Habitation whastsit

piglet · Post by **piglet** » Thu May 12, 2005 9:09 pm

Please can anyone tell me how long it takes and at what stage you have to apply for a habitation license

Thanks

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu May 12, 2005 9:24 pm

My builder told me he will apply as soon as the house is finished and all paperwork done ..(Electrician /Architect etc).then it takes from one month to four ..he said......Dont forget to visit Finances for the valuation withing 60 days.otherwise you get fined....

piglet · Post by **piglet** » Fri May 13, 2005 10:26 am

Hi Guest

So Christmas would be a realistic target then?

I'm chilled already

Many thanks...thought a month was optimistic

pm · Post by pm » Fri May 13, 2005 11:25 am

I seem to have missed a trick here.
What's a habitation license, and could you explain more about the valuation.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 13, 2005 12:41 pm

Hi Peter

Not entirely sure EXACTLy what it is but I know without it you cannot get Elec and water or phones!! and probably alot of other things like a mailbox..springs to mind
(elec and water intially from builder? ) been told you can move in B4 you get the license whilst waiting for it to come thru' sorry...

I am tending to "float" through a mist of beaurocracy on a crest of a wave.

like one of those white knuckle rides at a funfair.
Would I do this again...?? probably not unless I was on permanent medication and away with the fairies

Kind Regards
Pigs

pm · Post by pm » Fri May 13, 2005 2:37 pm

I'll ask the builder then, maybe he was going to do it anyway. Where we are, there isn't electricity or water but oddly there is a phone line going past. Mailbox wouldn't work either, according to a friend who lives locally, the postman only manages to find about half the houses.
The builder is sorting things out for us as they come up. His current problem is that both wells are dry and he has no water to mix concrete/plaster/mortar.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 13, 2005 2:58 pm

Hi Peter

If you have no water or electricity...how is the builder building the house...and what will you do?

I though I had problems

Re the mail...we have to collect our mail from a mailbox somewhere...it is not delivered to our door. that is a future challenge...me thinks

Where abouts is your property then?

pm · Post by pm » Fri May 13, 2005 3:49 pm

It is at www.ourhouseinportugal.co.uk.

The big well is supposed to be fed from a spring, so the builder is digging it out to try to get some water. The next step is a borehole, but as Petra (builder's lady) has not mentioned this yet, I assume he has found some water somewhere. I suppose he uses a generator for electricity.
If there is something they need they are big enough to ask, otherwise I assume all is well.

Is this habitation thing just for new houses? Ours is a rebuild, albeit quite a biggy.

I think we will have a borehole for water and definitely solar power for electric.
I really must make more effort with this web site. It's pathetic.

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 13, 2005 4:39 pm

Hi Peter

Just looked at the website....and it is not working

Hmmmm, not sure about if you dont hear anything assume all is well I think the old british adage..no news is good news...from experience does not apply in Portugal.

I am not sure re the habitation license if your place is a rebuild how it applies.

Kind REgards
Piglet....slowly becoming squidglet

paramonte · Post by **paramonte** » Fri May 13, 2005 5:53 pm

Habitation licence (Licença de habitação) is a straightforward process that most of times runs in the background between the builder and the city council (Câmara Municipal). I believe all countries have such a proceeding and I believe it will take weeks to complete everywhere.

Basically when your house is finished the builder will inform the Council people which will come over to see if the final result is in accordance with the submitted project. If it is, a Licença de Habitação is produced end of story, everybody is happy. Mostly the owner has no intervention on this. He/she will be handed out a peace of paper that should be kept safe.

If something is not right the owner and builder will receive a Council report on the alterations that have to be made in the house in order to comply with the submitted project.

Consequences of this: Your building licence (Licença de Construção) is valid for a certain amount of time (1 or 2 years normally) and if that dead line is crossed you have to extent it for a fee. I believe you may do it for at least another 2 years (not sure here). This is to avoid the endless building processes which are aggressive to the landscape.

If your house is finished and for any reason you don’t have a Habitation Licence, you may live in the house, you may use the builders electricity meter, the builders water meter (contadores de obra). I believe the price of this water and electricity is actually cheaper but I am not sure, someone that knows better please help.

If you don’t have a Habitation Licence you can´t
1) Sell the house
2) Rent the house (assuming that you will declare it to the Finanças)
3) Ask for a owners electricity and water meters (but you may go on using the builders ones which anyway you are paying to already)
4) Register the house in Finanças and Conservatória and a chore of other stuff. It is as if your house is still under construction

Paramonte

pm · Post by pm » Fri May 13, 2005 6:03 pm

This does.

http://www.ourhouseinportugal.co.uk

Wait awhile until I improve it

Thanks paramonte for that

Piglet. You haven't met Thomas Kolb our hugely efficient German builder have you? He's a good guy, no worries at all.

piglet · Post by **piglet** » Fri May 13, 2005 7:57 pm

Hi Peter

Linked worked ! It certainly looks rural....and you failed to mention your builder was German.

So yes, you can sit back. I can imagine they are excellent at crossing the t's and dotting the i's

I would have love to have taken on a rustic property...but did not have the courage from a distance

Looks like you have a challenge...but a nice one.

HAve you any up to date photos please? or has work only just started?

Are you the same Peter who was looking for something differnt on the bedroom ceiling and I suggested bamboo, from old proerties I had viewed in Cyprus?

Kind Regards
Piglet

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Fri May 13, 2005 8:01 pm

Our habitation license took three months....we had water from a pond and paid to have electricity connected from builders day one....(10,000 Euros because of special problems like nobody else around for miles and no electricity for miles.......BUT,,..guess what we had ADSL from day one (Wow)....I'm not sure one can get Bore hole permission nowdays if your south of the 125.....or so my bore man said...(Boring man ) ...You can live in your house before you have the habitation license..but there are some funny rules about not having lamp shades up .....all very odd isnt it........

Mica · Post by **Mica** » Fri May 13, 2005 8:02 pm

It appears that the property is old and, therefore built before August 7th 1951. If a house is built before this date then it is exempt from requiring a habitation licence under the terms of D.L 38382 and the council (Câmara) issue a "Certidão" (certificate) confirming this. It would be stated on your deed. The seller (via a lawyer if you used one) should have supplied you with this before you signed the deed. I appreciate that you are renovating the house and, therefore would need a habitation licence at the end of the works in any case. The architect, who submitted your project to the Câmara should arrange this for you. I only mention this because it seems that a lot of people are buying pre 7th August 1951 properties, particularly in countryside areas and not receiving this document from the previous owner via their lawyer or solicidor.

piglet · Post by **piglet** » Fri May 13, 2005 8:03 pm

Hi Paramonte

Many thanks for putting it so succinctly.

So does the builder ahve to complete the building and get the habitation license within a set time frame??

I have to say the whole process of ahving a property buildt is like trying to complete a double sided bake bean jigsaw puzzle

Kind Regards
Pigs
Ps any more thoughts with regards to the name of your villa