Acquisition Due Diligence

What a review typically covers

• Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad) extract: ownership, charges, mortgages, easements and annotations.
• Cadastral data (Catastro) and consistency with the registered description and physical reality.
• Municipal planning classification and whether the building and any extensions are licensed.
• First occupation or habitability documentation (licencia de primera ocupación / declaración responsable) where applicable.
• Outstanding local taxes (IBI), community of owners debts and utility arrears.
• Tourist-use registration status where holiday letting is intended, subject to current regional rules.

Why it matters for international buyers

Spanish law attaches certain debts and planning irregularities to the property rather than to the seller. Buyers who rely solely on agents' summaries may inherit liabilities they did not anticipate. An independent review aims to surface these issues while there is still leverage to renegotiate, require remedies or withdraw.

Common red flags

• Discrepancy between registered, cadastral and actual built area.
• Construction on rustic (rural) land without clear legal basis.
• Properties within coastal protection zones with uncertain status.
• Pending administrative proceedings or court annotations on the registry entry.