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The acronym ITE corresponds to the Technical Building Inspection. It is a technical control that all buildings with a certain age must pass, to verify that they meet the minimum safety requirements.
The legal regulations of the ITE are included in the Royal Decree-Law 8/2011 of July 1, together with the municipal ordinances that each City Council may include to complete the legal requirements. In Spain, the Technical Building Inspection is mandatory by law.
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What is looked at in the ITE?
The review of the ITE is a preventive measure to locate, avoid and, if necessary, solve possible deficiencies in the construction or defects generated by the passage of time in the property. Its objective is to prevent these deficiencies or defects from causing damage to the tenants inside the building, or to the pedestrians who pass through the street.
The technical inspection during the ITE verifies the safety conditions, the stability and the consolidation of the building. It is not only a control tool, the ITE serves to prevent and preserve the good condition of the property, emphasizing safety.
Elements that are reviewed in an ITE
The Technical Building Inspection includes all the elements of the property that affect the habitability and safety of the building. In particular, the following elements are taken into account:
- The state of its structure and its foundation. It is essential to ensure that the building will remain standing, and that it does not suffer from hidden defects in its construction that may, in the future, affect the stability and firmness of the building.
- The interior and exterior facades, in particular those that may pose a danger to the road. It is checked if the entire facade of the building is correctly insulated, to avoid possible detachments.
- Elements that may come off. The ornamental, or functional elements, such as cornices, ledges or decorative elements, must also be inspected to ensure that they do not pose a danger to the tenants of the property or to the pedestrians on the street.
- Party walls. Although a building is part of a street or a block, its structure must be independent, it must not affect the adjoining buildings. For this reason, it is also necessary to inspect the good condition of the party walls.
- Roofs and terraces. It is the structure most affected by the weather, such as rain, wind, sun, hail or snow. As they are the main entry point from the outside to the inside, it is necessary to guarantee their insulation.
- General electricity, plumbing and sanitation networks. A failure in the electrical installation, in the plumbing structure or in the sanitation network affects both the interior and the exterior of the building and can cause a fire, a flood or serious health problems.
- The accessibility elements. The legal regulations on accessibility require maintaining access to the building in accordance with the law. Or, in the event that they had not been prepared for this at first, adapt them following the requirements established by the standard. Access for the disabled, or the fire department, are some examples.
When does the ITE have to be passed?
The Technical Building Inspection (ITE) must be passed, for the first time, compulsorily when the building reaches fifty years of age. That is, all buildings that were built 50 years ago must pass the ITE inspection compulsorily.
Once this first ITE has passed, every 10 years the buildings must pass a new inspection, in order to guarantee safety and detect, in time, any possible defect or deficiency.
What Happens if I Don't Do the ITE?
If the deadline for submitting the technical inspection report passes, the least of the problems is a possible sanction or fine that may be around six thousand euros. The most serious consequence is that, for example, a piece of cornice detaches from the facade of the building and falls on a pedestrian, causing very serious injuries or even death.
In the event that there is opposition, on the part of the owners or some neighbors, to pass the ITE, once all the legal deadlines have elapsed, a judicial order will force the technical inspection to be carried out on the building. And of course, it will carry the corresponding sanctions stipulated in the law.
Who does the ITE?
The technical inspection of the buildings must be carried out by a professional, a qualified technician in detecting the possible pathologies of the property, which can be an architect or a quantity surveyor.
The rates for the work required by the technical inspection of buildings are not regulated by law, it is a free market, but in all cases it will depend on the type of property and the public administration can make recommendations.
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