Note
Mistakes when buying property in Spain
Quick answer
The usual mistakes are paying a deposit before checking, using the seller’s lawyer, ignoring licences and debts, underestimating taxes and fees, skipping a survey, and leaving registration to chance. Each is avoided by sequence: advice first, checks second, commitment third.
Applies toBuyers planning a purchase and wanting a short list of what to avoid.
On this page: 12 sections
§ 1A short list
Most mistakes in Spanish purchases are familiar ones. They repeat because buyers meet them once, while the people on the other side meet them often. Most of them are avoided by a few habits, and the wider risks are in risks and scams for buyers.
§ 2Paying before checking
A reservation or deposit is easy to pay and hard to recover. Order the registry extract and have your lawyer read the paper first. If you must reserve, keep the amount small and make it conditional. The family of papers is explained in the chapter on contracts.
§ 3Using the other side’s adviser
A lawyer recommended and paid by the seller, the agent or the developer cannot give you independent advice. Choose your own, as explained in the chapter on professionals. The notary is impartial, but does not act for you.
§ 4Ignoring licences and debts
A home with a missing licence or an unpaid community debt becomes your problem. Ask for the licences, the certificates and the receipts, and compare registry, cadastre and reality. The checks are listed in the due diligence chapter.
§ 5Underestimating costs
Taxes, notary and registry fees, professional fees and the costs of living in the home add up. Budget for them before you fall in love with a price, and remember that the rates vary by region. The costs section of this handbook explains the items.
§ 6Skipping the survey
Paper cannot tell you whether the roof leaks. A survey is the only check of the physical condition and is most valuable on older and rural homes.
§ 7Misreading the language
Contracts and deeds are in Spanish. Do not sign what you cannot read. Ask for translation of key clauses, and use a sworn translator where an office requires one.
§ 8Forgetting registration
The deed alone does not protect you against everyone. Registration makes you the recognised owner against the seller’s creditors and hidden charges. Make sure it is done and get the proof.
§ 9Not asking neighbours
Neighbours know things that documents do not: noise, damp, disputes, plans for works, the reliability of the administrator. A short conversation on your second visit can reveal more than a stack of papers. Ask politely and ask more than one.
§ 10Relying on promises
Verbal promises about works, parking, views or future services do not bind anyone unless they are in the contract. If something matters to you, ask for it in writing. A promise that cannot be written down is a promise that cannot be enforced.
§ 11Rushing
Pressure to decide fast is the common thread. Good homes survive a week of checks. The wider set of problems that follow a purchase, even a careful one, is in common problems explained, and the fraud patterns are in more on property scams.
§ 12More on this topic
Okupas explained explains squatting risk for second-home owners and fake listings explained explains how to spot fake property listings.
FAQRelated questions
What is the single biggest mistake?
Committing money before checking the property. A deposit paid early can be hard to recover, and it leaves you negotiating from weakness. Reverse the order: independent advice, then checks, then a conditional commitment.
Is using the seller’s lawyer really a problem?
It can be. A lawyer who is also working for the seller, the agent or the developer cannot give you the independent advice you need. Appoint your own and confirm in writing that they act only for you.
How big a mistake is skipping the survey?
It depends on the home. For an older or rural property, a survey can reveal costly defects that no document shows. The cost is small compared with repairs. Treat it as part of the price of being sure.
Sources
- Colegio de Registradores de España: Cómo comprar una vivienda en España (edición revisada, February 2020) (official source, opens in a new window), The five steps, nota simple, taxes and costsLast checked 17 October 2026
- Consejo General del Notariado: Houses and real estate properties (official source, opens in a new window), Steps, documents and the notary's roleLast checked 17 October 2026
Legal note. How the process works in general. It is not legal advice, and it never replaces an independent Spanish lawyer acting for you.