How to buy property in Spain from UK

Despite the uncertainty created by the Brexit, British citizens have not given up their dream of buying a house in sunny Spain. It is true that they are not buying as much as before, but they are still buying second homes and looking for a place to retire or a place to spend family holidays.

Why should you contract a Spanish lawyer?

If you are buying a property and want to avoid future problems, it is advisable to be advised by a Spanish lawyer/abogado.

Before buying a property, it is essential to carry out some basic research tasks in order to know the legal situation of the property. It could be subject to charges and debts, as well as limitations of the property. A specialist in real estate law will be able to find out all these details and act consequently.

Before buying the property, it is essential that the lawyer may contact the following sources or administrations:

• Land Registry
  The Land Registry is the first source of information to be consulted. There you can check whether there are any charges, liens or limitations on the property.
  
  

• Catastro
  It is very common for the actual area of a property and the cadastral area of the property to differ. This can be due to several reasons. For example:
  - A simple error when measuring or registering the parcel.
  - Incorrect modification of the cadastral registration of the surrounding parcels.
  - A division of the area due to inheritance, distribution, partial sales or expropriation.
  When these situations happen, it is convenient that the current owner takes care of managing a cadastral alteration.  Your real estate lawyer will be able to assist you and verify that the operation takes place as it should.
  It is very important that the catastro is adapted to reality, since it can affect the valuation of the property, which could have repercussions on the price of a possible mortgage. It will also be reflected in insurance premiums and tax charges. Both the Council Tax (IBI) and the Tax on the Increase in Value of Urban Land (IIVTNU or Plusvalia tax) are calculated based on the cadastral value of the property.
  
  

• Town Hall
  The Town Hall of the town in which the property is located can also provide valuable information on the legal status of the property. As the council manages different kinds of municipal taxes, it will be able to inform you of any outstanding debts that may affect your purchase.
  It may also be interesting to consult the General Urban Development Plan (PGOU), especially if the property you want to buy is in a residential area or has a plot where you can build a storage room, garage, tennis court or similar.
  Some land areas have limitations to their building possibilities. The most basic distinction is that which differentiates between urban and rural land, the consequence of which will be that you may or may not be able to build on it.
  For all these reasons, the preventive assistance of a lawyer will allow you to have a more realistic view of the value and possibilities of the property you are about to buy.
  
  

• Community of owners
  We should remember to find out if the property has a community of owners. If it does, it will be important to contact the President of the community first so that he can inform you about the approximate values of the bills for supplies, charges and taxes. And the cost of the community fee, which is a necessary payment.
  You have to know, that the property is affected to the payment of its debts with the community of owners. So, before buying a house the community will issue a certificate of no pending debts by the previous owner, since if not the buyer will have to take charge of the debts or they will even be able to seize the property.
  
  

• Services and supply companies
  Another common risk in the purchase of a property is that the previous owner may have left debts with services and supply companies. If this is the case, you may find that they try to force you to take over their debts or management costs. It may also be that you have been discharged from services, and you will have to register again.
  To avoid this situation, your lawyer will ask the seller for the latest electricity, water and gas bills, or even request a certificate of connection to the public supplies from an architect or engineer.
  
  

• Calculation of expenses and taxes
  Taxes can represent a significant amount in transactions as substantial as purchase. In addition, these transfers carry other costs, such as notary fees, registration, agency fees... So, you will have to calculate the cost of the purchase well, which is much higher than the price of the property. Your Spanish lawyer will be able to explain to you the reason for all these costs and help you reduce some of these costs.
  In case you have to finance the purchase of your property with a mortgage, you will have to pay other costs, such as opening fees, interest, deeds and management fees, which we will detail in other publications. But, your lawyer will be able to check that the mortgage which you take out does not have abusive clauses.
  
  

• Tax expenses: VAT and ITPAJD tax
  The two biggest taxes on the purchase of a house are VAT and ITPAJD (Tax on Property Transfer and Documented Legal Acts). VAT amounts to 10% of the purchase price, except in the case of council housing, which is lower. This tax is only due on first transfers and commercial transactions.
  On the other hand, the Tax on Property Transfer and Documented Legal Acts (ITPAJD) depends on each Community and whether you are buying a new house or one from another particular owner.
• When you buy a new property, you will have to pay for it in the form of a Documented Legal Act (IAJD), which is around 1% of the purchase price.
• However, when you buy a house from another private individual, it will be applied in the form of Property Transfer (ITP), which means that the rate will rise to 6 or 10% of the purchase price.

Once your lawyer has analysed the property you are buying, it is important to ensure that the sale goes through well.

The process of Buying Property in Spain from the UK summarised

Once we have “found” the property we are going to buy, what is the procedure to follow?

1) Sign a purchase proposal or reservation agreement.

