Blog on Spanish law

Category: Property

  • BREXIT AND SPAIN: TWO MONTHS LATER WHAT WOULD AN EVENTUAL BREXIT MEAN FOR THOSE BRITISH THAT WANT TO BUY PROPERTY IN SPAIN? How would it affect British people who own properties in Spain? And those who are in the process of buying them? It is too early to know what is going to happen but…

  • Holiday apartments in Spain. Do I need a licence?

            A few days ago I wrote a post in connection to the property market in Barcelona and the increase of holiday apartments in the city.  The Catalan Government has recently regulated the holiday rentals market and now allows holiday rentals as long as the owners comply with certain obligations. Unfortunately, the situation is different in…

  • Buying property in Barcelona

                      Barcelona is probably one of the most beautiful cities in Europe. Woody Allen tried to show it in his famous film “Vicky Cristina Barcelona” although he excesively focused on the usual landmarks and buildings, forgetting that there is beauty in many other places apart from the…

  • Spanish Honorary Consulate office in Manchester

              The Spanish Consulate in Manchester closed more than 2 years ago. Since then, all consular matters for the North West were transferred to the Spanish General Consulate in Edinburgh. Very recently an Honorary Consular office has been opened in Manchester and located in our Manchester office. The Honorary Consul is Antonio…

  • First use license and habitation certificate. Tomatoe, tomato. Are they the same thing?

                  There are two documents which are essential before moving into a house in Spain. They are called first use license (“licencia de primera ocupación”) and habitation certificate (“cédula de habitabilidad”). These two documents sometimes have their own validity and in other occasions complement each other. It is difficult…

  • Buying property in Spain from a bank- Initial tips

                      These days, as a result of the economic situation and the increase of people who do not pay their mortgagees, the banks have gathered a huge housing stock and, sometimes, these kinds of properties, which have been acquired by way of foreclosing procedures, are offered for…

  • WHAT IS THE ENERGY PERFORMANCE CERTIFICATE (CERTIFICADO DE EFICIENCIA ENERGETICA)?

                      From June 1st the Energy Performance Certificate will be required in all contracts of sale or rental in Spain. This regulation comes from a European Directive and it is already in force in other EU countries. This certificate analyzes the demand and energy consumption of a…

  • Buying under-value in Spain Part I

    It is no secret that the Spanish property market is very quiet. Nowadays, any person wanting to sell reasonably quick has to make a noticeably discount on the sale price. This could mean reducing the price in 20% or 30%. This could prove very atractive to the purchaser as it would allow him to buy…

  • Can I complete the purchase of a property in Spain without a NIE?

      In a clear homage to my youngest daughter’s favourite cartoon: yes you can! I am talking about NIEs and not laying bricks but contrariliy to what happens in the Bob the Builder’s cartoons, the lack of NIE will not necessarily lead to a happy ending. A NIE number (tax number for non-residents who either…

  • What is a “cedula hipotecaria”?

    You may have heard about the “cedulas hipotecarias” or covered bonds. A “Covered Bond” is a financial product guaranteed by the whole mortgage portfolio of the bank itself with an interest linked to it. This is a safe product in a normal economic climate and it could be quite profitable (in fact, during the property…