What to know before buying on the Costa del Sol

Buying a home in Spain follows set steps. Your own lawyer handles the legal side, and we stay with you until you have the keys.

• Preparation: You get an NIE, a Spanish bank account and a mortgage if you need one.
• Homes and viewing trip: You and your advisor find homes that fit and see them in person.
• Offer: We put your offer to the seller or developer.
• Reservation: You often pay a few thousand euros to hold the home for a short period. Let your lawyer read the reservation agreement before you sign.
• Legal checks: Your lawyer checks ownership, debts, licences and the community of owners.
• Purchase contract: You usually pay about 10% of the price as a deposit.
• Signing at the notary: You sign the deed, pay the rest and get the keys. Your lawyer then pays the taxes and registers the deed, often within 1 to 2 months.

Spain has no cooling-off period for home purchases, so read what is binding before you sign anything. Your lawyer confirms what applies to your purchase.

Yes. We work with other agents and developers along the coast through shared property databases, so many of the homes they sell are also in our search.

If you have seen a home elsewhere, send us the link and we will check whether we can show it to you. If you have already viewed a home with another agent, let us know so that you are not registered twice for the same home.

The taxes differ, and so does the process. You see a resale home finished before you buy, while a new build is often bought off plan and paid for in stages.

• Tax: On a resale home you pay 7% transfer tax (ITP) in Andalusia. On a new build bought from the developer you pay 10% VAT (IVA) and 1.2% stamp duty (AJD). See what the purchase costs in total.
• Resale home: You see exactly what you are buying. Your lawyer checks licences, any extensions and whether anything is owed to the community of owners.
• New build: You often buy off plan or after seeing a show home, pay in stages and take over when the home is finished and cleared for use. The developer is legally responsible for building defects. Read how your money is protected.

Your lawyer confirms what applies to your purchase.

Under Spanish law, the developer must cover your payments before completion with a bank guarantee or an insurance policy, from the time the building licence is granted. Ask your lawyer to check that each payment is covered before you pay, the reservation included.

• Payment plan: Often a reservation, a part at the purchase contract, payments while the home is built and the rest at the notary when it is finished.
• Permission to use the home: Before you take over, the home must have a first occupation licence (licencia de primera ocupación), or a declaration that it is ready for use (declaración responsable de ocupación) must have been filed with the town hall.
• Delays: They happen. The build time is in the contract, so ask your lawyer what the contract says if it slips.
• Defects: List what you find at handover and send it to the developer in writing. Ask your lawyer which deadlines apply.

Your lawyer confirms what applies to your purchase.

Start with how you will use the home. Some want the beach and town life, others quiet, golf or schools nearby. We help you compare areas against your plans and budget.

Think about the distance to Málaga airport too: about 25 minutes from Fuengirola and 40 minutes from Marbella. Many homes are built for the heat, and winter nights can be cold, around 7 degrees in January. Check the heating and which way the home faces.

Visit outside the high season if you can, or rent for a while before you buy. Read the area guides or see homes to rent.

Buying a resale home without a mortgage often takes 1 to 2 months from accepted offer to keys. With a Spanish mortgage it often takes 2 to 4 months.

The time depends on the legal checks, your NIE, the bank and the seller. Apply for your NIE early. With a new build the timeline follows construction: you pay in stages until the home is finished, and delays happen.

Your lawyer can give you a timeline for your purchase.

Nothing. Our fee is paid by the seller or developer, never by you as the buyer, and we add nothing to the price. You get an advisor, viewings and follow-up until completion at no cost to you.

You pay the usual purchase costs: tax, notary, land registry and lawyer, plus any mortgage costs. See what the purchase costs come to.

For a resale home, allow roughly 9 to 10% of the price, and for a new build roughly 13 to 14% of the price, VAT included. That assumes your own lawyer and no mortgage.

• Resale home: 7% transfer tax (ITP) in Andalusia.
• New build bought from the developer: 10% VAT (IVA) and 1.2% stamp duty (AJD) in Andalusia.
• Lawyer: Often around 1% of the price plus Spanish VAT, usually with a minimum fee.
• Notary and land registry: Fees set by official scales.

Transfer tax is calculated on the price, or on the official reference value (valor de referencia) if that is higher. Some costs are fixed amounts, so the share is a little lower on more expensive homes. With a Spanish mortgage, the valuation and any bank fees come on top. Currency exchange and transfers from home can also affect the total.

Your lawyer confirms the figures for your property.

As an owner you pay local taxes, community fees, insurance and running costs. You also file a Spanish tax return every year, even if you do not rent the home out.

• IBI, the yearly property tax to the town hall
• Basura, the waste collection fee
• Community fees
• Insurance
• Electricity, water and internet
• The yearly tax for owners who do not live in Spain, see tax in Spain
• Property management if you want it, see help with the home

Before you buy, ask for last year’s IBI receipt, the community’s budget and any approved extra levies (derramas). Your lawyer checks that nothing is owed on the home.

Yes. If you own a home in Spain without living there, you file a Spanish non-resident tax return (Modelo 210) every year, even when the home is not rented out.

• Not rented out: You pay tax on a deemed income based on the home’s cadastral value (valor catastral).
• Rented out: You pay tax on the rental income in Spain. If you live in an EU or EEA country, you can deduct costs for the period the home is rented out, if you have a certificate of tax residence from your home country.
• Your home country: It may also tax the home or the rent. Ask a tax advisor there how to report it.

A gestor (a Spanish agent who handles forms and applications) or a tax advisor can file the returns and work out your situation.

