Trusted Property Lawyers in Spain
Legal Property Experts in Murcia, Alicante & Valencia
Looking to buy a property in Spain, but need expert legal advice?
Buying a property in Spain is a major decision—whether you’re relocating, investing, or purchasing a second home. At ABAD Abogados, our team of experienced property lawyers in Spain provides expert legal guidance throughout the entire buying process. With dedicated offices and local expertise in Murcia, Alicante, and Valencia, we help international clients navigate Spanish property law with confidence.
From due diligence and contract review to tax registration and completion before a notary, we ensure your property purchase is legally sound and worry-free.
Initial Legal Consultation
Start your property purchase in Spain with confidence.
Our experienced property lawyers provide expert legal advice from the moment you choose a property.
We’ll guide you through your rights and obligations, helping you understand the process and avoid costly mistakes, especially important for international buyers unfamiliar with Spanish property law.
Due Diligence & Contract Review
Protect your investment with thorough legal checks.
Before signing any pre-purchase or reservation agreement, we carry out detailed due diligence on the property.
This includes verifying ownership, outstanding debts, land registry status, building licences, and legal compliance. Our real estate lawyers ensure everything is in order before you commit.
We handle all essential legal paperwork for foreign buyers.
To purchase property in Spain, a NIE (Foreigner Identification Number) is mandatory. We assist with this application and, where needed, act under Power of Attorney to handle the entire property purchase process on your behalf, ideal for non-resident clients or those unable to travel.
Legal and tax support tailored to your Spanish property purchase.
From opening a bank account to managing deposits, arranging mortgages, and calculating property taxes, our bilingual legal team ensures full compliance.
We also advise on transfer tax, VAT (IVA), stamp duty, and ongoing tax obligations for non-residents.
We represent your interests through to final signing.
On completion day, we prepare the public deed, liaise with the notary, and confirm that funds and legal obligations are correctly fulfilled.
We also register the property, switch utilities into your name, and oversee the final stages of your property purchase in Spain.
Regional expertise from trusted property lawyers in Spain.
With offices in Murcia, Alicante, and Valencia, ABAD Abogados offers region-specific legal advice for buying property. Whether you’re purchasing a holiday home, an investment apartment, or a rural finca, our local knowledge and English-speaking legal team ensure a smooth and secure transaction.
keeps things clear, fast, and
free of unnecessary complications.
Don’t Face Hacienda Alone – Talk to Us Today!
The Importance of Hiring a Property Lawyer in Spain
Purchasing a property in Spain is a significant legal and financial commitment—especially for foreign buyers unfamiliar with Spanish property law. While the process can be straightforward, failing to hire a qualified property lawyer in Spain can lead to avoidable and sometimes costly complications.
Many international buyers assume estate agents will handle everything, or that all necessary checks are standard practice. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Estate agents act in the interest of the sale, not necessarily in your legal or financial protection. That’s where the role of an independent solicitor becomes critical.
Common Legal Pitfalls for Buyers Without Legal Representation:
Misleading or incomplete information from sellers or agents about property size, licences, or debts.
Signing a reservation or private purchase contract without legal review, committing to non-refundable deposits or unfair terms.
Inheriting outstanding debts, such as unpaid utility bills, community fees, or even mortgages tied to the property.
Disputes over land registration, property boundaries, or construction done without permits.
Delays or legal issues at the notary, such as missing documentation or incorrect seller details.
Off-plan and new builds
Buying new builds or off plan property is different from that of a private or second hand purchase. It is different due to the checks that are needed to be made or should be done on the property or on the land. Firstly, making sure that the transaction is in fact legal and if not, getting it registered so that it is.
If advisable, avoiding the transaction all together if necessary. With new builds and off plan, we check that the land is registered and has a building licence; this confirms the authenticity of the property and ownership. In terms of an off plan purchase the purposed completion date must be included in the contract.
ABAD Abogados have vast experience in this sector and would be pleased to help throughout the whole process. As well as reviewing the general scope we will investigate the promoters and the construction company ensuring the legality of the project as well as unearthing any issues that any be a present or future problem. Another thing that many people are unaware of, and usually are not told, is regarding bank account safeguarding, the bank should set up a bank guarantee, should something happen to the building project, like incompletion, your money is safe and you do not lose anything.
ABAD can ensure that you do not lose when investing in Spain, but have a pleasant experience that you will be able to enjoy hopefully with your new dream home.
Buying Fincas, second hand flats/apartments/houses and multi-property purchases
The purchasing process is such as the one described in the above points. However the differences are in the property review. The checking of the property registration and ownership are standard procedures and on top of this it is crucial to make sure the property is listed as described by the vendor whether private or through an estate agent and to ensure it will be without any outstanding debt upon completion. Another point to be careful about is that you as the buyer don’t incur all the costs and expenses and that the seller also takes on their share.
In some cases, it may be a good idea to include an additional survey to reassure the property is above board. We would advise all buyers to have an expert fully check the property, preferably a professional qualified independent architect that will review the property looking for any problems or defects. Any issues discovered can be negotiated towards lowering the purchase price of the property.
