Straight answers about buying, financing and renovating property in Spain. From Lotte and Sander — no sales pitch.
Yes. Spanish banks do lend to international buyers, but the conditions are stricter than most people expect. As a non-resident, you can typically borrow 60 to 70% of the property value. The rest comes from you — plus acquisition costs on top.
What catches most buyers off guard: banks don't assess a good file. They assess a complete, correctly structured file in exactly the right format. If anything is missing or incorrectly structured, the file is returned before being assessed. The timeline resets.
Casa Connecta structures the file and coordinates with our ACI-certified partners so you approach the bank properly prepared. That is often the difference between a six-week process and a three-month one.
Expect to have at least 40 to 50% of the total investment available in liquid funds. That breaks into two parts: your equity contribution (30 to 40% of the property value, since banks finance a maximum of 60 to 70%), plus acquisition costs of 10 to 14% of the purchase price.
In Catalonia, resale properties attract property transfer tax (ITP) of typically 10%. New builds are subject to VAT (IVA, 10%) plus stamp duty (AJD, 1.5%).
Acquisition costs are consistently underestimated and budgeted too late. That is one of the most common reasons buyers have to restart their search entirely.
The exact list varies by bank, but expect at minimum: recent payslips or annual income statements, tax returns for the past two years, three months of bank statements, an employment contract or proof of self-employment, and your passport plus NIE number.
Self-employed applicants typically need more: profit and loss accounts, an accountant's statement and sometimes additional business documentation.
If the format is wrong, banks often return the file before it is ever assessed — even if the content is correct. Translations or apostilles are sometimes required. A complete, correctly structured file is the single biggest factor in whether the process runs smoothly or stalls.
From a fully submitted file to a formal mortgage offer: typically six to twelve weeks. The bank assesses your income, financial history and the property's official valuation.
Under Spanish law, you must receive the offer at least ten calendar days before signing. That cooling-off period is mandatory and cannot be waived.
In practice, the delay is almost never the bank. It sits in the preparation: missing documents, wrong formats, incomplete files. A complete, correctly structured file often gets accepted first time. A poorly prepared one resets the timeline multiple times.
Yes. A Spanish bank account is required for practically everything: paying acquisition costs, mortgage payments, property tax (IBI), utilities and any community fees.
Opening one is usually straightforward once your documentation is in order. You will need your passport, NIE number and proof of address. Most banks offer specific non-resident accounts that work well for property-related transactions.
Cash purchase: typically two to four months from agreed price to completion. With a mortgage: three to six months, since the mortgage process runs alongside legal due diligence.
Key steps: price agreement, optional reservation, legal due diligence by a lawyer, signing the Contrato de Arras with a deposit, arranging financing if needed, and completion at the notary.
The reality is that delays rarely happen at the notary or with the seller. They happen in the stage before the contract. Due diligence, document checks, financing alignment. Without coordination, every party waits for the next. Nobody watches the overall timeline. The buyer becomes the project manager of their own purchase.
The Contrato de Arras is the binding preliminary purchase agreement you sign once you have agreed on a price, but before the final transfer at the notary. You pay a deposit at signing — typically 10% of the purchase price.
It cuts both ways. If you pull out without valid reason, you lose the deposit. If the seller pulls out, they owe you double.
Buyers sign too often before a lawyer has completed due diligence on the property. Once signed, it is difficult to reverse. Certainty first, commitment second.
The nota simple is the first thing a good lawyer requests, and the first thing many buyers skip. It is an extract from the Spanish Land Registry showing the legal owner, any mortgages or charges on the property, and whether the building records match reality.
Your lawyer requests it as part of due diligence, before you sign the Contrato de Arras. A property that looks straightforward on viewing can carry debts, liens or planning irregularities that only surface at the notary — when you are already committed.
A clean nota simple is not a guarantee that everything is in order. An unchecked one is asking for trouble.
Not legally. For international buyers, it is essential in practice.
A lawyer checks the nota simple, looks for outstanding debts, unpaid community fees and charges, verifies that building permits are in order and handles the purchase contract on your behalf.
Skipping independent legal review is the main way things go wrong. For any property with complexity — older buildings, rural properties, extensions built without permits — it is not an optional extra.
The NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero) is your Spanish tax identification number. You need it for any property transaction as a foreigner: signing contracts, opening a Spanish bank account and applying for a mortgage.
You can apply through the Spanish embassy or consulate in your home country, in person at a Spanish police station with an appointment, or through a Spanish lawyer acting on your behalf. Processing times range from a few days to several weeks depending on the method.
Start this early — well before you begin looking at properties seriously.
Expect 10 to 14% of the purchase price in additional costs.
