What the ITE is and why it matters for your renovation
The ITE, the technical inspection of the building, is a periodic survey commissioned by the comunidad de propietarios: a professional assesses the structure, facade, roof and shared services and records defects. It matters for your renovation for two reasons: the report shows the condition of the shared elements you will connect to, and it can oblige the comunidad to carry out works right when you are renovating.
The building age at which inspection becomes mandatory, and how often it is renewed, are set by Catalan regulations, and those thresholds have changed over time. For a specific building, check with the property administrator or the relevant register.
What the report contains and where to get it
The report lists defects graded by severity, recommendations and deadlines for fixing them. It usually also shows the condition of balconies, cornices, the roof, soil stacks, water risers and the building's main electrical lines.
You get it from the administrador de fincas. Ask at the same time for the minutes of the comunidad's meetings over the last couple of years: they show which works are agreed, which have been postponed and which special levies (derramas) owners have discussed.
Before buying a flat to renovate
Anyone buying a flat to renovate should read the ITE before signing the arras. Serious unresolved defects mean future works paid for by every owner, you included. A facade shedding pieces, balconies with corroded steel, old shared soil stacks: all of that turns into derramas, sometimes for sums comparable to a slice of your renovation budget.
Also check whether the report flags structural issues near your future flat. If you plan to open up the kitchen by removing a wall and the inspection notes problems with the floor structure below, the conversation with an engineer has to happen before you buy, not after.
How the ITE changes your renovation plan
If the comunidad is going to replace the shared stack, align the schedules: there is no point cladding the bathroom wall in marble for it to be opened six months later to change the pipe. Better to wait, or agree that the section inside your flat is replaced during your strip-out.
If facade works with scaffolding are coming, it is a good moment to replace windows and balcony doors, because the external reveals will be redone anyway. On top floors and penthouses, look at what the report says about the roof: the waterproofing above your head matters more than a new ceiling.
When the renovation uncovers a building problem
Strip-out sometimes reveals what no inspection saw: a rotten beam end, a crack in a vault, a leaking shared stack inside a wall. Stop work in that area, take photos and notify the administrator in writing.
Who pays for the repair depends on whether the element is common or private, which is settled with the administrator and, if needed, a lawyer. In an Eixample flat with timber floors these finds are not unusual, and a good contractor builds time into the programme to inspect the floor structure once the old flooring is up.
Questions for the building administrator
The report does not answer everything, so before starting work put a few questions to the administrador de fincas. When was the last inspection and when is the next one due? Which defects in the report are still outstanding, and has the meeting voted on them? Have levies been approved, and for which works? Will there be scaffolding, water shut-offs, a lift out of service or restricted access to the entrance in the coming months? Who is the comunidad's contractor, and can dates be coordinated with them?
The answers change your renovation schedule more than you might think. A lift out of action for a month in an Eixample building with no goods hoist means carrying parquet and tiles up the stairs, and that costs time and money.
A practical order
Request the ITE and the meeting minutes. Mark everything in the report that affects your flat, the stacks, the facade above you and the roof. Show it to the contractor at the first visit and ask how it affects the estimate and the programme. Check with the administrator which works the comunidad has planned for the coming year.
If an ITE exists, we go through it with the client at the site visit and factor its findings into the estimate. Renovating a flat does not replace the comunidad's obligations, but a well-planned programme stops the same work being done twice.