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.
Property lawyer Spain: why legal support is essential
Spain's property law is complex, and the buyer carries much of the checking: the notary formalises the deed but does not act as your adviser. 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 can pass to the new owner, and problems with the habitability certificate, or cédula de habitabilidad (). An unpaid IBI bill stays attached to the property, not just to the seller, so it can land 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
Nota simple (Land Registry extract)
The nota simple () is the Land Registry document confirming ownership, mortgages and encumbrances. We order and interpret it: it is the first thing to check on any property.
Property due diligence
IBI payment status (the annual property tax), community fee arrears, building permits, and habitability certificate verification. We confirm every construction on the plot has a valid licencia de obras ().
NIE coordination
A buyer needs a NIE - for foreigners, the tax number Spain requires for any operation with tax consequences - and a Spanish bank account is the practical way to move the funds. We make sure both are in place before signing day.
Arras contract review
The arras () deposit contract fixes who can walk away and at what cost: where arras are paid, art. 1454 of the Civil Code lets the buyer withdraw by losing them and the seller by returning them doubled, and the contract wording decides which regime applies. Our lawyers make sure the terms protect you, not just the seller.
Notary coordination
Attending the signing of the escritura pública (), 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 9 percent up to 1,000,000 EUR and 11 percent above, under Ley 5/2025, for transfers from 1 June 2026; reduced rates exist for some buyers, confirm case by case. New builds are charged 10 percent IVA plus 1.4 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
As a rough planning guide, not legal deadlines: 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 pública: 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 10 to 14 percent on top of the price
The headline price is never the real price. On a Valencia purchase, plan for roughly 10 to 12 percent extra in taxes and fees on a resale and 13 to 14 percent on a new build. Here is where it goes.
ITP transfer tax (resale)
11% above 1,000,000 EUR; rates in force from 1 June 2026 (Ley 5/2025); reduced rates exist for some buyers, confirm case by case
IVA + AJD (new build)
IVA on the price plus stamp duty, instead of ITP
Notary fees
Indicative, from the regulated scale (RD 1426/1989), VAT included, for a 150,000 to 1,000,000 EUR purchase; a mortgage deed costs extra
Land Registry fees
Indicative, from the regulated scale (RD 1427/1989), VAT included, for the same price range
Lawyer fees
Fixed and quoted upfront, minimum around 1,500 EUR
Our property lawyer network
We work exclusively with bilingual (English/Spanish) property lawyers who specialise in conveyancing for international buyers. 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.
Planning a renovation in Valencia?
Tell us about the job: a kitchen, a bathroom, a full renovation or an office fit-out. We check which permits and paperwork the work needs, then put you in touch with local builders or an architect for quotes.
Buying property in Spain: legal questions answered
Do I legally need a lawyer to buy property in Spain?
Those debts can follow the property rather than the seller, so they can land on you. Instruct your own lawyer, not the one the estate agent recommends.
What does conveyancing cost in Valencia?
Budget roughly 10 to 12 percent on top of the headline price on a resale and 13 to 14 percent on a new build: 9 percent ITP on a resale up to 1,000,000 EUR (11 percent above) for transfers from 1 June 2026 (reduced rates exist for some buyers, confirm case by case), or 10 percent IVA plus 1.4 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 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?
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?
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?
Land Registry inscription adds a further 4 to 8 weeks after signing, though you have the keys well before that.
Official sources
- Tax changes 2026: ITP 9% up to 1,000,000 EUR (11% above) and AJD 1.4% from 1 June 2026 - Generalitat Valenciana
- Ley 5/2025 de la Generalitat, the statute behind the new ITP and AJD rates - BOE
- Modelo 210, the annual return non-resident owners file - Agencia Tributaria
- Notary fee scale - Real Decreto 1426/1989 (BOE, consolidated, Spanish only)
- Land Registry fee scale - Real Decreto 1427/1989 (BOE, consolidated, Spanish only)