We have lined up some of the most frequently asked questions. Did you find a specific answer? If you did not, then send us an e-mail and we will reply as soon as possible.
If you do not have Spanish nationality, you will need an NIE (Numero de Identificacion de Extranjeros) or Foreigners Identification Number, which is a personal tax reference number required by law if you are to hold any assets, work or carry out any business in Spain. This is required to buy property in Spain. This can be obtained at the main Police headquarters in Cadiz city or at the passport and NIE office in Chiclana. You will need to present your passport of your country of origin.
You should plan for approx. 11-12% costs on top of the buying price. This will include government transfer taxes (ITP), notary, registry, lawyer and commission fees.
Annual running costs you would face are IBI (Property tax or Council tax), electricity, water (if available), community charges (if available). If you are a non resident, you have two further taxes, income tax on rental income or income tax on perceived income/benefit (even if you are not renting, you are perceived to have a benefit from private use). The latter is not very much. It is advisable to speak to your lawyer, financial adviser or tax consultant to know your exact tax obligations based on your personal circumstances.
Strictly speaking you do not need a lawyer to purchase property in Spain, as the Notary will prepare, order and submit most of the legal documentation. However, for those that are accustomed to having a lawyer or for those that want to have that extra peace of mind, we recommend that you hire an independent lawyer to protect your interests. Try not to go with a lawyer who collaborates with or works for the estate agent, as this could create a conflict of interest, unless you have specifically asked them to recommend one for you.
Urban properties have all services already installed, including electricity, mains water, sewerage, tarmac roads, pavements, street lighting, telephone etc. and therefore tend to be more expensive. Urbanisable properties have some of these services including electricity but only have well water and septic tanks. Urbanisable properties are much more affordable, however, there will be a contribution to be made to the council for the instalation of these services in the future. Rustic properties are similar to urbanisable properties in terms of existing services, however, there is no plan for them to become urbanised, meaning they will stay as they are for the foreseeable future.
We ensure that every one of our properties has Land registry title deeds and these can be presented or ordered at any moment. The title deeds will show that the house is registered in the land registry, with independent title and the land has at least “division horizontal” or “segregacion”. If it is not one or the other, it is “Indiviso”, avoid these properties at all cost. Indiviso means that you are a joint owner of your house with your neighbour, and vice versa. You both have to sign at the notary at the same time. This is fine if you get on well with each other, but a potential disaster if not. We know of self proclaimed “Ethical agents” who are selling properties where the house is not registered in any form on the title deeds!
IBI stands for Impuesto de Bienes Inmuebles or Council/property tax. If your house is not registered with the town council, it is not as secure as it could be. If it is not registered with the town hall, you may be excluded from any future planning. Not only that, you need to make sure you pay for all community services such as police, ambulance, fire, street cleaning etc!
In urban areas, the mains services of electricity and water are practically guaranteed, however, in urbanisable/rustic areas, they are not guaranteed. Therefore, in urbanisable areas, ask to see an actual electricity bill for the electric supply, corresponding to the address and also ensure that the well has a constant and sufficient water supply, some areas have water shortages during the summer months (although you can order water tanks etc).
The town hall urbanisation plan (Plan General de Ordenanza Urbanistica) is mainly applicable to urbanisable properties. We use this to check for properties that are in urbanisable areas for future developments, roads, parks, services etc. These services increase the value of the area, however, make sure that an up to date plan of the area is obtained from the council and ensure that your beautiful house will not have a road going through it.
From Chiclana for example, the nearest aiports are Jerez (50km or 30mins), Gibraltar (90km or 60mins), Seville (120km or 80mins) & Malaga (240km or 150mins). A wide choice serving most European and international destinations.
If you are looking for a more traditional Spain with less tourists and more nature, then the Costa de la Luz is for you. If you want to get away from the ghastly multi storey apartment blocks, row after row of developments, then the low rise buildings, spacious landscapes and tranquil residential areas of Chiclana, Conil, Tarifa, Vejer, Zahara, Cadiz are the ideal choice for you. The golden sandy beach of La barrosa has won the coveted European Blue Flag for safety and cleanliness year after year. In 2014, it was voted the BEST BEACH IN SPAIN. Come and enjoy for yourselves!
Most towns have their own schools and colleges. Chiclana, Conil, Barbate, Vejer, Cadiz, Tarifa all have their primary, secondary schools and colleges. Cadiz, Jerez, Algeciras and Seville have all these plus universities. A side from clinics and medical centres in most towns, you will find general hospitals in Cadiz capital, Chiclana/Puerto real, Jerez and Algeciras.
The public transport system is quite basic, but functional, clean and most often timely. Regional buses tend to serve the entire coastline from Cadiz to Algeciras and inland. A new tram line recently completed in 2016 connects Chiclana to San Fernando (5km away), from where trains can be caught to anywhere in Spain, via Seville. Interurban buses run daily, many times in the hour, connecting most urban and suburban areas. Although night time buses do not yet exist. For that you would need to call a taxi.