Almost nobody commissions one here, which is exactly why it is worth doing. A few thousand pesos of inspection routinely finds problems that cost hundreds of thousands to fix.
Salt, humidity, intense rain and a construction boom that outpaced quality control. A house here can look immaculate and be five years from serious repair: waterproofing at the end of its life, reinforcement corroding where cover was too thin, an electrical installation with no proper earth, or a pool structure with a slow leak. None of that is visible on a viewing, and none of it is disclosed by a seller who may not know it either.
Structure: cracks and their type, deflection, signs of settlement, exposed or corroding reinforcement. Envelope: roof waterproofing condition and age, terraces, window and door sealing, evidence of past leaks. Services: electrical panel, circuits, earthing, water pressure, drainage falls, wastewater treatment and whether it is compliant. Pool: structure, equipment and leaks. Plus damp mapping, because damp is the region's most common and most misdiagnosed defect.
A technical inspection of a house or condo here costs a fraction of one month of the mortgage you are about to take on, and the findings either give you a repair budget or a negotiating position. The most common outcome is not walking away — it is adjusting the price or having the seller resolve specific items before closing.
| Area | What is checked | Why it matters here |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | Cracks, deflection, reinforcement cover | Salt corrodes under-covered steel |
| Waterproofing | Roof, terraces, age and condition | The most common expensive defect |
| Electrical | Panel, circuits, earthing, protection | Earthing is frequently absent |
| Water and drainage | Pressure, falls, wastewater compliance | Non-compliant systems become your problem |
| Pool and equipment | Structure, leaks, plant condition | Leaks hide in the ground |
| Documents | Registration, permits, debts, HOA | Unpermitted works surface at resale |
The physical condition is only half. Confirm the property is registered as it exists — unpermitted additions are common and become your problem at resale. Check for outstanding property tax, HOA arrears and utility debt, all of which follow the property. Confirm the seller's title and that any inheritance has been resolved. Your notario covers much of this, and you get to choose the notario.
A new build deserves an inspection too, at the right moment: before you accept handover, while the developer still has an incentive to fix things. For a pre-sale unit, the useful inspection points are during construction rather than at the end — the same principle that applies to a private build, where reinforcement and services must be seen before they are covered.
Related pages: Buying land: due diligence · Damp: causes and remedies · Cracks: which ones matter · Concierge construction service
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