In short: what the ITE is and who files it
The ITE, inspecció tècnica de l'edifici, is a visual inspection of a residential building carried out by a qualified technician. The result is the IITE, informe d'inspecció tècnica de l'edifici: a report describing the building, its state of repair and any visible defects. Hidden defects are outside its scope, and the Generalitat says so plainly in its FAQ.
Once the report is closed, the owners' association (comunitat de propietaris) or the sole owner of the building applies for the certificat d'aptitud de l'edifici, the building fitness certificate. You can file it yourself or through a representative such as the property manager, with the Agència de l'Habitatge de Catalunya via the Tràmits Gencat portal. The procedure page states there is no fee for filing. The only cost is the technician's fee.
When the ITE is mandatory and when it is not
The duty applies to residential buildings, both blocks of flats and single-family homes: the inspection must be done before the building turns 45. For older stock the timetable has already run out. According to Tràmits Gencat, blocks built up to 1950 should have been inspected long ago, and the last year-of-construction deadlines expired in 2020. If your Eixample building dates from the 1910s and the association has no certificat d'aptitud, you are not early, you are overdue.
Exempt are single-family homes set back 1.5 metres or more from public space, buildings with a ruin declaration already under way, and single-family homes with a valid cèdula d'habitabilitat until it expires. A 1985 house in Castelldefels built on the street line reaches 45 in 2030, so it makes sense to book the inspection early.
The ITE is not a permit for renovating your flat, and you do not need it to replace a kitchen. But in Barcelona the association cannot apply for the Consorci de l'Habitatge building refurbishment grant without an IITE, because the report is required before the application. The certificate also expires: 10 years with no defects or only minor ones, 6 years with significant defects and 3 years with serious ones.
What to prepare and who does what
The technician. The inspection may be carried out by an architect, a technical architect (arquitecte tècnic or aparellador), a building engineer or a graduate in building science and technology. They must hold valid liability insurance and have no professional conflict of interest, for example with the contractor who will later do the repairs. The report must be produced with the official IITE Report Generator, the Decree 67/2015 model; once closed, it gets an identification code.
The association. The owners' meeting decides to order the ITE and picks the technician, or delegates this to the property manager. Make sure every area is accessible: roof, basement, courtyard, façades, shared installations and sometimes individual flats. Gather whatever exists: the Llibre de l'edifici (building logbook), earlier ITEs, records of façade or roof works, drawings.
The owner or the chair. They sign the application for the certificat d'aptitud and quote the IITE code. If the manager files it, they need to prove they are authorised to represent the association.
Step by step: from inspection to application
Step one: agree the scope, timing and price with the technician and get a written quote. Step two: the site visit; it helps a lot if someone from the association walks round with the technician and unlocks spaces. Step three: the technician closes the IITE in the generator and hands you the report with its code.
Step four: the application. You have four months from the date the report was closed. Online: the Tràmits Gencat portal, page «Inspecció tècnica dels edificis (ITE) – Certificat d'aptitud de l'edifici», option «Sol·licitar el certificat d'aptitud de l'edifici». You need a digital ID: idCAT Mòbil, Cl@ve or an FNMT certificate. Fill in the form, enter the IITE code, sign and keep the registration receipt (justificant).
Only private individuals can file in person, at Generalitat citizen offices in Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona and Terres de l'Ebre, by appointment. Self-employed professionals, companies and organisations must file online, so if the property manager handles it, it goes online. Keep the receipt: the Consorci building refurbishment grant accepts either the certificat d'aptitud or proof that you applied for it.
After filing: timeframes, defects and the City Council
The authority decides within three months. If nothing is notified in that time, the procedure page says the application is deemed approved by positive administrative silence. A copy of a valid certificate can be requested from the same Tràmits Gencat page.
If the technician finds defects, the report grades them as lleus (minor), importants (significant), greus (serious) or molt greus (very serious). Any defect requires a works programme under technical supervision. You get one year to carry it out for minor or significant defects and six months for serious or very serious ones. If serious defects exist and no urgent safety measures have been taken, the certificate is refused.
Barcelona also has its own procedure on the Oficina Virtual: «Comunicació a l'Ajuntament de deficiències detectades a la ITE». The technician files it as soon as a defect poses a risk to people, and it is free. Urgent measures such as netting on the façade or a canopy over the pavement may need their own street occupation permits.
Miss the four-month window and the application is rejected as inadmissible, so the report has to be redone. Failing to carry out the ITE is classed as a serious infringement and carries a fine.
Common mistakes
Waiting for a letter. Nobody has to remind you, and fines or refused grants land precisely on those who waited.
Incomplete access. If the technician could not get onto the roof or into the basement, the report is patchy and the defect they missed is still there. Sort out access with neighbours before the visit.
Letting four months pass between closing the IITE and filing. The technician closes it in May, the owners debate it until October, and the report is dead. File it as soon as you have it; the application does not need a meeting resolution.
Starting façade works straight after the ITE without a permit. The works programme does not replace the works notice or licence from the City Council.
Not keeping the paperwork. The IITE and the certificate belong in the Llibre de l'edifici: you will need them when flats are sold, for the next ITE and for any grant.
Before you file
Rules and forms change, so check the current procedure page on Tràmits Gencat before filing. If the association would rather not handle it, BCN YARD can take care of the paperwork together with the repairs that follow the inspection.