The first step will be to reserve the property, for this, the estate agent or the seller will normally ask you for a reservation fee of 3000 euros. Once this reservation has been paid, the seller agrees to remove the property from the market.

In this simple contract, your lawyer can already establish the most basic conditions of the future purchase, such as the purchase price, the maximum date for the completion of the sale, the deposit to be paid in the deposit contract or “contrato de arras”, whether it is sold furnished or not, etc.

2) Sign a deposit contract or “contrato de arras”. 

Once your lawyer has checked all the documentation, it is advisable to guarantee the good course of an operation as important as the purchase of a property. This is why the so-called deposit contract or “contrato de arras” is often used. Your lawyer can review the guarantee contract proposed by the seller to verify that it is a fair deal, or draft it for you, ensuring that it meets your needs.

Then, the buyer will be asked to pay a deposit of around 10% with the signing of the purchase agreement (contrato de arras) and the rest will be due on completion.

How does the “contrato de arras” work?

The arras are an institution that works as a deposit or signal. They are given when the purchase of the property is agreed, to ensure that neither party backs out. By means of the deposit contract, the payment of an amount is agreed upon and delivered to the seller.

In the event that the sale is completed, the deposit is applied to the sale price as an advance.

However, if it is not formalised, it will act as a guarantee. According to article 1.454 of the Civil Code:

• If the buyer fails to comply with his commitment to purchase the property, he will lose the amount paid as a deposit (arras).
• If it is the seller who fails to comply with his commitment to transfer the property, he will return to the buyer the amount of the deposit in duplicate.

This deposit is usually substantial, which makes it very conflictive in practice. This is because the defaulter usually looks for a way to recover his money or not pay double. That is why it is important that your lawyer assists you in formalising the agreement and, if necessary, in claiming the deposit.

3) Sign a Purchase deed.

After checking the legal situation of the property, you will have to formalise the purchase. This is done by means of a purchase contract, which can be private or notarised. Obviously, the notarised deed is the option that offers more guarantees and we always recommend it to our clients.
It is frequent that before granting the public deed of sale the parties sign a private contract. This private contract generates the effect of the sale, so it has the power to force the parties to comply with the agreement.

If the sale is of first transmission, the private contract will be signed in most cases. But in the case of second transmissions it is rare to sign it.
The contract of sale by means of public deed, takes place, by way of appointment, before a Spanish Notary Public, with either the seller and the buyer. As it is obvious, the seller must be able to dispose of the property, that is to say, he/she must appear as the owner in the Land Registry. If there are several persons, they must all sign.

The only case in which different people can sign is when powers of attorney are granted for this purpose. We, as Spanish lawyers, have a lot of experience in acting on behalf of clients under power of attorney, this way we avoid the client the expense and inconvenience of travelling to Spain to do the paperwork, and more so now, in times of Covid-19.

If the property is mortgaged, then a representative of the Bank will also be in attendance.

If your lawyer assists you in entering into this contract, he/she will check the powers of attorney and deeds to verify that everything is correct.

Please note that there are particular cases:

• If the property is the habitual residence of a family, both spouses (or common-law partners) must be present.
• When it belongs to a company, the administrator or proxy must sign it.
• If it is part of an inheritance, the heirs must be involved.

4) Registration of Title in the Land Registry

Once the deed of sale has been signed before a Spanih Public Notary, your lawyer, the notary's office or a gestoría (management office) will register the property in the name of the buyer at the Land Registry, from that moment on, the new owner.

5) Who pays what?

The buyer and seller are free to contract whatever terms they choose. However, the seller should pay the PlusValia tax (Capital gains tax) and the buyer pays the Transfer Tax and the Land Registry Fee. If the property is mortgaged, then the seller should pay for cancellation of the same.  It is common for the buyer to withhold money to ensure that the mortgage cancellation or the other taxes are paid.

You lawyer will establish whether the seller is a resident or non-resident of Spain. If the seller is a non-resident seller, the buyer MUST withhold 3% of the purchase monies. This money will be paid directly to the Tax Authorities (Hacienda) in the name of the seller. This is to guard against the non-resident seller failing to pay taxes. This is particularly necessary as any unpaid taxes can be billed to the owner of the property if the seller did not pay.

Resident sellers are not subject to a retention from the purchase monies. Residents’ tax is calculated as part of their income tax, paid the year after the sale. However, Residents will be required to produce proof of Tax Residency and quite possibly an up to date Fiscal Certificate confirming payment of their taxes.

In short, the Spanish lawyer works in defense of your interests.

So, in conclusion, the services of a real estate lawyer are more than recommended when buying or selling a property in Spain, because your lawyer will not only help you to better understand the documents you are signing and the procedures you are going through, but also their compliance with the law and he will also help you to avoid problems in the future.

We hope that you have been able to better understand the procedure of purchase and sale, and if you are thinking of buying or selling a property in Spain, do not hesitate to contact us.

Written by Elena Escribá