Lawyer reviewing a floor plan and property deed with a couple on a Valencian tiled floor, keys on the table

Property Legal Services - Buy Safely in Valencia

Buying property in Spain without proper legal support is a significant risk. Our property legal service protects your investment from due diligence to completion.

Nota SimpleLegal check included

10%ITP transfer tax

NotaryWe coordinate

Due diligenceFull property check

Property Lawyer Spain: Why Legal Support Is Essential

A couple reviewing a house model and documents with an advisor at a Valencia apartment table

Spain's property law is complex and buyer protections, while improving, remain weaker than in the UK or US. Issues that can affect a purchase: outstanding mortgages not cleared by the seller, planning violations (especially for rural properties or those with extensions), unpaid IBI or community fees that transfer to the new owner, and cedula de habitabilidad (habitability certificate) problems. An unpaid IBI bill follows the property, not the seller, so it lands on you. A qualified property lawyer catches all of these before you commit. Independence matters too: instruct your own lawyer, not the one the estate agent recommends, because their loyalty should be to you.

Conveyancing Valencia: What Our Property Legal Service Covers

A property folder, key and magnifying glass on a table, representing legal due diligence

Nota Simple

Ordering and interpreting the Land Registry document confirming ownership, mortgages and encumbrances. This is the first thing to check on any property.

Due diligence

IBI payment status (the annual property tax runs roughly 300 to 800 EUR/year for a standard Valencia city apartment), community fee arrears, building permits, and habitability certificate verification. We confirm every construction on the plot has a valid licencia de obras.

NIE coordination

Your NIE number is mandatory before any purchase can complete, and a Spanish bank account is required to move the funds. We make sure both are in place before signing day.

Arras contract review

The deposit contract is legally binding. Our lawyers ensure the terms protect you, not just the seller.

Notary coordination

Attending the Escritura signing, ensuring all parties comply, and facilitating Land Registry inscription.

Tax calculation

Precise figures before you commit. On a resale in the Comunitat Valenciana the ITP transfer tax is 10 percent of the purchase price - though buyers under 35 pay a reduced 8 percent and large families just 4 percent. New builds are charged 10 percent IVA plus 1.5 percent AJD stamp duty instead.

Investment structure check

If you are buying as an investor, we make sure the purchase structure (personal name vs. SL, joint ownership, foreign-account funding) is set up correctly from the start.

Property Purchase Timeline Spain: The Typical Legal Process

A model house, notebooks and an open door representing the property purchase timeline milestones

Offer accepted to reservation contract (arras): 1-2 weeks. Due diligence and Nota Simple checks: 2-4 weeks. Mortgage approval, if you need one: 3-6 weeks running in parallel. Notary completion of the Escritura publica: usually 45-90 days from the accepted offer. Land Registry inscription afterwards: a further 4-8 weeks. Full process from offer to keys: typically 8-16 weeks.

Property Purchase Costs Spain: Budget 15 Percent on Top of the Price

A model house, growing stacks of coins and documents with a Valencia skyline view, representing purchase costs

The headline price is never the real price. On a Valencia purchase, plan for an extra 12 to 16 percent in taxes and fees - 15 percent is the safe rule of thumb. Here is where it goes.

ITP transfer tax (resale)

8% for buyers under 35, 4% for large families

10% of price

IVA + AJD (new build)

IVA on the price plus stamp duty, instead of ITP

10% + 1.5%

Notary fees

Set by a regulated scale, scales with property value

600 - 1,500 EUR

Land Registry fees

Also regulated by scale

400 - 700 EUR

Lawyer fees

Fixed and quoted upfront, minimum around 1,500 EUR

1 - 1.5% of price

Mortgage arrangement

Only if you are financing the purchase

0.5 - 1% of loan

Our property lawyer network

Three professionals meeting around a table with a model house, discussing a property purchase

We work exclusively with bilingual (English/Spanish) property lawyers who specialise in conveyancing for international buyers. Our lawyers have handled transactions for hundreds of expat buyers in Valencia and have direct relationships with the key notaries, the Valencia Land Registry, and major real estate agencies. They charge fixed fees, typically 1 to 1.5 percent of the purchase price with a minimum of around 1,500 EUR, clearly quoted upfront - no surprise billing.

Buying Property in Spain: Legal Questions Answered

Do I legally need a lawyer to buy property in Spain?

No, and that is exactly why so many foreign buyers get caught out. The notary confirms identity and formalises the deed; the notary does not check whether the seller's mortgage has been cleared, whether an extension has a licencia de obras, or whether community fees are in arrears.

Those debts follow the property rather than the seller, so they land on you. Instruct your own lawyer, not the one the estate agent recommends.

What does conveyancing cost in Valencia?

Our network lawyers charge a fixed fee, typically 1 to 1.5 percent of the purchase price with a minimum of around 1,500 EUR, quoted upfront with no surprise billing.

Budget 12 to 16 percent on top of the headline price in total: 10 percent ITP on a resale (8 percent for buyers under 35, 4 percent for large families), or 10 percent IVA plus 1.5 percent AJD on a new build, plus notary and Land Registry fees.

What is an arras contract, and what happens if the seller pulls out?

The arras contract is the binding deposit agreement, usually around 10 percent of the price. Under arras penitenciales, the most common form, a buyer who walks away loses the deposit and a seller who walks away must return double it.

The exact wording decides all of this, which is why the contract needs reviewing before you transfer a single euro.

Can I buy property in Spain without being a resident?

Yes. Non-residents buy freely in Spain. What you need in place before signing day is a NIE and a Spanish bank account to move the funds through.

The difference shows up afterwards: non-resident owners file Modelo 210 annually even when the property is not rented out. And the Golden Visa route that once linked a purchase to residency was abolished in April 2025.

What checks happen before I sign?

The Nota Simple from the Land Registry comes first: it shows the real owner, any mortgage and any charge on the property. Then due diligence on IBI payment status (roughly 300 to 800 EUR a year for a standard Valencia city apartment), community fee arrears, building permits and the cedula de habitabilidad.

We confirm every construction on the plot has a valid licencia de obras before you are committed to anything. See our property buying guide for the full sequence.

How long does the whole purchase take?

From accepted offer to keys is typically 8 to 16 weeks. Arras contract within 1 to 2 weeks, due diligence 2 to 4 weeks, mortgage approval 3 to 6 weeks running in parallel, and notary completion of the escritura publica usually 45 to 90 days after the offer.

Land Registry inscription adds a further 4 to 8 weeks after signing, though you have the keys well before that.