Guide and Trick: Housing Suitability Report

Today we explore another of the reports that the administration must issue for certain types of residence, which is a necessary requirement for some authorisations. It is a document that can sometimes be cumbersome and confusing to obtain, as housing is a matter delegated to the Autonomous Communities (AC, from now on), and this is a procedure that does not have a unified criteria, managed by each city/town hall in its own way. Even so, the greatest frustration is usually the time frame, as the administrations is usually delayed in issuing the report, but we will share a trick so that this does not delay your authorisation procedure.

📑 What Authorisations Is It Needed For?

Specifically, it is required that this report must be submitted for the application for:

• Temporary residence authorisation for family reunification (art. 67 of Regulation 1155/2024), and

• Residence authorisation for the accompanying person who is a minor or has a disability not born in Spain (art. 160 of the Regulation with express reference to art. 67).

In any case, we will look at what this report is about and how we can obtain it. 

🔑 Why Do They Ask for This Report?

The main reason is simple, and it consists of the fact that, before granting a residence authorisation to relatives, the administration needs to confirm that the applicant has sufficient financial resources and an adequate housing for themselves, and their family. A simple rental contract or a property deed is not sufficient; the official approval from the administration, which materialises in this report, is needed.

👀 Where Should You Obtain It?

The report on housing suitability must be requested from the city/town hall of the applicant's place of residence, which is responsible for reviewing the documentation, conducting interviews or inspections, and preparing a proposal for a favourable or unfavourable report. Depending on the autonomous community, the report may be issued by the council itself or the regional government. 

⚙️ How Does the Process Work?

1. Contact the competent Public Administration in your CCAA 

🚩 Outline by CCAA 

2. Provide the required documentation

Depending on each AC, they will ask you for one document or another. Here you can find the documentation that is usually basic or more generic; however, we recommend that you look for more specific information by contacting the competent administration or body, as detailed in the table above, to know exactly what your council or public administration requires for your case. 

3. Be on the lookout for if they summon you for an inspection or personal interview 

Keep in mind that, in some cases, social services may summon you for a personal interview or a visual inspection of the property or visit your house to verify the conditions and documentation you have presented. It is important to be prepared for such an event, ensuring everything is in order on the day of the appointment.

4. Be on the lookout for if they send you any request to provide additional documentation or make improvements to the property

In some cases, they may request that you provide additional documentation or make improvements to the property to ensure compliance with housing, health, or hygiene standards. Normally, they give you a period of 10 days to meet the request. Similar to the previous section, it is important to cooperate with the administration to reach a favourable resolution.

5. Obtain the resolution 

Once everything is processed, you will receive the resolution (favourable, we hope) to submit with your residence authorisation application that you wish to obtain. In any case, it is advisable to wait to obtain the resolution before starting the residence authorisation application process. However, below we have indicated what you can present at the Immigration Office as alternative documentation to this report, if you are in a hurry, cannot wait, and the report has not been resolved in a timely manner (one month from its request).

🏠 What Requirements Must the Housing Meet?

The housing must meet the following requirements: 

• Title of occupation and being up to date with payments: It must be possible to prove that the person has a legal title that entitles them to occupy the property, i.e., that they are the owner or tenant of the property. If they have a rental contract, they must be up to date with the rental payments. 

• Maximum occupancy limit and having the housing in good health and hygiene conditions. Art. 3c of Law 12/2023, of 24 May, on the right to housing, defines what is understood as a dignified and adequate home, and in that sense, the administration pays special attention to two fundamental aspects:
  
  

  • Maximum occupancy limit: This is determined based on the following criteria; number of residents, number of rooms, square metres of those rooms and of the entire property, and use of the spaces.
    
    No calculations are necessary; the habitation certificate (cédula de habitabilidad) for your property indicates the maximum number of people allowed to occupy the dwelling in question. If you are the owner, it should have been provided at the time of purchase, and if you are a tenant, at the time of signing the rental contract.
    
    Even so, remember that housing regulation and habitability are a transferred competence of the Autonomous Communities. Therefore, there is no single national law that precisely defines how many people can live in a house; requirements, metrics, and demands vary according to the autonomous community.
    
