Second occupancy licence to connect electricity and water: what it is and what each town hall asks for

October 2026

You buy a house, inherit it or are about to rent it out, you call the water company to connect it and they ask for a document you do not have: “the cédula”, “the second occupancy”, “the habitability licence”. They are three names for the same thing, and it is probably the procedure we handle most often at the studio.

Here we explain what it is, when you need it, what the architect checks and what each town hall asks for, drawing on what we have learnt after processing many of them in the Vega Baja and the surrounding area.

What second occupancy is

Since 2021, in the Valencian Community the old habitability certificate (cédula) has been replaced by a declaración responsable (works notice) of first or second occupancy, regulated by Decreto 12/2021. It is a document you submit to the town hall, together with a certificate from a technician, declaring that the home meets the conditions to be lived in.

It is called “first” occupancy when the home is new, or when it has changed substantially through a renovation or a change of use. It is called “second” (or subsequent) when it is a home that was already lived in and is still, essentially, the same.

When you will be asked for it

The decree requires occupancy to be renewed when more than 10 years have passed since the previous one and one of these two things happens (article 6):

A new transfer of the home: a sale, for example.
A new supply contract for water, electricity or gas.

The most typical case is the second: a house that has been without supply for years, an inherited home whose contracts were in the name of a deceased relative, or a country house that is to be reconnected. The utility companies cannot sign a new contract without it.

The good news is that the declaration takes effect as soon as it is submitted. The town hall reviews it afterwards and, if anything is missing, asks you to complete it, but you do not have to wait for a decision to connect the utilities.

What the architect checks

It depends on whether the home already had a previous licence or cédula:

If it did, the technician certifies that the home matches the conditions under which that licence was granted. In other words, that it has not been extended, divided or essentially changed.
If it did not, the technician certifies that it meets the habitability conditions required for its use.

The habitability conditions depend on when the home was built: in general, the HD‑91 standards for homes from the nineties and two-thousands, DC‑09 for later ones, and more flexible minimum conditions for older homes. (New standards, DC‑23, were approved in 2023, but they were repealed in May 2025 and DC‑09 applies again today.) On the visit we look at, for example:

The ceiling heights: in recent homes, 2.50 m in general and 2.20 m in corridors and bathrooms.
The natural lighting and ventilation of the rooms: windows with a minimum area in proportion to the room.
That there is a bathroom and kitchen with the minimum installations and finishes.
The door and corridor widths and the minimum size of the rooms.
That the water, drainage and electrical installations are in use and in good condition.

From the visit we produce the floor plan of the home with its usable floor areas, the photographic report and the certificate. The usual delivery time is two to four weeks.

What each town hall asks for

The decree is the same for the whole Valencian Community, but each town hall has its own form and its own quirks. This is what we have seen in our most recent files:

Municipality	What they ask for
Callosa de Segura	One of the most complete lists: ID of the owner and of the representative with their authorisation, proof of ownership, the municipal form, the technician's certificate with a plan of usable floor areas, the technician's declaration, proof of payment of the fee, cadastral documents, photographs, a location plan on the PGOU and the availability reports from the water and electricity companies. On our latest file, the town hall gave its approval within a month.
San Isidro	As well as the certificate, the latest IBI (property tax) receipt in the owner's name (or the cadastral declaration of change of owner), the Building Logbook (Libro del Edificio) and the water and electricity bills for the previous period or a certificate from the companies. If anything is missing, they give you 15 days to complete it.
Elda	A simpler form, with some municipal data sheets signed by the technician.
Elche	To contract utilities in a home with no recent works, a certificate stating that its architectural configuration has not been altered.

The four documents that most often hold up the process

The IBI is not in the owner's name. This happens a lot with inheritances. The change of owner has to be made in the Cadastre first.
The bills or the certificate from the companies are missing proving that the home already had a supply.
The Building Logbook, which is required for modern buildings and which many owners cannot find.
The technician's declaration proving they are qualified, which must always accompany the certificate.

Our advice: gather these four before you start. It saves weeks.

If the house has changed

Here is the catch. If since the last occupancy the home has been extended, a porch has been enclosed, a pool or a storeroom has been built, or the layout has been significantly changed, it is no longer “the same” home. The town hall may require a first occupancy and, before that, the legalisation of what was built. We explain it with a real case in First or second occupancy? Why the town hall can declare your declaración responsable invalid.

That is why, before signing the certificate, we compare the home with the previous licence, with the Cadastre and with orthophotos from different years. If something does not add up, it is better to find out on the visit than in a formal request from the town hall.

How much it costs

There is no fixed price: it depends mainly on the size of the home, its condition and the travel involved. For a normal home it is an affordable job, and we tell you the exact amount before we start. On top of that there is the municipal fee, set by each town hall. If the home also needs an energy performance certificate or a georeferenced plan for the Cadastre, we do it on the same visit and it works out cheaper than separately.

In short

Second occupancy is the old cédula: if more than 10 years have passed, you need it to connect utilities and for sales.
It is a declaración responsable with a technical certificate, and it takes effect as soon as it is submitted.
Each town hall asks for different things: get the IBI, the bills, the Building Logbook and the technician's declaration ready.
If the house has changed, you may need first occupancy or legalisation first.

If you need one in the Vega Baja, Elche, Alicante or the Vinalopó, write to us from the contact page with the cadastral reference. More information at second occupancy licence.