The short answer is yes, though many people don’t. There are countless things that can be wrong with a property, many of which aren’t clear to the untrained eye, and a building survey carried out by a chartered surveyor (the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors operate in many areas of Spain) or architect can identify potential problems before they become headaches. Surveys before buying are a good idea anywhere in the world.

Surveys when buying newly-built properties on a development are equally important. ‘Just built’ doesn’t necessarily mean ‘problem free’ and a survey will identify if a property has been built to standards that do not meet the specifications. Surveyors can also provide an invaluable snagging service.