FAQ
How often does a community of owners need an OCA electrical inspection in Spain?
In Spain, a community of owners needs an OCA inspection every 10 years for the common installations of residential buildings over 100 kW, and every 5 years for garages with more than 25 spaces and forced ventilation, communal pools over 10 kW and premises open to the public (ITC-BT-05). Below those thresholds there is no compulsory periodic inspection.
How often the OCA inspection is due
ITC-BT-05, one of the technical instructions of Spain’s Low Voltage Electrotechnical Regulation (REBT), sets which installations must be inspected by an OCA (Organismo de Control Autorizado, an accredited inspection body), both when they are first installed and periodically afterwards. In a comunidad de propietarios (the community of owners of a building, similar to a homeowners’ association), these are the cases you will meet most often:
| Communal installation | How often |
|---|---|
| Common installations of residential buildings over 100 kW | Every 10 years |
| Garage with more than 25 spaces and forced ventilation, or more than 5 with natural ventilation | Every 5 years |
| Communal swimming pool over 10 kW | Every 5 years |
| Outdoor lighting over 5 kW | Every 5 years |
| Premises open to the public inside the building | Every 5 years |
| EV charging infrastructure over 50 kW, with a project | Initial inspection and every 5 years |
If the common installations stay below those thresholds there is no periodic inspection, although the comunidad must still keep them in good condition.
What the OCA checks
The inspector checks that the installation meets the regulations: switchboards, protective devices, earthing (grounding), emergency lighting, the condition of the cables, and ventilation and detection in garages. If defects are found, the comunidad has to correct them within the period stated in the report and prove it.
Why it matters if neighbours want EV chargers
Garages with more than 25 spaces are already subject to periodic inspection, and every charging point that owners install must be documented for it. A building with its OCA up to date and a tidy installation makes those jobs much easier.
How to prepare for the inspection
- A prior check of the installation by an electrician.
- Fixing any defects before the inspection body arrives.
- Someone present on the day of the inspection.
- Correcting whatever the report flags, if needed.
As a rough guide, the inspection of a community costs 150 to 500 euros, plus any repairs.
The OCA is not the boletín
The boletín (electrical installation certificate) is issued once, when an installation is built or modified. The OCA is an external inspection that repeats at the intervals above. A private flat (apartment) has no periodic OCA inspection.
If the date is coming up or the report has flagged defects, see how we handle it in Seville, Spain, on our OCA inspection for buildings and OCA inspection pages.
Related services
OCA inspection for buildings
An OCA inspection for apartment buildings in Seville, Spain is the periodic inspection of the communal electrical installations by an authorised inspection body. We prepare the building, accompany the inspector, fix the defects in the report and, if the comunidad has no boletín for its communal services, legalise the installation with the Junta de Andalucía.
OCA inspection
An OCA electrical inspection in Seville, Spain is compulsory for large residential buildings, garages, swimming pools and premises open to the public. We prepare the installation before the inspector arrives, attend the visit with them and put right the defects they point out, so you get a favourable certificate.
Communal garage electrics
The communal garage electrical installation of a building in Seville, Spain covers much more than the lights: LED lighting with sensors, forced ventilation, carbon monoxide detection, emergency lighting, the automatic door and the infrastructure for charging electric cars. We renew it, maintain it and get it ready for the OCA inspection.
Related questions
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