Buying a finca in Catalonia

[AnonymousParticipant]

Hello Mark

as you know we are in the rpocess of purchasing a finca in the Tarragona regiosn of Catalonia. We are under some pressure from the seller, our solicitor and the agent ot complete the purchase. Apparently there are loads of people interested in the property…. anyway, we won’t get disheartened by this and we are taking our time to have everything checked out. Our situation now is: there is apparently no legal obligation by the town hall to comply with what is stated in a certificado urbanistico which is why we are asking the technical architect to issue something in writing stating that we can refurbish the property as it stands now (the house is registered but only the original part of it. There were additions made later on). We understand that any additions made more than 6 years ago have to be acknowledged i.e. registered by the town hall.
We have verbal confirmation that the town hall is keen on us to refurbish and extend the property and turn it into a hostal rural with owner’s accommodation, however as we all know a verbal agreement is not worth anything these days.
Is there anything else we should watch out for before completion?
Many thanks for recommending the architect and the Spanish bank – very helpful
Kind regards
Sabine 😀

[AnonymousParticipant]

Hi Sabine,

Every purchase is a world unto itself. It doesn’t surprise me that you are being put under pressure by some of the parties but you certainly shouldn’t be under any pressure from you lawyer. Ignore all pressure. The worst that can happen is that you loose that property but there will always be another. On the other hand the worst that can happen if you succumb to pressure and buy a property with problems is…..well it can get very bad.

Your lawyer should have checked the key things – the description in the deeds, planning permission etc. I don’t know anything about the property you are buying but if it is rural bear in mind that water rights and rights of way can be an issue (if you have to cross someone else’s land to reach your property).

When it comes to refurbishments things get very grey. Quite often the regulations are strict and it would seem that you can’t legally do much other than repaint the kitchen. However many people just go ahead and do what they want, taking on a risk but believing it to be small. Many Spaniards that is. A good architect who knows how to deal with these sorts of things is crucial. A builder (paleta) who is chummy with the municipal architect can also be an advantage.

Good luck

Mark

[Author]

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