LOE (Ley de Ordenación de la Edificación, Spanish Building Act)

What the LOE is

The LOE is Law 38/1999 of 5 November on Building (Ley de Ordenación de la Edificación). It defines who is who on a building project, from the developer (promotor) and the builder to the designer and the site management team, and each party’s liability for defects.

The 1, 3 and 10-year periods

The LOE sets three liability periods from the formal handover of the works:

• 1 year: finishing defects. The builder is liable.
• 3 years: defects in building elements or installations that prevent the home meeting habitability requirements.
• 10 years: structural damage affecting the strength and stability of the building.

The developer is also liable to the buyer together with the other parties.

What it means for the electrics

Many electrical faults in a new home fall within these periods: badly finished switches and sockets, unlabelled circuits in the consumer unit, RCDs tripping for no reason, sockets without earth, incomplete EV charging pre-installation or missing paperwork. The key is to spot them early and report them in writing.

Snagging at handover

When you receive the keys, run an electrical snagging check (punch list in US terms):

• Ask for the boletín and the consumer unit diagram.
• Press the test button on every RCD.
• Try every socket and lighting point.
• Check the air conditioning line and the charger pre-installation, if any.

If there are defects

An independent technical report helps you claim from the developer with evidence. See electrical expert report in Seville, Spain.