Rules for business premises in Spain
Building logbook (Libro del Edificio)
The building logbook (Libro del Edificio) is the record of the finished works handed over to those who use the building: the design and its changes, the handover certificate, the parties involved and the instructions for use and maintenance, with a maintenance plan. The LOE (art. 7) and the CTE (art. 8) require it.
Also known asLibro del Edificio · building handover file · use and maintenance manual
What it is exactly
The LOE, Spain's Building Act (Ley 38/1999, de Ordenación de la Edificación), brings together the design with its changes, the handover certificate, the list of parties involved and the instructions for use and maintenance into a set of documents “which shall make up the Building Logbook” and which “shall be handed to the end users” (art. 7). The CTE, the Spanish Technical Building Code, adds the documentation for the products and equipment built into the works and a maintenance plan “setting out the scheduled operations” for the building and its installations (art. 8.1).
It is not a file to forget in a drawer. Under the CTE, looking after the building means three things (art. 8.2.2): following that plan by having a competent technician carry out the scheduled operations, passing the statutory inspections and keeping their paperwork, and recording in the logbook every repair, refurbishment or renovation throughout its working life. On top of that, owners and users report “any anomaly” they notice to whoever is in charge of maintenance (art. 8.2.1).
An example: you rent premises in a 2012 building to open a physiotherapy clinic. The logbook's plan says how often the roof, the façade or the downpipes are checked; the inspections of each installation (low voltage, heating and air conditioning) follow their own regulation. Ask for the part that concerns you before signing: receiving, keeping and passing on that documentation is a duty of the owners (LOE, art. 16.1).
Worth knowing
Not every building has one. The LOE applies to works whose building permit was applied for after it came into force on 6 May 2000 (first transitional provision), so an older building may not have one; its contents are also supplemented by the competent authorities (CTE, art. 8.1.1). And do not confuse it with the building assessment report: the logbook tells how the building was built and how it is maintained; the report says what state it is in today.
Sources
Related terms
- Preventive maintenancePreventive maintenance is the work done before something breaks: inspections, servicing and certificates with a due date (lifts, air conditioning, gas or electrical installations) that a residence has to complete so its equipment keeps working and stays compliant.
- Horizontal property (propiedad horizontal)Horizontal property (propiedad horizontal) is the Spanish legal regime for a building divided into flats or commercial units: each has its own owner and shares the common parts with the rest according to its share. It is governed by Ley 49/1960 (LPH), except in Catalonia, whose Civil Code has its own rules.
- Building assessment report (IEE) and ITEThe building assessment report (IEE) certifies the state of repair, accessibility and energy efficiency of a block of flats. Spanish national law only says the authorities may ask for it (art. 29.1 TRLSRU); when and how often, and the ITE inspection, are set by each autonomous community or municipality.