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Yes, in Asturias you can have drone photos and video taken to sell or let a house. It has to be done within the European rules applied by AESA, the agency that regulates flying in Spain. Almost all flights of this kind fall into what the rules call the “open” category. This covers low-risk operations, and it needs no authorisation or declaration before the flight. That doesn’t mean anything goes. Within this category there are three ways to fly. In A1 you don’t fly over people who aren’t involved in the flight, and never over groups of people. In A2 you keep a horizontal distance of at least 30 metres from those people, and only with drones that carry the C2 class label. In A3 you must fly at least 150 metres away from residential, commercial, industrial or recreational areas. Think of a house in a coastal village or in a neighbourhood of Gijón: A3 almost never fits. The usual choice is A1 or A2, depending on the drone.
Registration, certificate and insurance
There is also paperwork behind every flight. The operator has to register on AESA’s online portal when the drone meets certain requirements. Depending on the case, the pilot needs the A1/A3 certificate of knowledge. You get it through free online training and an exam from AESA: 40 questions in 40 minutes, and you need to get at least 75% right. The certificate is valid for 5 years. On top of that, every flight has to be covered by suitable insurance. A permanent policy isn’t required, but cover for that specific flight is. The general minimum age to fly is sixteen, with some exceptions.
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What a drone shows about a house
So what is a drone useful for with a house? It shows what a photo from the ground can’t: the roof, the whole plot, the distance to the sea or the hills, how the house sits in the valley. Together with photography and video of the interior, anyone looking at the listing understands the place before going to see it.
What to ask whoever will fly
In Asturias, Evan & Natalia Simon create photography and video for couples, brands and businesses, from Gijón. A house that is being sold or let also has its story, and the drone is one more part of how it is told. Always ask whoever is going to fly which subcategory they will use, whether they are registered with AESA and whether they have insurance for that day. These are normal questions, and anyone who works properly will answer them without any trouble.
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The next step
Already clear on which house you want to show? The next step is simple. Note down the address, what is around it (neighbours, a road, a beach nearby) and what you would like to be seen from above. That’s enough for a first conversation. Evan & Natalia Simon offer a short, free call to talk about photography and video in Asturias. On that call you look at whether a drone makes sense in that spot and how it would be done within the rules. No commitment and no rush. If in the end a drone isn’t needed, that’s good to know too. Good photos and a good video from the ground already say a lot about a house.
Links
More useful links: seguridadaerea.gob.es, seguridadaerea.gob.es, seguridadaerea.gob.es.