For resale properties in Catalonia, this typically includes property transfer tax (ITP, generally 10%), notary fees, land registry fees and legal fees. For new builds, you pay VAT (IVA, 10%) plus stamp duty (AJD, 1.5%) instead of ITP.
Add a property valuation (300 to 600 euros), a possible mortgage arrangement fee, and annual insurance. Since 2019, banks cover most mortgage registration costs.
As a non-resident owner, you pay three types of tax annually.
IBI (Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles) is the Spanish council tax equivalent. The amount depends on your municipality and the property's cadastral value.
IRNR (Impuesto sobre la Renta de No Residentes) is non-resident income tax. Even if you do not rent the property out, you pay tax on an imputed income based on the cadastral value. Many new owners miss this in the first year and receive a fine.
Wealth tax (Impuesto sobre el Patrimonio) may apply if your net assets in Spain exceed a regional threshold. Rates and exemptions vary by region.
Get advice from a Spanish tax specialist. Casa Connecta does not provide tax advice.
Several — and they almost always come after the purchase.
The IRNR declaration catches many first-year owners by surprise. Community fees are sometimes not fully disclosed during the sale. And renovation costs are structurally underestimated: always budget 15 to 20% contingency on top of any quote.
The acquisition costs themselves are predictable with proper guidance. The first twelve to twenty-four months after purchase are where most international owners get caught out.
Yes. Renovation is often part of the investment strategy for international buyers.
Projects in Spain involve contractors, architects and sometimes a technical architect (aparejador). Most works require permits. The challenge is not finding capable professionals. It is keeping all of them aligned: different country, different working culture, different expectations around communication.
Casa Connecta coordinates communication between all parties so your project stays structured and transparent throughout.
Renovation coordination is limited to Baix Empordà.
In most cases, yes. On the Costa Brava, two come up most often.
A licencia de obra menor covers work that doesn't touch the structure: updating a kitchen or bathroom, replacing tiles, painting, basic electrical or plumbing work. Typically issued within 4 to 8 weeks.
A licencia de obra mayor covers structural changes: extensions, removing walls, façade modifications, new builds, a swimming pool. It requires architect-signed plans and takes 3 to 6 months, sometimes longer.
Many properties on the Costa Brava also carry restrictions due to heritage or landscape protection. Starting work without the correct permit leads to fines and complications when selling later.
It depends heavily on scope. A bathroom or kitchen: four to eight weeks. A full renovation of a larger property: six to twelve months, sometimes longer.
Key factors: availability of skilled tradespeople (demand is high in the Costa Brava), material lead times, and hidden issues that emerge once work begins — particularly in older stone buildings.
Budget 15 to 20% contingency on both cost and timeline from the start.
Yes, with the right structure and reliable people on the ground.
The real problem is not the distance. It is that no one connects the parties. Distance only makes it more expensive when it goes wrong, because you see the signals later.
Without coordination: decisions get made on site without your input, budgets shift without anyone telling you, quality problems become visible too late to fix. With coordination: every decision is documented, progress is structured and visible, budget and timeline stay actively in view.
Renovation coordination is limited to Baix Empordà.
Casa Connecta is the independent property coordinator for international buyers in Spain. We work on your side, only for you. Today we do that through two services: Finance, mortgage coordination across Spain, and Projects, renovation coordination on the Costa Brava.
In Spain, bank, lawyer, contractor and estate agent all operate separately. Nobody watches the overall process, nobody makes sure the right information reaches the right party at the right time, and nobody represents your interests alone. That is what we do.
We do not sell property, provide mortgage advice or carry out construction work.
We work on a fixed coordination fee per project, sized to the scope and complexity. No percentage of the property value, no commissions from banks or contractors.
The cost is always clear upfront. Send us a message and we will give you a concrete picture of what coordination means in your situation and what it costs.
As early as possible — ideally before you start looking at properties.
Starting early gives you a clear picture of your realistic financing options, a proper budget, and time to prepare documentation without pressure. You enter the market from a stronger position.
Buyers who reach out later — after finding a property or after signing a reservation — often face avoidable time pressure. That said, we also work with buyers who are already mid-process and need someone to bring structure to a situation that has become unclear.
The same issues come up again and again.
On the buying side: documents arriving late or in the wrong format, costs that were never explained upfront, parties waiting on each other with nobody following up, and no clear picture of what happens next.
On the renovation side: budgets creeping up without explanation, timelines slipping without notice, quality problems that only become visible once it is too late to act.
These problems rarely come from bad intentions. They come from every party focusing on their own role while nobody watches the whole. That is what coordination prevents.
Send us a message. We read every message personally and reply within 24 hours — in your language, without the sales pitch.
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