Are you looking for a house in Spain? Then you will come across a lot of legal terms in Spanish. But also words like chalet or cortijo, designations for a certain kind of houses. This can all be very complicated. But with this glossary and extensive explanations, it becomes a little easier.
A
Abogado A good lawyer can help you with the buying process. There are many lawyers in Spain who know both the Spanish and English rules.
Ajuar Many houses in Spain are sold including contents, especially if they are houses that can also be rented out.
Alquiler If you buy a house and want to rent it out, always check whether that is allowed. And speaking of renting. Before you buy, it's always advisable to rent something in the neighborhood, so you can be sure it's the place of your dreams. And a house that is also rented you might want to rent before buying.
Arras is a deposit or advance. It is common to ask for a deposit in a 'contrato de arras', a preliminary sales contract. This is how the seller knows you are serious and will take the house off the market.
Arrendamiento This term refers to renting and leasing. A contrato de arrendamiento lays down the agreements between the tenant and the landlord.
Asesor fiscal Before you buy a house in Spain, it is important that you hire a tax advisor to estimate what tax consequences the purchase will have.
C
Casa adosada A casa adosada is a terraced house, often with a garden or a terrace.
Catastro The land register describes the property. Always have that checked before you buy. It is often confused with the term registro de la propiedad (see below for more explanation)
Cédula de habitabilidad The certificate of habitability. If you buy a house in Spain and want to live in it, you will need a cédula de habitabilidad. This document is often provided by the seller of this property. The cédula de habitabilidad states that the space meets a number of minimum requirements such as solid construction.
Certificado de aprovechamiento urbanistico This certificate is important when you buy a building plot. In it the municipality indicates what building regulations there are for this land.
Certificado de empadronamiento This is proof that you are registered in a municipality.
Certificado de fin de obra Once you have this, you can breathe a sigh of relief. It is the declaration of completion signed by the architect and contractor. With this you can show that the construction was carried out according to plan.
Chalet Although the term suggests otherwise, this is a villa or detached house with a garden, often in the suburbs.
Comisaría de policía To obtain a Spanish tax number you can go to the Spanish consulate or a Spanish police station.
Comunidad de propietarios As in the Netherlands, maintenance and work on common parts of apartment buildings is regulated by the comunidad de propietarios, the owners' association
Contrato de opción de compraventa Purchase option contract
Contrato privado de compraventa Preliminary sales contract
Cortijo House in the countryside with land attached.
D
Declaración de obra nueva When the new construction is completed it can be registered with the declaration of new construction.
Departemento de Extranjeros In the larger cities, you can apply for a Spanish tax number, a NIE, at the department for foreigners at the police station.
Derecho de urbanización If building rights are granted, a piece of land may be built on.
DIA The Documento Informativo Abreviado or abbreviated information document provides potential buyers with all the relevant data about the property such as dimensions, purchase price, connections, year of construction etc. Always ask for it, it is free.
E
Escritura If you are buying a property ask for a copy of the title deed from the seller and have it carefully reviewed by a legal advisor. He can check whether the data corresponds to the data known at the registro de propiedad (property register) and the catastro (part of the Spanish tax authorities).
F
Finca The terms finca and cortijo are often used interchangeably. A cortijo is usually land with a larger house on it. There are several types of fincas. A finca urbana is building land on which, in general, a house can be built. A finca rústica is land that in principle is not intended for housing, such as agricultural plots, forests, water catchment areas or protected nature reserves. Under certain strict conditions you can also get a permit to build a house on a finca rústica. And then there is the finca urbanizable. This is a finca rústica that, according to the zoning plan, can be changed into finca urbana under certain conditions.
G
Gestor For the filing of local and national tax returns, it is wise to engage the services of a gestor, a tax specialist who will ensure that all Spanish tax obligations are correctly dealt with.
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H
Hacienda The Spanish tax authorities are officially called Agencia Estatal de Administración Tributaria (AEAT). In popular speech, however, everyone talks about hacienda.
I
IBI The Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles or property tax is determined by the municipality and usually paid by direct debit. It can also be paid in instalments. More information about the IBI can be found here.
INSS The INSS Instituto Nacional de la Seguridad Social is the Spanish health and social security insurance.
IP If you buy a house in Spain, take into account the Impuesto sobre el Patrimonio, the wealth tax. This can be as high as 3.5%. But there is an exemption of €700,000, so if you have a small house, this is not so bad. You can read more about the different IP rates here.
IRNR When buying a house in Spain, also remember that you have to pay the Impuesto sobre la Renta de No-Residentes, the Income Tax for Non-Residents. You have to pay this tax if you rent out your house but also if you do not rent it out. You can see how much it is here.
IRPF The Impuesto sobre la renta de las personas físicas is the income tax that every foreigner resident in Spain must pay.
L
Licencia de obra Without a building permit it is better not to build in Spain. You run the risk of having to demolish everything and you can forget about selling it for a good profit without valid papers.
N
NIE This Spanish tax number, the Número de Indentificación de Extranjeros, is needed for all financial transactions in Spain.
P
Padrón The padrón is the municipal population register. Empadronar means to register yourself in the population register at the town hall.
Piso A piso in an apartment
Plusvalía This municipal capital gains tax is levied when you sell your house. In these articles you can read how to pay less plusvalía.
R
Registro de la propiedad This term for property register is often confused with the term catastro. This is also confusing because in Spain there are two systems for registering property. The land registry (catastro) contains the actual description of the property, such as location, size of the plot, buildings, etc. Based on the description in the cadastre, the cadastral value (valor catastral) is determined. This value is the basis for determining the municipal tax (IBI tax) and the non-resident tax. In the property register (Registro de la Propiedad) you will find not only the data from the land register but also the history of the owners and any other rights or such as the right of way. Always make sure that you buy the property from the rightful owner mentioned in the property register. If you make any changes to a property, you are obliged to inform both the land registry and the property register.
S
Se alquila If you see this it means that the house is for rent
Se vende If you see a house with this sign it is for sale
Seguro de hogar Property and contents insurance
V
Valor catastral The cadastral value based on which taxes are levied.
Vivienda This is the general term for dwelling which may include pisos as well as chalets adosados, fincas and cortijos.
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