Renovation
Refreshing a long-term rental in València
The weeks between two tenancies are when a let flat can be repainted, repaired and updated without working around anyone. We plan the job around the dates you give us and send you a fixed-price quote in writing.
Rental refresh 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 the refresh needs a declaration, filing is what opens the window; prepare it while the outgoing tenant is still in, so work can start once the flat is empty.[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.
Official charges and tax
- ICIO 4%
Charged on the execution cost of declared works, so a refresh that adds a declared kitchen or rewiring carries it as a separate line.[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
A small declared refresh can fall in the first band, up to a base of €6,010.12.[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.
- IVA 21%
Work on a let flat is outside the private-home 10% route, so ordinary refresh work is invoiced at 21% 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.
- IVA 10%
Applies only where you, as a private individual, use the flat privately, where construction or rehabilitation finished at least two years earlier and the materials limit is met; not while it is let.[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.
Community and building
- Notice to the community (LPH 7.1)
Notice to the administrator also settles the practicalities in a building with tenants: lift use, deliveries and the noisy days.[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.
Selling and letting
- Landlord repairs and improvements (LAU 21–22)
Repairs that keep the flat habitable are the landlord's cost and small wear-and-tear repairs fall to the tenant. Improvement works with a tenant in place need three months' written notice, one reason to do them between tenancies.[12]
Rule wording
The landlord must carry out, without raising the rent, the repairs needed to keep a let dwelling habitable, unless the tenant caused the damage; small repairs from ordinary wear fall to the tenant (art. 21). Improvement works need at least three months’ written notice of their nature, start, duration and expected cost, and give the tenant rights that include, in specified cases, withdrawal and a proportional rent reduction (art. 22).
- Energy certificate to sell or let
A new tenancy needs a registered energy certificate and the label in the advert; if the refresh changes windows, insulation or the hot-water system, ask whether the certificate should be redone before letting.[13, 14]
Rule wording
An existing dwelling sold, or let to a new tenant, needs an energy performance certificate registered with the regional body, in the Comunitat Valenciana IVACE, before the sale or letting. The energy label must appear in all sale and rental advertising, and certificates are valid for up to ten years, or five when the rating is G.
- Second occupation and utility contracts
If a new supply contract is needed after the works, the supplier asks for the occupation title; check the flat's paperwork before the gap between tenancies, not on move-in day.[2]
Rule wording
In the Comunitat Valenciana, the second and later occupation of a dwelling is subject to a declaración responsable (TRLOTUP art. 233.1.f), and suppliers of water, electricity, gas and telecommunications must ask for the relevant planning title before contracting their services (art. 245.1).
On site and at handover
- Heating, cooling, ventilation and hot water
Replacing an air-conditioning unit reforms a thermal installation within RITE's scope; the installer's documents go into the file for the next tenancy.[10]
Rule wording
RITE covers fixed heating, cooling, ventilation and domestic hot-water installations, including the reformed part of an existing installation. The scope and capacity determine the technical documentation and commissioning requirements; applicable certificates and operating information form part of handover.
- Rubble from small domestic works
Old units, sanitaryware and tiles leave the flat for a permitted facility; the municipal routes for small domestic works carry limits, so the quote says how waste is handled.[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
Repainting, replacing worn units or sanitaryware in place and fitting appliances or air-conditioning are on the article 14.f list, if the flat's installations and the building's general installations are not affected. [1]
Declaración responsable
Replacing a kitchen with new plumbing positions, rewiring or changing the layout brings UR.LC.140 and its documents, which need preparing before the flat is empty. [1, 2] [3] [3]
Licence
Structural work does not fit a gap between tenancies without its own assessment and route; we flag it before you agree a move-in date. [3, 2] [1, 2]
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%[15]
Dwellings built in 1980 or earlier
Extramurs
With 79.8% of dwellings recorded as built by 1980, a refresh in Arrancapins or La Roqueta may uncover older pipework; the quote carries an inspection allowance before the tenancy dates are fixed.
District 15
64.6%[16]
Dwellings built in 1980 or earlier
Rascanya (Rascaña)
In Els Orriols, Torrefiel and Sant Llorenç, the refresh list starts with what is original to the building: taps, sanitaryware and the electrical board are checked before any cosmetic work.
District 16
55.8%[17]
Dwellings built in 1980 or earlier
Benicalap
Just over half the dwellings are recorded as built by 1980, so two flats in the same street can need very different refreshes; we walk through each before quoting.
Open the district page for protection rules, barrios and the questions that apply there.
Prioritise the gap between tenancies
Send the proposed access dates and a condition list. We separate defects needing investigation from cosmetic wear and identify what must be complete before occupation. Choose agreed products ahead where possible, while allowing for the site check after the outgoing tenant leaves.
Options range from decoration and small repairs to replacing a kitchen or bathroom. Consider maintenance access, repairability and available replacement parts alongside appearance. The budget guide helps compare a limited refresh with a larger intervention.
Match permissions and IVA to the actual work
The exemption only covers jobs that leave the installations alone. [1] Installation and layout changes alter the scope: a complete declaration lets work start on filing [1], but filing requires a complete compliant package and any other necessary consents; it is not a guaranteed shortcut to a tenancy date.
The tax treatment follows the use of the flat. [6, 7, 8] Ordinary work on a rental does not qualify through the private-use renovation route. Fiscal rehabilitation is a separate assessment. The quote identifies the IVA treatment and municipal charges independently.
Make the result easy to maintain
We agree a condition record, check installed equipment within the contracted scope and collect applicable instructions and certificates. Record isolator positions, access panels, product references and outstanding repairs so your agent and next occupier have useful information. Use the handover checklist.
Residential tenancy and tourist activity have different requirements. We do not handle tourist-licence applications, and refurbishment does not establish tourist-use eligibility. Review the tourist-use rules with your chosen adviser before committing to that use.
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
Which refresh jobs can be done without any permission?
Painting, replacing worn kitchen units and sanitaryware in the same positions, and fitting appliances or an air-conditioning unit: the article 14.f list covers them when no installation is affected. Moving plumbing, rewiring or changing the layout needs a declaration, which has to be prepared before the gap between tenancies starts.
Why does my quote show 21% IVA?
Because the flat is let. The 10% route for ordinary renovation applies when a private individual uses the home privately; letting it takes the work outside that route, so the general 21% rate applies unless the works meet the separate rehabilitation test.
Can you finish between one tenant leaving and the next arriving?
We plan to your dates and tell you at quote stage what fits in the gap. If something needs longer, such as a new kitchen, we say so before you agree a start date with the next tenant, not after.
Will the works help me get a tourist licence?
No. We don't handle tourist-licence applications, and a refresh doesn't change whether a flat can be used for tourists. València's tourist-use rules changed in 2026, and our guide sets out what they now say.
Can you look after the flat while it's empty?
Yes, with visits you book in advance. See property care.
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 1027/2007: Reglamento de Instalaciones Térmicas en los Edificios, arts. 2, 15 and 24. 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.
- Ley 29/1994 de Arrendamientos Urbanos (consolidated text), arts. 21 and 22. BOE. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Real Decreto 390/2021: energy performance certification of buildings, arts. 3, 6, 13, 15 and 17. BOE. Checked 3 November 2026.
- Registro de Certificados de Eficiencia Energética de Edificios (IVACE procedure; Decreto 39/2015). Generalitat Valenciana, sede electrónica. 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 district 15 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 district 16 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.