What is the Licence of First Occupation?
The Licence of First Occupation is a certificate issued by the town hall (ayuntamiento) that confirms that a newly-built property fully complies with all planning and building regulations, and is fit to be used as a dwelling. It confirms compliance with all health, safety, planning and construction laws, and that the property has been fully completed, with no outstanding works. If the certificate is granted, it shows that a property has been legally built, with all licences in place, and finished to the standards laid out in the original building licence (Licencia de Construcción), also issued by the town hall. The LFO can be granted for a single property, a new development of multiple properties, or a phase / sector of a large new development or urbanisation. Whatever the case, the LFO requires that the surroundings have been urbanised to the standards laid out in the original construction licence, or partial urban plan.
