Renovation
Bathroom renovation (reforma de baño) in València
New sanitaryware in the same places can be a job without a permit, provided the pipes and wiring are left alone. Moving the shower, adding an en-suite or rerouting a waste changes that. We check which applies before you receive a fixed-price quote in writing.
Bathroom renovation in València: how the rules apply
Each rule below comes from a municipal, regional or national text listed in the sources. The note says what it means for this job; open a rule to read its full wording.
Permission and paperwork
- Start on filing (art. 26)
If it is your only bathroom, filing day sets the earliest date you lose it: arrange other facilities from then.[1]
Rule wording
A valid declaración responsable with all required documents enables the covered works to start on filing, subject to municipal checks. Filing is not a licence or confirmation that an unsuitable project is lawful.
- 6 and 24 months (arts. 15.2, 16.8)
A bathroom is quick to build but easy to postpone; once declared it must start within six months, so we file when the tiles and fittings are ordered, not before.[1]
Rule wording
Declared works must start within 6 months of filing and finish within 24 months of starting. The ordinance does not allow extensions except for stoppages caused by force majeure.
Official charges and tax
- ICIO 4%
Applies to the execution cost of the declared bathroom works, which is why fittings, tiling and installation are itemised in the quote.[4, 3]
Rule wording
València’s ICIO rate is 4% of the taxable execution material cost. The declared budget, applicable exclusions and any relief must be checked for the particular works.
- Tasa from €140.90
Calculated on the same base as the ICIO, so adding a second bathroom to the declaration raises both.[5]
Rule wording
The planning fee (tasa urbanística) starts at €140.90 for a base of up to €6,010.12 and rises on a sliding scale. It uses the same base as ICIO.
- Paid before filing
Both charges are paid before filing, so they appear at the start of the payment schedule, not the end.[3]
Rule wording
The tasa and ICIO are paid before the declaración responsable is filed.
- ICIO: 90% accessibility reduction
A level shower, grab rails or a wider door for a resident with a disability can reduce the ICIO on that part of the works by 90%, with the certificates the article lists, requested when the declaration is filed.[4]
Rule wording
The ICIO ordinance reduces the tax due by 90% on works needed for the access and habitability of people with a disability in the dwelling or building where they habitually live, with a disability certificate linked to reduced mobility and proof of residence (art. 6.2.D). It covers only the qualifying share of the works, excludes buildings legally obliged to be adapted, and is requested with the licence application or the declaración responsable (art. 7).
- IVA 10%
Tiles, sanitaryware and the shower screen we supply count towards the 40% limit; the quote separates them from labour so the rate can be checked.[6, 7]
Rule wording
Ordinary dwelling renovation or repair can qualify for 10% IVA when the recipient is a private individual using the dwelling privately, construction or rehabilitation finished at least 2 years before the works, and contractor-supplied materials cost no more than 40% of the taxable base. Qualifying communities of owners are also covered by the law.
- IVA 21%
Applies to the bathroom of a let flat, or when the materials share is above the limit, unless the separate rehabilitation test is met.[6, 7, 8]
Rule wording
The general IVA rate for ordinary repair or renovation is 21%; the private-home reduced-rate route does not cover rented or business-use dwellings. Construction and works meeting the tax definition of rehabilitation have a separate reduced-rate test, so the contract must be assessed before assigning a rate.
Community and building
- Notice to the community (LPH 7.1)
Notice goes in before demolition; it mentions any work near the shared downpipe, because reaching it may involve the flat below.[9]
Rule wording
An owner must notify the community’s representative before works inside a flat. Article 7.1 allows those alterations only if they do not impair the building’s safety, general structure or exterior configuration, or prejudice another owner’s rights; notice alone does not authorise changes to common elements.
- Mandatory works (LPH 10.1)
If a shared downpipe or riser is faulty, its repair is the community's conservation work rather than part of your bathroom scope.[9]
Rule wording
Article 10.1 makes necessary conservation, safety and habitability works compulsory without a prior community resolution, and sets specific conditions for compulsory accessibility works. Not every proposed improvement has the same voting or payment rules.
On site and at handover
- Electrical installation documentation
Sockets, lighting and an electric towel rail near water are positioned and installed by an authorised installer, with verification and certification as the work requires.[10]
Rule wording
REBT requires low-voltage installation work within its scope to be carried out by authorised installation businesses, with the project or technical report, verification and certification appropriate to the work. The owner receives use and maintenance information; an inspection by a control body is required only for the specified cases.
