AFO declaration: legalising a house in El Ejido, Vícar and the Poniente (western Almería)
The technical documents for an AFO declaration (asimilado a fuera de ordenación, the status a town hall recognises for a building put up without a licence) cost from €1,500 + VAT, usually between €1,500 and €3,500 depending on the floor area, the outbuildings (pool, storerooms) and what the town hall asks for. It is possible when the house has been finished for more than six years and is not on land where the infringement never becomes time-barred; the town hall has six months to decide.
In Almería published prices range from €800 to €5,450, with an average close to €2,100. Municipal fees are not included.
What is included
Included
- Preliminary viability study (if it is not viable, we tell you before charging the rest)
- Measured drawings of what has been built
- Certificate of age (certificado de antigüedad) and of safety and health conditions
- Photographs, written report and valuation
- Submission and follow-up at the town hall until the decision
Not included
- Municipal fees, which vary from one town hall to another
- Any safety or health works the town hall orders
- Registration at the Land Registry
When you need it
- You have a house or a cortijo (farmhouse) built without a licence more than six years ago
- You want to connect electricity or water and are not allowed to
- You are selling or inheriting and the house does not appear in the title deed
- The bank will not give you a mortgage because the house has not been regularised
How we do it
Viability
We check the type of land, the age of the building and whether anything rules it out.
Survey
We measure, photograph and gather the proof of age.
Documents
We draw up the technical file and the certificate.
Town hall
We submit it and answer the town hall's requests until the decision.
What we need from you
- Title deed or purchase document
- Cadastral reference
- Proof of age: aerial photographs, utility bills, IBI (property tax) receipts, dated photos
What the regulations say
Andalusia's planning act, Ley 7/2021 (LISTA), regulates the AFO in articles 173 and 174: it applies to finished buildings for which the six-year period in article 153 has passed, the town hall decides within six months and no reply means refusal (refusal by silence). It is not available on public domain land, on rural land (suelo rústico) in the coastal influence zone, on land subject to risks, in green spaces or in plot divisions for development (parcelaciones urbanísticas) on rural land, except for the specific plot of a building that has itself become time-barred. An AFO declaration does not legalise the house: it lets you use it, maintain it, connect utilities and register it.
Project types for this service
Questions about afo declaration
How much does an AFO cost in Almería?
The technical part ranges from €800 to €5,450 on the Almería market, with an average of about €2,100. We start at €1,500 + VAT. On top of that come the town hall fees, which change from one municipality to another.
How long does it take?
We prepare the documents in three to five weeks. The town hall has six months to decide and, if it does not reply, the application is treated as refused.
Does an AFO make the house legal?
No. It gives it a recognised status: you can live in it, maintain it, connect utilities and register it, but you cannot extend it.
How do I prove the house is more than six years old?
With historical aerial photographs, electricity or water bills, IBI (property tax) receipts, title deeds or dated photos. We look for them ourselves.
Related guides
Shall we take a look?
Send us the cadastral reference or a few photos on WhatsApp and we will tell you the next step.