SELLING PROPERTY IN SPAIN IN 2021: KEY DOCUMENTS, COSTS AND HOW

Photo by Matthew T Rader

INTRODUCTION – WHAT SHOULD I KNOW BEFORE SELLING? COSTS AND THINGS I NEED!

So you have decided to sell your property  In Spain and either move to another region or back home.

We’re sorry to see you go but if you must then let’s ensure we do it right.

Make the selling process easy.

Is all your paperwork in order? What documents do I need to sell my house in Spain?

Spanish documentation required to facilitate a smooth sale can be quite complex and onerous. The  legislation has changed a lot over recent years.

Documentation allowed in the past, on a local basis, has become illegal.

Legislation has matured and been developed to protect both buyers and sellers.

You may already have all the correct and up to date paperwork in place for a smooth selling process. Just in case, read on to be sure and to avoid disappointment or even losing a purchaser?

Most importantly, how do you ensure that you retain the maximum value of your investment and price?

We don’t discuss taxation on property sales or inheritance here in this post.

We will post on Inheritance and taxation soon.

WHAT DOCUMENTS DO I NEED TO SELL MY HOUSE IN SPAIN? CHANGES IN LEGISLATION AND PROCEDURE.

Will it help my sales prospects if I added “an angle” to the offer?

Each Region (Communidade Autónomia) can be different and within each province the local municipal rules can also vary so to give a definitive guide on every possibility would take forever but below we use Calpe, a municipality in the Province of Alicante (Communidade Valenciana), as an example.

Photo by Sebastian Herrmann 

The Spanish communities (UK county councils) and municipalities have been updating their procedures and requirements over recent years, providing purchasers with a greater degree of protection from unscrupulous vendors to avoid people selling property built illegally or with illegal additions.

This has resulted in a much needed set of requirements to enable a smooth and legal property transfer.

Each phase of home ownership has it's different high points!

Buying - the excitement of a new stage in life
Living - the pleasure of home ownership

SELLING - RELIEF AT LAST AND WE MOVE ON TO LIFE'S NEXT ADVENTURE.

As stated above using Calpe as an example the documentation required and actions necessary to sell your property are: –

1. You must have a Municipal Certificate to prove that the property to be sold isn’t currently the subject of any planning or development infringements (certificado de no infracción urbanística)
2. Certificate of Energy Efficiency
3. Purchaser can ask for a Renewal of Occupation Licence (this is issued by the Town Hall)
4. Up to date nota simple from land registry (document detailing any changes, charges, mortgages on the property)
5. Check all details on the Land Registry are correct (Registro de la Propiedad)
6. At the Catastro check that the taxes etc for the property are correct and up to date (Impuesto de Bienes Inmuebles – IBI)
7. You may also need to contact the  Ministry for Industry and, in some cases, the body who controls the supply of water for the region (la Confederación Hidrográfica de Júcar), amongst others.

There are also certain complex procedures to review in the case of alterations and/or additions that you may have carried out (either legally or illegally) without a building licence.

Let’s suppose you have a house built on 2 floors and you had an additional floor built (3rd floor) without obtaining a building licence.

If the extra floor would ordinarily be considered legal you will have to get an architect to prepare a belated, “retrospective project of design” and submit that to the authorities to get the licence.

The “retrospective project of design” will usually be approved and a building licence granted thus rendering the work legal however it can take time, even months, and you may lose your buyer in the meantime!

If, however, you built the 3rd floor that would ordinarily be considered illegal the only get-out is if it was built 15 years ago or more and hitherto you have never been denounced for these works. In this case it will be allowed to remain.

If less than 15 years you would have no choice but to sell the house with an illegal addition, thus probably reducing the value or wait until the 15 years are up before selling!

The absence of any of these requirements can cause considerable delay or, in the worst circumstances, put you under pressure to consider a negotiated reduction of the price.

CAN WE HELP? AT SEARCH AND SURVEY SPAIN THIS IS OUR SPECIALITY.

The Search and Survey Team – L to R – Laura, Manu, Chari, Ian, Monica and Manolo.

The requirements can be complex and time consuming, and are made worse if you are not fluent in Spanish.

We are independent advisers, not estate agents and we offer a total solution, having the experience and up to date knowledge of what´s required to enable a smooth sale.

At Search and Survey Spain we know that selling your house is not an easy decision, and we will take care of the whole process as if it were our own, while keeping you in the loop at every juncture.

We have helped many nationalities buy and sell property throughout the Costa Blanca and Spain since 1975 so let us help you prepare all the necessary documentation to be able to sell your house without unnecessary delays.

Don’t wait until the last minute to try to correct any problems as this could delay your sale and even lose your purchaser with the accompanying stress, frustration and additional cost.

We will see you through the complex process and get you on your way to your new residence asap.

🚛

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Click on the following link to take you to our website, we can take away all the worries from you.