Cédula de habitabilidad
certificate of occupancy
Definition
The cédula de habitabilidad is the Catalan certificate stating that a dwelling meets the minimum conditions to be lived in. In Catalonia it is required to rent a home out, and it is issued for a limited period, after which it has to be renewed.
Why it matters
It is your document, not the tenant's, and it is checked at the point of doing things: signing a lease, registering the deposit, contracting utilities in some cases. Discovering it has expired the week a tenant is due to move in is an expensive way to find out.
Renewal usually means a technician's visit and a certificate — a normal, scheduled task rather than an emergency, as long as you know the expiry date in advance.
The certificate carries its own issue and expiry dates on the document itself. That is the authoritative version — read it rather than relying on what you were told when you bought the flat.
Example
Before a flat goes on the market, the cédula is the first thing worth pulling out of the folder: if it needs renewing, that is weeks of lead time you would otherwise discover with a signed tenant waiting.
Where this comes up
Related terms
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