- Rubble from small domestic works
A bathroom strip-out is a small volume of tiles and old sanitaryware; it leaves in sacks to a permitted facility, within the limits the city sets for small domestic works.[11]
Rule wording
The cleaning ordinance provides municipal collection of waste from small domestic works and repairs, door to door or at the puntos limpios, within the limits set for each (art. 50). The fixed metropolitan ecoparques must accept works waste and rubble, in the maximum quantities and frequency EMTRE determines (art. 46).
Do you need a permit?
València’s 2026 ordinance has three routes. Which one your job takes depends on what it touches and on the building.
No permit
New sanitaryware, taps or a vanity in the existing positions can be exempt under article 14.f, if the supply and waste pipes and the wiring are left as they are. [1]
Declaración responsable
Moving the shower, adding an en-suite or rerouting a waste to the stack changes the installations; in a non-catalogued building the bathroom is then declared through UR.LC.140 with the documents its scope needs. [1, 2] [3] [3]
Licence
Cutting into a floor structure for a new waste, or any bathroom in a catalogued building, needs a technical assessment and may need a licence or heritage authorisation rather than the interior declaration. [3, 2] [1, 2] [1]
The Ajuntament has the final word. We confirm the route for your home before we quote, and we never start works ahead of it.
Three districts, from the municipal record
The 2025 municipal housing sheet records the share of dwellings built in 1980 or earlier. It is context for the district, not a survey of your building.
District 3
79.8%[12]
Dwellings built in 1980 or earlier
Extramurs
La Petxina's Santa María Micaela housing group is a separately catalogued BRL monument [13]: in a protected block, even a bathroom window or extractor outlet is checked against the entry.
District 8
58.0%[14]
Dwellings built in 1980 or earlier
Patraix
Patraix's historic core is a defined site of about 1.9 hectares, much smaller than the district [15]; a bathroom in a building inside that boundary starts with its catalogue conditions.
District 14
60.5%[16]
Dwellings built in 1980 or earlier
Benimaclet
Benimaclet's historic nucleus has its own mapped boundary [17]; inside it, the building's catalogue conditions are checked before a second bathroom or a new window opening is planned.
Open the district page for protection rules, barrios and the questions that apply there.
Choose a layout that works with the building
Start with the soil pipe, water supply, ventilation and floor construction. Then compare keeping fittings in place with moving them or adding another bathroom. A layout needs circulation and maintenance access, not just enough floor area for the products.
For easier use, discuss door movement, shower access, slip resistance, control positions and future support rails. A level shower depends on depth and drainage; a low tray may be an alternative after assessment. The bathroom layout and accessibility guide explains these decisions.
Permission and shared services
Replacing sanitaryware in place can be exempt [1]; relocating drainage or adding circuits brings in the declaration and its technical documents. [3] In a flat, the community must receive the required notice. [9]
If work reaches a shared downpipe, establish access and responsibility with the administrator. [9] We document a suspected defect and coordinate its assessment before the affected area is covered.
Waterproofing and checks before tiling
The specification identifies the waterproofing system, junction details, finishes and drainage arrangement. Installers check supply integrity, drainage flow and leakage, electrical provisions and ventilation as appropriate. A gravity waste pipe is not assumed to need the same test as a pressure water supply.
We record the agreed concealed stages before tiling. The final review includes drainage, seals, fixings, accessible isolators, ventilation, door clearances and finishes. Keep care instructions and applicable installation documents with the handover checklist.
The programme states when the bathroom is unusable. For your only bathroom, arrange another usable facility or accommodation before demolition.
How we run it
Free estimate
Send photos or a short video, or book a call. We tell you what the job involves and give a free estimate.
Visit
We visit the property, measure up and look at the building, the installations and the community’s rules.
Design and permissions
We agree the design, coordinate any required independent architect or engineer, and check municipal and community requirements.
Fixed-price quote
You get a fixed-price quote in writing, with the official fees and IVA shown separately.
Paperwork and works
We coordinate any required filing and prior approvals before the affected works start. Your project manager tracks progress, decisions and agreed changes.
Handover
We inspect the agreed work with you, record outstanding items and hand over applicable certificates, manuals and completion documents.
