English-speaking conveyancing lawyers in Almería and Murcia — making Spanish property, inheritance and tax law simple and secure for international clients. Your place in the sun, in safe hands.

It is not legally compulsory, but it is strongly recommended. The notary witnesses the signing of the deed but does not check for debts, illegal building work or boundary issues, and the estate agent works for the seller — not for you. As solicitors, we represent only your interests: checking the title, taxes and licences, and making sure the contracts protect you throughout the purchase.

Yes. By granting us a special power of attorney, we can apply for your NIE, sign the deposit contract and complete at the notary, pay taxes and register the property on your behalf. Many of our international clients buy or sell entirely from abroad, signing the power of attorney locally before a notary and having it apostilled.

In general terms, a resale purchase in Andalucía currently carries 7% transfer tax, plus roughly €1,600 of notary and Land Registry fees. A new-build property bought from a developer instead carries 10% VAT plus 1.2% stamp duty. We calculate the exact taxes and costs for your purchase in writing before you commit, so there are no surprises.

The NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) is the identification number every foreigner needs for legal and tax matters in Spain — including buying a property, opening a bank account or paying taxes. It is issued for life and does not expire. We arrange NIE numbers for our clients as part of the conveyancing process.

Yes — we work with international clients every day and handle your whole case in English, including all correspondence and explanations of Spanish legal documents. You can call, email or visit us in Vera, Almería.

We always provide a clear written quote before any work starts, and a fully itemised invoice at the end. Tell us briefly about your case through the contact form and we will send you a detailed estimate, without obligation.

There is no fixed legal timeframe, but a typical purchase takes roughly 6-12 weeks from reservation to completion. It usually starts with a reservation agreement, followed within a few weeks by the private deposit contract, and completion at the notary once due diligence and any mortgage are in place. Cash purchases with no complications tend to move faster; we will give you a realistic timeline once we know your case.

The contrato de arras is the private contract signed after reservation, typically with a 10% deposit, and it legally commits both sides to completing the sale. Under the most common form, if the buyer withdraws without justified cause they forfeit the deposit, and if the seller withdraws they must return double the deposit. There are other, less common versions with different consequences, so we always confirm exactly which type you are signing before you commit.

Non-resident sellers currently pay capital gains tax on the profit between purchase and sale price. At completion, Spanish law requires the buyer to withhold 3% of the sale price and pay it directly to the tax office as an advance against your bill — you then have up to four months to file your own return, paying any balance due or reclaiming any excess withheld. We handle this whole process, including the plusvalía municipal declaration that every seller must also make.

Yes. Non-resident owners must file an annual tax return on «imputed income» even if the property is never let, since Spain treats a second home as generating deemed income based on its cadastral value, taxed at rates that currently differ for EU/EEA and non-EU/EEA residents. Separately, every owner — resident or not — pays IBI, an annual local property tax billed by the town hall regardless of use. We can prepare and file these for you each year.

Yes — a separate Spanish will covering only your Spanish assets avoids delays, translation costs and the complications of a foreign will going through Spanish probate. Under EU Regulation 650/2012 («Brussels IV»), you can expressly choose the law of your own nationality to govern succession instead of Spanish law, which matters because Spanish law otherwise reserves a fixed share of the estate for children. Note this affects which succession law applies, not which country’s tax applies — Spanish inheritance tax still applies to Spanish assets either way. We can draft this for you.

It can be, but it does not always mean that the property cannot be purchased. In Andalucía, a property should normally have a Licence of First Occupation, a valid Declaration of Responsibility for Occupation or, in some cases, an AFO/DAFO certificate if the property is older or has planning irregularities.

The main risks of buying without this documentation are that it may affect the transfer or connection of utilities, mortgage approval, future resale, tourist rental licensing, or the legal certainty of the property. Before buying, it is essential to check with the Town Hall why the licence is missing, whether the property is fully legal, whether any planning proceedings exist, and whether an alternative document can be obtained.

At Moreno-Torres Solicitors, we review the urban planning position before completion so that buyers understand the risks and can decide whether to proceed, renegotiate, or require the seller to regularise the situation before signing.