Yes. From 3 October 2026, Law 8/2026 requires a certificate proving the presence or absence of visible asbestos for any home or premises built before 2002 that is sold or rented in Catalonia. Here's the answer to every question you're probably asking yourself.
No. The requirement comes from Law 8/2026, a Catalan regional law on the eradication of asbestos. If the property is outside Catalonia, this specific law doesn't apply, though it's worth checking the rules in the relevant region.
Since 3 October 2026. Sales or rentals signed from that date onward must have the certificate. If you have an operation underway, you can request it now — I'll have it ready for when you need it.
The seller in a sale, and the landlord (the owner who rents out) in a rental. They're the ones who need the certificate and must provide it during the transaction, similar to how the energy performance certificate already works.
It affects properties built before 2002, the year the sale of any asbestos-containing material was banned in Spain. Within that group, it can be any type of built property sold or rented in Catalonia: homes, offices, premises, warehouses, storage rooms, and garages or parking spaces, among others.
Land is also included: being a property, it needs the certificate like any other in order to be sold or rented.
In my case, €150 + VAT, a fixed price for homes and premises up to 200 m². It includes the visit, the visual inspection and the signed report.
Get a quote →A competent professional; in my case, as a licensed building surveyor. The regulation that will definitively set which professionals are authorised is still pending publication (Article 21.3 of the law), so once it's published, I'll adapt the certificate to what it establishes.
It doesn't block the sale or the rental. The certificate reports the material's condition and the risk it poses; if it's in good shape and won't be disturbed, it can stay in place. Removal should only be planned if it's degraded.
Not necessarily. The law requires reporting the property's situation, not removing asbestos that's in good condition. Removal is only advisable — and sometimes required under other regulations — when the material is degraded or will be directly disturbed, for example during renovation works.
Law 8/2026 provides for penalties for not handing over the certificate, but that penalty chapter only comes into force once the implementing decree is approved; until then only the general environmental sanctions apply. Even so, obtaining it is a right of the buyer or tenant, and asking for it at the last minute can delay signing.