What should I check in the electrics when I get the keys to a new build home in Spain?

How new homes are handed over in Seville

Going by the specifications (memoria de calidades) of the developers building in Seville, the usual new home has a high electrification level, light points in every room but no light fittings, mid-range switches and sockets, a video entry system, pre-installed air conditioning, an aerothermal heat pump (aerotermia) for hot water and EV pre-installation in the garage, with conduit to the space but no charger. Knowing what you are entitled to is the first step of electrical snagging (the punch list, in US English).

The fuse board

• Every breaker labelled with its circuit.
• The RCDs (GFCI breakers) trip when you press the test button (T).
• Separate circuits for air conditioning, dryer or heating if the home has high electrification, whose minimum is 9,200 W.
• Surge protection, if it appears in the specifications.

Lights and sockets

• Test every socket (outlet) with a phone charger or a tester.
• Switch every light on and off from all its switches, including two-way ones.
• Check that terrace sockets are weatherproof.
• Count sockets and light points and compare them with the specifications.

Documents

• The boletín (electrical certificate, CIE) for the home.
• Specifications and installation plans.
• Supply details to get the electricity connected in your name.

Garage and pre-installations

• If the building’s licence is later than 16 December 2022, the Building Code (CTE HE 6) requires charging conduit to every space.
• The air conditioning pre-installation has its power line to the unit.
• The video entry system works.

If you find defects

List them in writing on the handover certificate or in a letter to the developer, with photos, and ask for repair. Spain’s Building Act (LOE, Law 38/1999) covers claims for construction defects, and if there are serious disagreements, a signed technical report backs you up.

A professional inspection

Some things a phone charger will not show: cable insulation, earthing resistance or whether the RCDs trip in the time they should. An inspection with measurements costs roughly 70 to 100 euros and gives you a report to claim from before you move in. Our new build snagging checklist goes into more detail.

Book it before signing the handover certificate or in the first days after. In Seville, Spain, see electrical inspection and new home wiring.