — held until the obra is completed and the reception certificate (acta de recepción de obra) is signed — is standard practice in Spanish rehabilitation contracts.

Execution Timeline: The agreed start date (fecha de inicio) and completion date (fecha de finalización) for the works, with intermediate milestones where appropriate. Penalty clauses (penalizaciones por demora) — typically calculated as a percentage of the contract price per day of delay — must be specified with a maximum cap. Force majeure (fuerza mayor) clauses under Articles 1105 CC and 1258 CC must define excluded causes (climatic events, supply chain disruptions, ERTE-related labour stoppages).

Health and Safety Plan: A reference to the Plan de Seguridad y Salud en el Trabajo (SST) prepared by the contractor pursuant to Real Decreto 1627/1997 sobre disposiciones mínimas de seguridad y salud en las obras de construcción. The promotor is required to designate a Coordinador de Seguridad y Salud (safety coordinator) — a competent professional registered with the Fundación Laboral de la Construcción — for works involving more than one contractor.

Warranties: The statutory warranty periods under Article 17 LOE — 1 year for finishing defects (acabados), 3 years for habitability defects (habitabilidad), and 10 years for structural defects (daños que afecten a la cimentación, los soportes, las vigas, los forjados, los muros de carga u otros elementos estructurales). Where LOE decennial insurance (seguro decenal) is required — for residential buildings newly built or substantially rehabilitated — the policy details and policy number issued by a Spanish insurer authorised by the Dirección General de Seguros y Fondos de Pensiones (DGSFP) must be recorded.

Forms-legal.com provides this Building Rehabilitation Agreement Spain template as a practical reference. All significant rehabilitation works in Spain require a proyecto técnico signed by a titulado competente, a licencia de obras from the Ayuntamiento, and compliance with the LOE and CTE. Legal and technical advice from a qualified abogado, architect, and asesor fiscal is recommended, particularly for works qualifying for IRPF deductions or EU Recovery Fund grants.