Buying a property on the Costa del Sol Spain

3. Finding a Lawyer

Ideally, you should find an independent, English-speaking lawyer at the outset of your of your property search. Finding a competent lawyer at this stage ensures, as with your finances, that when you find your perfect property – everything is in place. Use a lawyer that is recommended by a friend or an independent, trustworthy source.

Most commentators suggest using a lawyer who is wholly independent of your lawyer or developer. This is sound advice and gives you the assurance that your lawyer will act solely in your interests and has no conflicting interests.

However, the experience of this company has given us an alternative view that we believe buyers should consider. We use one firm for all our legal matters and we advise our buyers and sellers to use the same firm. This is because, in our experience, incompetence and inactivity are prevalent in many law firms in Spain and we believe that we have found a firm with a standard of professionalism and efficiency that is unparalleled.

The choice of lawyer is ultimately yours and it is a very important one that should not be rushed.

You should never use the in-house lawyer of an agent or developer because there is a direct conflict of interest and you cannot rely on advice from these sources.

Some transactions can be completed using a ‘Gestor’. This is an administrative agent who specialises in administrative and bureaucratic undertakings for clients in Spain. However, a Gestor is not a lawyer, and it is recommended that you use a lawyer when purchasing a property in Spain.