Occupation License Also called "licencia de ocupación"

 

What is it?
The certificate of habitability certifies that an existing home complies with the technical regulations on habitability, and is necessary to formalize rental and sale contracts, and to register for water, electricity and gas services or to restore said services in the case of their being withdrawn previously for whatever reason. 
The document is useful since it means we can be sure that the property complies with all legal requirements regarding urban planning in accordance with current regulations.  This is why we always recommend obtaining the certificate.
However, that said, not having a license is actually quite common. The important thing is to know if the property may or may not obtain it. There are cases where it was simply not requested and is not a major problem beyond the cost of obtaining it now. To properly assess the risk,  it is important to find out before the signature if there is an impediment to being granted the license, for example, if the developer has not finished the roads, or they are smaller or greater than the established norm, or they have not finished the public lighting of the zone, etc. In these cases it will be necessary to see if there are deficiencies that can or not be corrected ...

What data is included in it?

Address of the property and the province where it is located.
Usable square meters.
Interior composition of the house (rooms, bathrooms, kitchen and living room).
The recommended number of occupations established by the corresponding municipality.
Concession and expiration date.
In a Certificate of Habitability, the name of the owner of the dwelling never appears
Sewer connection 

How long is it valid?
The duration or validity that is assigned to certificate from the concession is between 5 to 10 years, depending on the municipality in which it was requested.
Once the Habitability Certificate has expired, the same procedures that were carried originally will be followed, whilst including any modifications that the composition of the dwelling may have experienced over the years.

Keep in mind that in many homes the extensions or modifications that have been made during these years may not comply with current planning and cannot be legalized, which could become a problem in the case of wanting to sell the property
 

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