How to fast-track building licences in Valencia and Alicante
Understanding ECUVs and how they can speed up your major works project
by John Michael Kirby, Technical Architect and Building Engineer
In the previous article we took a look at the two basic types of building licences and the steps in the public route needed to attain them. That’s the DIY route, so to speak, covered. If you speak the language a bit and your town hall speaks a bit of your language and the municipal technician also speaks a bit of your language, in many cases that’s all you will need.
However, having been a municipal technician here I can tell you that you never get to the bottom of your in-tray and this can mean serious delays for approval, in the cases approval is required (see previous article for the cases where it is not).
Since 2019, in the Valencia region there exists an alternative to the public administration route for getting one – the private route. There are a number of entities licensed to give the technical approval you need without the approval from the municipal technician and go directly to approval in the council plenary session. Those entities are called ECUVs. The activities and responsibilities of an ECUV (Entitat Col·laboradora d'Urbanisme i Vivenda) are defined and regulated by regional urban planning and housing laws.
Even for minor works there are advantages for expats (the elimination of the language barrier between you and the municipal technician, for one). However, where ECUVs really come into their own is major works, activity licences and new builds.
Some town councils have processing time as long as three years. If you’re hoping to open a business or carry out major works or a complete new build those delays can mean the difference between project success and failure. From the perspective of a property owner, business owner or property developer knowing about ECUVs is very much like finding out that they sell fast-passes at your favourite theme park. No more queuing is now genuinely an option.
The primary legal framework includes Ley 5/2014, de 25 de julio, de la Generalitat, de Ordenación del Territorio, Urbanismo y Paisaje (LOTUP). This is the main law governing urban planning, land use and landscape in the Valencian Community. It establishes the legal framework for urban development, including the role of collaborating entities like ECUVs.
The decree that regulates the authorisation, operation and oversight of ECUVs is Decreto 67/2019, de 10 de mayo, del Consell. It specifies the requirements for becoming an ECUV, including technical qualifications, professional experience, and administrative approval. It also details the specific tasks ECUVs are authorised to perform, such as processing urban planning documentation, issuing reports and advising on compliance with urban planning laws.
In 2022 the Ley 3/2022, de 24 de febrero, de Vivienda de la Comunitat Valenciana provided provisions relating to ECUVs in the context of housing regularisation, energy efficiency, and sustainable urban development. So ECUVs may now assist homeowners in complying with housing regulations, such as legalising dwellings or improving living conditions.
The Reglamento de Ordenación y Gestión Territorial y Urbanística (ROGTU) This regulation complements the LOTUP and provides further details on urban planning procedures. Specifically, it outlines the role of ECUVs in processing urban planning documentation, such as licences, permits, and certifications. This would include collective/ group property legalisations through Territorial Impact Minimisation procedures (MIT).
The key functions of ECUVs under these laws includes the processing urban planning documentation (e.g., building permits, licences and certificates), legalising irregular properties (e.g., homes built without proper permits), advising on project compliance with urban planning and housing laws, issuing technical reports for urban development projects and assisting in dispute resolution related to urban planning or housing issues.
When I was a municipal technician we had to rely on the justice of the peace for dispute resolution and they often knew less about planning law than the parties concerned.
ECUVs are authorised by the Valencian government and are subject to oversight to ensure they operate within the legal framework. They act as intermediaries between homeowners, developers, and public authorities. Opening up this route also benefits even those that decide to use the municipal route as it takes away traffic from that route.
This is the official site where all approved ECUVs are registered. It isn’t very intuitive as it looks blank when you open the page. However, on the left the activities for which an ECUV is approved are listed. Not all ECUVs are licensed to do all the activities an ECUV can carry out by law. All you have to do to get a list of those ECUVs that are licensed to do the activity you are interested in is click on that activity from the list on the left.
I will be taping an interview with an ECUV next week. If you have any questions you would like me to ask them just send them over.
John Kirby is a Technical Architect and Building Engineer (UPV), having won the award for outstanding academic achievement. He is the first foreigner to win that award and the only foreigner to ever be Municipal Technical Architect in Spain and a Judicial Property expert witness in Spain. He is Commissioner for Expatriates of the Valencian government and Ambassador for Spain and Gibraltar for Chartered Association of Building Engineers (UK).
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