Your questions, answered
What makes a bathroom renovation need a declaración responsable?
Moving a fitting, adding one, or touching the supply, waste or wiring. Article 14.f only exempts replacing sanitaryware and similar jobs when the installations are not affected; once they are, the declaration and its technical documents apply.
Can I replace my bath with a walk-in shower?
Usually. A shower needs its waste in the right place and a floor that falls towards it, so we check the existing pipes and the floor first. If the waste has to move, the job goes beyond the no-permit list and we tell you before you commit.
Can I add a second bathroom or an en-suite?
Possibly, if drainage, ventilation, structure and the building’s services allow it. New installations go beyond the specific no-permit list. We assess the complete intervention and the required technical documents, municipal route and community notice before agreeing the layout.
What if you find a leak in the building's pipes?
We stop, photograph it and report it to the administrator. Works needed for the building's conservation are mandatory for the community (LPH art. 10.1), so a fault in a shared pipe is raised with the community, and we plan your bathroom around its repair.
Can a bathroom be adapted for someone with reduced mobility?
Yes, within the room: a level or low-threshold shower, grab rails, a wider door and controls at a reachable height, each checked against the drainage, structure and space available. Where a resident has a recognised disability, the municipal ICIO ordinance has a reduction for these works. Accessibility works on the building's common parts, such as a ramp or lift, are a community matter with their own voting rules.
Sources
- Ordenanza reguladora de licencias urbanísticas y de actividades y de otros títulos habilitantes (Pleno 22 Dec 2025, BOP 27 Jan 2026, in force 28 Jan 2026). Ajuntament de València. Checked 31 October 2026.
- TRLOTUP (Decreto Legislativo 1/2021), art. 189: building evaluation; arts. 232 and 233: licence and declaración responsable; art. 245: utility supplies. Generalitat Valenciana (DOGV). Checked 3 November 2026.
- Sede electrónica procedure UR.LC.140: declaración responsable for works in a flat or common element of a non-catalogued building. Ajuntament de València, sede electrónica. Checked 31 October 2026.
- Ordenanza fiscal reguladora del Impuesto sobre Construcciones, Instalaciones y Obras, arts. 6.2 (bonuses), 7, 8 and 9.2. Ajuntament de València. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Ordenanza fiscal: tasa por actuaciones urbanísticas (current municipal procedure attachment). Ajuntament de València. Checked 31 October 2026.
- Ley 37/1992 del IVA, art. 91.Uno.2.10º: reduced rate for renovation of dwellings. BOE. Checked 31 October 2026.
- IVA on renovation and repair works in dwellings: conditions for the 10% rate. Agencia Tributaria (AEAT). Checked 31 October 2026.
- IVA: works of construction or rehabilitation of buildings intended mainly for dwellings. Agencia Tributaria (AEAT). Checked 31 October 2026.
- Ley 49/1960 de Propiedad Horizontal (consolidated text), arts. 7, 9, 10 and 17. BOE. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Real Decreto 842/2002: Reglamento electrotécnico para baja tensión, arts. 18–20. BOE. Checked 31 October 2026.
- Ordenanza municipal de limpieza urbana, as amended (BOP 22 May 2026, in force 15 June 2026), arts. 9, 46, 50 and 58. Ajuntament de València. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Municipal district 3 report 2025: population sections 1.3/1.8 and cadastral housing age section 5.1 (page 19). Ajuntament de València, Oficina de Estadística. Checked 31 October 2026.
- Municipal structural heritage catalogue: 03-15 Grupo de Viviendas Santa María Micaela. Ajuntament de València, Urbanisme. Checked 31 October 2026.
- Municipal district 8 report 2025: population sections 1.3/1.8 and cadastral housing age section 5.1 (page 19). Ajuntament de València, Oficina de Estadística. Checked 31 October 2026.
- Municipal structural heritage catalogue: 08-05 Núcleo Primitivo de Patraix. Ajuntament de València, Urbanisme. Checked 31 October 2026.
- Municipal district 14 report 2025: population sections 1.3/1.8 and cadastral housing age section 5.1 (page 19). Ajuntament de València, Oficina de Estadística. Checked 31 October 2026.
- Municipal structural heritage catalogue: 14-01 Núcleo Primitivo Benimaclet. Ajuntament de València, Urbanisme. Checked 31 October 2026.