[Gerald1]

Hello,

I’ve had a quick browse on the forum and I can see that I need to be very careful about buying my first property in Spain due to the way the law works and all the fallout seemingly caused by the 2008 crash.

As per the topic title, I am looking to buy a flat in Ulldecona. I would be very grateful if someone with a knowledge of properties in this area would tell me/recommend:

• A good lawyer
• The rough cost of legal fees/translating the legal documents, including the Contract, into English (I do not speak Spanish)
• A good estate agent
• Fees payable to the estate agent
• Taxes payable
• Forms of home ownership – is the flat likely to be freehold/leasehold?
• If it is likely to be leasehold, what are the other associated costs. Is it the same as in the UK, whereby you pay ground rent, management fees, etc. to the freeholder/management company?
• I have bought and sold property in the UK – what are the main differences between buying in the UK and buying in Spain, which I need to be aware of?
• Any other points/issues

Any help will be greatly appreciated and hopefully I can recommend this website to my friends in the future.

Regards.

[Anonymous1]

Taxes & notary costs are about 12.8%. Then, after about 3 months you get about 1 percentage point back.  So, as an example, if an apartment is 100k euros, budget 12,800 for taxes & notary costs. Then, after about 3 months you should get about 1k back. They charge this extra as a safety net in case something goes wrong (that is my understanding).

On the internet you will see the taxes about 10%, or 11%, and a bunch of numbers for other costs. I’ve bought several properties, and at least for the <span style=”text-decoration: underline;”>taxes & notary</span> I always budget 12.8% to be on the safe side.

[Gerald1]

Thanks Anonymous1.

Are taxes and notary costs the only costs? Don’t you also pay the estate agent’s fee as the purchaser (I’m sure I read this somewhere)? Were the legal documents all translated into English when you bought the properties?

Where did you buy? Was it anywhere near the area in which I’m looking to buy? Can you recommend agents/notaries?

Thanks!

[dave&amanda]

We live in this area for over 10 years across the border in Castellon are you still looking at the Ulldecona area as we may be able to give you some advice.

[Gerald1]

Hi,

Yes, I am still looking for a flat in Ulldecona. Are you able to answer the questions in my original post? I would be very grateful for any information you can give.

[dave&amanda]

Hi There,
Sorry for the delay in response to your answers we would recommend you get a good Spanish lawyer first.
It will eliminate any possible mistakes.
We found an excellent English speaking solicitor in Alcossebre not far from Ulldecona.
If you want the details we will pass them to you.
We would recommend you do your homework on the Ulldecona area it may seem a good deal on paper but that area has not got a very good reputation.

[besj]

Reposting this as original post seems to have disappeared…

Hi,

I have an apartment in Sant Carles de la Rapita since 8 years. It is situated 10-20 miles from Ulldecona. I do not know any good lawyer in the area as my purchase was handled by a lawyer in Marbella as my bank had its office there. Also we did not translate any contracts into Swedish (I live in Sweden). Remember that Spanich contracts are huge documents. Our contract was something like 70 A4 pages typed text.

Fees payable to the estate agent
This should be none for you unless you have used an estate agent as property finder. Normally the seller is responsible for the agent’s fee.

Taxes payable
There is a transfer tax of 10 % for second hand property sales

Forms of home ownership – is the flat likely to be freehold/leasehold?
Practically all apartments are owned by individuals. I guess this would mean it qualifies as freehold. There is a rental market too where you can rent from the owner.

If it is likely to be leasehold, what are the other associated costs. Is it the same as in the UK, whereby you pay ground rent, management fees, etc. to the freeholder/management company?
There may be community charges to cover for shared resources like garden, pool, lifts etc. This varies a lot depending on what your apartment has. My apartment has about €100 per month in community fee, but that covers a nice garden and a large swimming pool.
Other cost elements are:

IBI, local tax.
Based on valor catastral. For my apartment valued at €120 000 I pay €260 per year

Water
€150 per year
Electricity (depending on capacity and usage)
€800 per year

State tax
(210) €300
Home insurance
€200

 

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