Contentar · FAQ
Yes. The law requires an express act of the ayuntamiento to place prefabricated houses, “whether temporary or permanent”, and silence does not count as a licence (TRLSRU, art. 11.4). In December 2024 the Supreme Court said the same of mobile homes.
A new dwelling is a building under the Building Act (Ley de Ordenación de la Edificación): it needs an architect’s project, approval (“visado”) by the professional body and a major works licence. Before you buy the land or the container, ask the ayuntamiento for the planning information.
It changes nothing. The law does not talk about foundations: it talks about prefabricated houses, temporary or permanent. The Supreme Court treated a mobile home as a prefabricated house, not as a trailer.
An activity licence, such as a campsite’s, does not replace the planning licence either.
The site management signs the final completion certificate, approved by the professional body. Then you apply for first occupation: in some communities it is a licence and in others a responsible declaration (for example, Madrid and Andalucía).
Some communities also require the “cédula de habitabilidad”. It is confirmed in Cataluña, Illes Balears, Canarias, Extremadura and Navarra. Without first occupation or the cédula, getting water and power connected is usually impossible.
Spain has no single minimum area: each autonomous community sets it and, sometimes, the municipality. A 40 ft High Cube gives about 26 m² of usable area. New dwellings: Cataluña asks for 36 m², País Vasco 35, Comunitat Valenciana 30, Illes Balears about 30, Extremadura 25 and the city of Madrid 40.
In most of Spain a single 40 ft container is an annex or a studio, not a house. Two 40 ft (about 54 m² usable) are above all those minimums. The minimum ceiling height is usually 2.50 m: only a High Cube reaches it.
The build can take from a few weeks to about 6 months. What takes time is the licence: between 6 and 12 months depending on the ayuntamiento, and sometimes more.
Allow 9 to 18 months from the project to first occupation. That is our own estimate from those timescales, not an official figure.
If you build a single family home for your own use, it is not compulsory (Building Act, second additional provision).
If you sell it within 10 years, you will have to take it out for the remaining period, unless the buyer releases you in writing. Banks often ask for it for a mortgage.
For a home, used only if grade A and after an inspection: structural rust, the floor (often treated with chemicals) and the door seals. A one-trip container costs quite a bit more.
The price difference barely matters in the total: the container is between 7% and 15% of the bill.
Per m², not always. The container is only a small part of the bill. The real saving comes from a shorter build and a simple plan, not from the price of steel.
It depends on the use, the size and the municipality. For a holiday let or permanent use, expect to need a licence. Check with your ayuntamiento before you go ahead.
Containers, transport, foundations, cuts, insulation, windows, services, bathroom, kitchen, furniture and project with licence, ICIO and fees, VAT included at 21% and a ±15% margin. It never includes the land.
It does not include ten-year insurance or the technical inspection body. Nor does it cover Canarias, Ceuta and Melilla, where the taxes are different (IGIC and IPSI).
Buying only the container or the module pays 21%. Fees for the architect and the engineers also pay 21%.
If you contract the construction of your home directly with the builder (“ejecución de obra”), that invoice can be at 10% (VAT Act, art. 91.Uno.3.1º). Subcontractors charge 21%. The calculator uses 21% throughout: ask a tax adviser before you sign.