ABAD´s professional team includes an independent experienced architect as well as offering an effective and efficient form of purchase transactions.
Buying a business. Buying a business can include anything from hotel complexes, apartment blocks and a business transfer take over. Each situation will have its own terms and conditions to meet in order to complete. In terms of businesses you must make sure the property has or can be licenced for the particular activity you intend to conduct in the property. As well as checking for any pending debt or legal action against it, this may be hard to find if you are not told up front.
There are also different taxes involved in this market due to its nature. The same can be said for buying and for rentals of businesses.
Don’t Face Hacienda Alone – Talk to Us Today!
The Importance of Hiring a Property Lawyer in Spain
Purchasing a property in Spain is a significant legal and financial commitment—especially for foreign buyers unfamiliar with Spanish property law. While the process can be straightforward, failing to hire a qualified property lawyer in Spain can lead to avoidable and sometimes costly complications.
Many international buyers assume estate agents will handle everything, or that all necessary checks are standard practice. Unfortunately, this is not always the case. Estate agents act in the interest of the sale, not necessarily in your legal or financial protection. That’s where the role of an independent solicitor becomes critical.
Here at ABAD Abagados we pride ourselves in being professional solicitors and accountants at all times, keeping up to date on rules, regulations and taxes enabling us to offer the most efficient and rewarding service possible for our clients, making their needs a priority at all times.
The client can rest assure that everything will be dealt with and they can just sit back and enjoy the experience.
ABAD Abogados has extensive successful years of experience in dealing and processing various different purchases.
The process for purchasing is similar regardless of the type of property.
- Initial consulting meeting with us upon choosing a property.
- Revising and checking property and documentation and any associated factors.
- Drawing up the pre-purchase agreement and signing.
- Applying for Spanish documentation –NIE.
- Power of attorney where necessary.
- Appointing a public notary.
- Bank accounts, deposits, taxes, and mortgages.
- Completion at Public Notary.
- Registering with tax offices.
- Change/activation of utilities.
Looking to Buy Property in Spain? Speak with Our Local Legal Experts
With offices in Los Alcázares, Orihuela Costa (La Zenia), and Murcia city centre, ABAD Abogados provides trusted legal advice exactly where you need it. Whether you’re purchasing in Torrevieja, Cartagena, La Manga, or Campoamor, our multilingual property lawyers are here to guide you every step of the way.
Contact your nearest office:
Los Alcázares (Mar Menor Area)
Phone: +34 968 58 30 53
Email: alcazares@abadabogados.com
Orihuela Costa – La Zenia (Alicante Area)
Phone: +34 965 06 36 13
Email: ori@abadabogados.com
Murcia City Centre (Business Clients)
Phone: +34 968 90 22 90
Email: info@abadabogados.com
Call today or book a consultation to get expert legal support for your property purchase in Spain.
FAQs
Yes you can apply for a tax rebate, the only difference is that the taxes to be paid are slightly higher and so can be the retentiNo you don’t. However if you do not you leave yourself and the property being challenge about its legality. It contains information about boundaries and ownership and makes it official. This has happened where people have not registered and almost lost their home.
on. But the process is the same; it is just simply a different form that will need to be submitted.
Yes it is, whether for the long run or the short. Spain has improved many aspects modernising almost everything over the years and it can only get better. It offers various outcomes for property investment, for example you may decide to purchase a home now for holiday lets and then in the future retire to Spain.
That will be completely up to you. New does not always mean better. The purchasing process will be similar other than each one requiring different certificates. However re-sales tend to have most documentation in order and the only thing to look out for is pending debt. With new build the most important thing is to check its registry and documents to make sure the property was legally built.
It is very advisable to contract a Lawyer upon making a decision and even before to help understand the process before you take it on. A consultation will also give you options. If you intend to buy in Spain then you will have to obtain Spanish paper work and go through its legal system, which can be easy if you know how. Another option is giving a Spanish Lawyer a power of attorney and everything will be taken care and before you know it you have a wonderful house in Spain.
The main difference is the type of contracts you need in the pre-purchase agreement. With new builds, as long as all the paper work is correct and the house is properly registered and built then it’s a matter of paying and signing. With an off plan you initially buy the promise to a new property. The long period that can pass from the deposit to completion makes it very important to have representation nearby to keep an eye on the project and make sure it goes to plan.
It is the official list of properties in Spain stating all the properties background information, including size, owners and debt. It also secures your right to the property making sure that no one can contest it in the future.
The taxes will depend on the type of property you purchase. It is estimated that you should add an additional 10% of the total price on top of the purchase price, and any extra fees such as agent fees.
Usually, people looking to buy a property in Spain tend to go through estate agents. This is because they have a range of properties and they will do the property search for you. When going through a private vendor it means you did the search yourself through the internet of other means. When collaborating with a Lawyer both sources will be checked, however when doing it individually it is import to ensure that you clear very detail. While an estate agent should be legal sound, you may end up paying a lot of fees and some that you shouldn’t be. With a private vendor is good to get the house surveyed and find out why they are selling.
