The price on the listing is not what leaves your account. On the Costa Brava, as anywhere in Spain, the taxes and fees on a purchase are substantial and they are almost all payable at or before completion, in cash, on top of whatever you have arranged with a lender.
The tax, which is most of it
A resale property carries a transfer tax, the Impuesto sobre Transmisiones Patrimoniales, paid by the buyer to the Generalitat de Catalunya. A new build from a developer works differently: VAT on the purchase plus a documented legal acts duty. Which one applies is a question about the property, not about you, and the difference between them is real money.
We are deliberately not printing rates on this page. Catalonia has revised its transfer tax more than once in recent years, including how it treats higher price bands and certain buyers. A number written here today would eventually be wrong, and a wrong tax figure is worse than an absent one. Ask us about the specific property and you get the current figure in writing.
The fees, which are smaller and unavoidable
The notary charges on a published scale that rises with the price of the deed. The land registry charges to record you as the owner. A lawyer is not compulsory and is close to essential: you want someone who reads Spanish property registry extracts for a living to check the title, the charges against it, the community debts and whether what is standing on the plot matches what is licensed.
A gestor handles the paperwork and the filings. Many buyers use one; some lawyers include it. If you are not resident and not fluent, it is money well spent.
What people forget
- The plusvalia municipal is normally the seller’s to pay, but check what your contract says rather than assuming.
- Utilities and the community of owners have to be transferred into your name, and arrears follow the property in some cases.
- A mortgage adds its own valuation and arrangement costs, and a non-resident is usually lent a smaller share of the price than a resident.
- Currency. If you are buying in euros from another currency, the rate you get on a large transfer matters more than most of the fees on this page.
So what should I budget?
Ask us for a written breakdown on the actual property before you sign anything, including the deposit contract. It takes us an afternoon and it is the difference between a budget and a guess. We would rather tell you the real number early than have you find it at the notary.
Talk it through with someone here
Every house and every buyer is different. Tell us your situation and we will tell you how it applies to you.