The total costs of property trade in Spain consist of the purchase cost, transfer tax, asesoria or solicitor fee, and other case-by-case costs. The real estate agent’s commission is usually included in the purchase cost and is paid by the seller.

In Spain, 12 to 15 % of the purchase of the apartment should be reserved for any extra expenses. Below is more information about the division of the cost of a property sale. These guidelines are only indicative and are based on real estate business legislation in 2015–2021.

TRANSFER TAX, ASESORIA OR SOLICITOR FEE

The biggest expense is the transfer tax, about 10 % of the purchase money. The commission includes the bill of purchase and a complete service package. Please note that there may be a slight variation in the final price, depending on the property sale. The commissions of our local partners include the following:

• Checking possible real estate charges and its juridical situation (e.g. are all measurements entered on the law register, are there any charges on the real estate, has the final examination document been delivered?)
• Writing the bill of purchase
• Legal and tax counselling
• Inspecting water and electric bills
• Inspecting maintenance charges
• Inspecting communal tax
• Reserving money from the purchase money in case the seller has any unpaid water, electricity or other bills
• Reserving money for land value tax (plusvalía-tax)
• Notary commissions
• Interpreting and helping at the notary’s office
• Signing the land registration document with a mandate. This is a very common procedure if the buyer does not live in Spain. In this way the trade can be handled easily, without having to travel.
• Paying the taxes (transfer tax, non-resident seller’s 3 % reservation for possible capital gains taxation, plusvalía-tax)
• Inspecting the certificate of occupancy and energy performance certificate

OTHER COSTS

Depending on the case, the following costs may appear:

• Notice of removal to electric and water companies, housing cooperatives and the tax office
• New contracts if old ones do not exist
• Direct debiting
• NIE-number (includes applying, handling fee and registration)
• Mandate (includes notary commissions, interpreting at the notary’s office, notary fee, and writing a mandate to the buyer’s country)
• Registration fees (notary and cadastral registry)