    If the joint registration certificate indicates that more people are living together than permitted and indicated in the habitation certificate (cédula de habitabilidad):

    • The people registered in the municipal register who the council states do not live in the property will not be counted.

    • The people who have started the process of delisting from the register and can be documented will not be taken into account.
      
      

  • Health and hygiene conditions: Minimum conditions must be met. In any case, dampness, malfunctions of the extractor hood, bathroom cooling systems, among others, may lead to an additional requirement to obtain a resolution. 

Don't worry. Other external people can live in the same dwelling, as long as the occupancy limit is met and suitable conditions for minors are met. In this case, the adequacy of the housing may be specifically assessed. 

📃 What Can They Ask For?

There are certain requirements and documentation that are always usually requested in all AC. These are the bases on which the AC then develop their own requirements and procedures. Essentially, they usually ask for at least the following:

• Complete copy of the passport and identification card of the foreign applicant. 

• Signed application form by the applicant.

• Title of occupation:

  • In the case of ownership of the property: property deed registered with the Property Registry or a copy of the application for registration process.

  • In the case of rentals of the property: rental contract of the property. 

  • In the case of usufruct: document of use transfer signed by the property owner or other titles that justify the situations of occupation provided for in the Spanish legal system.

• Coexistence certificate (volante de convivencia): document certifying the number of people living at the address. 

• Document certifying that the property meets the minimum conditions of habitability and health, and presents the suitable conditions for occupation: mainly justified through the habitation certificate, which contains data such as: usable area, number of rooms, designated use of each of them, as well as the maximum number of occupants. However, a simple note from the Property Registry or the last utility bill for water and electricity can also be provided, depending on the autonomous community, as these documents also inform about the habitability conditions of the dwelling.

• Housing inspection: this can range from a responsible declaration or photographs of the property subject to the report to a physical visit or an interview in the office, depending on the corresponding administration.

• Payment of fees: these will be set by the regulations of the autonomous communities. For example, in 2026, in Catalonia, the procedure is free, while in Madrid it costs 30.60 euros.

⌛ What Are the Deadlines for the Report?

The deadline to issue the report is one month. Nonetheless, we recommend that you initiate the procedures well in advance, as the reality is that this deadline tends to be extended. In any case, you will receive an express resolution (favourable or unfavourable). Once issued, the report is valid for six months. 

🤞🏼 Trick

If after one month from the request for the report, there has been no response from the competent administration, alternative documentation to the report can be provided to the Immigration Office demonstrating such a situation. From that moment on (and never before the one-month deadline has expired), you can present other alternative documents directly at the Immigration Office or "any means of evidence admitted by law" to justify the housing. That is, you submit the following documentation instead of the report, as it was not issued within the required timeframe.

The documents you can use as substitutes if you want to continue with the process of obtaining the authorisation are as follows:

1. Document that enables the occupation, namely: the copy of the property deed or the record note (in the case of ownership), or the rental contract (in the case of renting), along with the last six rental receipts. 

2. Documentation on the provision of the dwelling, number of rooms, use designated for each room, number of occupants, the habitability conditions and equipment, that is: the habitation certificate, photographic documentation with notes on use and any additional important information, and the joint registration certificate. 

3. Documentary proof of having made the request for the housing suitability report, that is: the receipt or acknowledgment of receipt. 

⁉️ Why Could They Deny the Report?

The report may yield an unfavourable resolution when the requirements are not met or if the information is inconsistent. Some of the main reasons for denial are: 

1. When the documentation and information provided by the applicant do not match the results of the interview or visit to the property. 

2. When the reunifying person or the reunified individuals do not fall under the criteria for granting the temporary residence authorisation for family reunification. 

3. When the housing adequacy requirements are not met: the residence is not the habitual residence of the applicant, does not meet habitability conditions, or the housing is not suitable for the number and profile of relatives.

⭐️ Traam can help you manage obtaining the housing suitability report, with guides and support from our legal team. Trust us with the management of your family reunification or minor not born in Spain for an easier and faster experience when dealing with your foreign affairs procedure, and ensure there are no errors in your application.