First, congratulations, this is a genuinely exciting moment. Second, take a breath, because the next thing you do matters more than the speed at which you do it. The urge after finding "the one" is to move fast so you don't lose it. The smarter move is to answer a short list of questions first, every one of which is far cheaper to ask now than to discover later.
In this article
The seven questions to answer before any money
These aren't as daunting as they sound. You, your agent, or most likely your solicitor can get nearly all of it from the Land Registry.
- Does the person selling actually have the right to sell it?
- Are all the planning permissions in order, especially on a new build?
- Are there sitting tenants in the property?
- Are there any building restrictions on the plot?
- What's the cadastral value, the council's valuation? It affects the purchase tax you'll pay.
- If it's new or off-plan, is there insurance against structural defects?
- Is there any money owing against it: a mortgage, court judgements, or unpaid annual property tax?
Debts and charges in Spain can attach to the property rather than the person, which is why question seven matters so much. You do not want to inherit someone else's mortgage along with the keys.
Get the Nota Simple
There's one document that answers several of these at once: the Nota Simple, a simplified extract from the Land Registry showing who owns the property, what's registered, and whether any money is owed on it. Your agent should be able to get it, and you or your solicitor must review it before you sign anything or pay any reservation fee. If anything on it is unclear, that's exactly what your independent lawyer is for, which is the subject of an upcoming post.
Slow is smooth
None of this kills the romance. It protects it. The property you love is still the property you love after the checks, you just get to buy it knowing it's genuinely yours to buy. The buyers who run into trouble are almost always the ones who skipped this stage because they were in a hurry.
Your checklist for this step
- Run through the seven questions before paying anything
- Ask the agent (or your solicitor) for the Nota Simple and read it
- Check specifically for any debts, charges or mortgages on the property
- Confirm planning permissions, especially on new or off-plan builds
- Note the cadastral value, as it affects your purchase tax
- Line up an independent solicitor before you commit (see the next stage)
Do your due diligence
The free Spain Buying Guide lists the questions to ask and the documents to check before you commit.
Download the free Spain Buying Guide →
Or carry on reading. The next stage gets serious: "I'm ready to make an offer."
Written by
Nick StoreyNick Storey is the Operations Director at Kyero.com, where he leads platform operations, product delivery, and commercial strategy.
Having lived and worked in Spain for 14 years, Nick began his career as an estate agent on the south coast of Granada and brings first-hand market experience to his work.
He joined Kyero in 2007 and has since played a central role in scaling the business, shaping its product direction, and strengthening how international buyers connect with agents across Spain, Portugal, France, and Italy
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