Yes. You need an NIE, the Spanish identification number for foreigners, to sign at the notary. Everyone who will own the home needs their own.

You can apply in three ways:

• At the Spanish embassy or consulate in the country where you live, by appointment.
• At a police station in Spain. Appointments on the Costa del Sol are scarce.
• Through a lawyer or a gestor (a Spanish agent who handles forms and applications) with your power of attorney.

Through an embassy or consulate it often takes a few weeks, sometimes a couple of months, so start early.

You can buy without one, but in practice you need a Spanish account before completion. IBI, community fees, electricity and water are usually paid by direct debit from a Spanish account.

Banks usually ask for your passport, your NIE and a certificate showing that you are not resident in Spain (certificado de no residencia), which has to be renewed regularly. Rules and fees vary from bank to bank.

The notary and the bank record how the price is paid, so keep documents that show where the money comes from.

It is possible. Spanish banks lend to buyers who do not live in Spain, but usually a lower share of the price than you may be used to at home. The bank assesses your own income.

• Do not count on the bank including future rental income.
• Some buyers borrow in their home country instead, for example against a home they own there.
• The binding loan offer comes after the valuation, and by law you must have it at least 10 days before you sign at the notary. Allow several weeks.
• The valuation and any bank fees come on top of the purchase costs.

Let your lawyer read the loan offer before you sign.

Check that emails, websites and phone numbers match the ones on this page. If you are unsure, call us on a number you found yourself, not one from an email.

• Website: solkysten.no. Note that solkysten.dk is not ours.
• Email: Emails from us come from addresses ending in @solkysten.no or @solkysten.es. A sender address can be faked, so always confirm payment details by phone, even if the email seems to come from us.
• Phone: +47 911 79 576 for our advisors and +47 905 85 188 for property management. The first is also on the contact page and on your advisor’s contact card, the second on the property management page.
• Company: Solkysten Homes S.L., NIF B22592406, Avenida del Higuerón 80 D, 29640 Fuengirola.

When you buy a home, we never ask you to pay to an account number in an email. Read how to pay safely.

We help you find, compare and buy the right home, and we stay with you until you have the keys. Your own lawyer works for you and handles the legal checks and the contracts.

What we do:

• Find out what you need
• Find and compare homes, including homes listed by other agents
• Plan your viewing trip
• Put your offer to the seller or developer
• Collect documents from the seller or developer for your lawyer
• Keep everyone updated until completion
• Help after the purchase if you want, for example with property management

What your lawyer does:

• Checks ownership, debts, licences and the community of owners
• Reads and negotiates the contracts
• Handles the taxes and the registration

We do not give legal or tax advice, and we do not receive the purchase price or your deposit. We can suggest lawyers, but you choose, and you are just as welcome to use a lawyer you find yourself. Read more about your own lawyer.

It is not required by law, but we always recommend that you use your own lawyer, who works for you and not for the seller or developer.

Your lawyer checks, among other things:

• Who owns the home, and whether there are mortgages or other charges on it (nota simple)
• That the cadastral record (Catastro) matches the home
• Licences and any extensions that are not registered
• Debts to the community of owners and approved extra levies
• That IBI, electricity and water are paid
• The energy certificate
• The rental licence status if you want to rent out
• For a new build: the building licence and the guarantee for each payment

The notary is neutral and does not replace your lawyer, see what the notary does. For what a lawyer costs, see purchase costs.

No. You do not need to sign anything on the viewing trip.

Viewing homes does not commit you to anything. You are only bound when you sign an offer, a reservation or a contract, or pay a deposit, see what is binding.

If you like a home, we can ask the seller whether it can be held for a few days while your lawyer looks at the papers.

Some agents and developers ask you to sign a viewing form (hoja de visita) that records who showed you the home. It is not a purchase, but read it before you sign, because it can affect who you can later buy the home through.

A reservation, a purchase contract and a deposit all bind you, and so can a signed offer that the seller accepts. Spain has no cooling-off period for home purchases, so let your lawyer read everything before you sign or pay.

• Reservation: Holds the home for you for a short period, often a few weeks. Whether you get the money back depends entirely on what it says.
• Purchase contract with deposit: Usually about 10% of the price. Where the contract says so, you lose the deposit if you pull out, and the seller pays you back double if they pull out.

Before you sign, make sure that:

• Your lawyer has done the checks, or the contract makes the purchase conditional on them.
• You know the total cost, see purchase costs.
• Your mortgage and NIE are in place, or there is time for them in the plan.
• You know what happens if the seller or developer cannot complete.

Your lawyer confirms what applies to your purchase.

When you buy a home, we never ask you to pay to an account number sent by email. If you receive new or changed payment details, call your lawyer on a number you already have and confirm the account number before you pay.

Fraudsters copy emails from lawyers, agents and developers, and an account number can be swapped while the rest of the email looks right. As a buyer you never pay anything to Solkysten, and you make large payments only as the contract sets out, to accounts your lawyer has confirmed.

If you are unsure, check that it is us and call us.

Yes. Decide the ownership shares before you sign at the notary, because the deed shows who owns how much of the home.

If you buy with your partner, inheritance of the home can follow different rules from the ones you know at home, and unmarried partners often do not inherit from each other without a will. Many buyers therefore make a will that covers the Spanish home. Spain charges inheritance tax on homes in Spain, even when the heirs live in another country. Your ownership share also matters for the yearly tax return. If you buy alone, a will for the Spanish home is still worth considering.

Talk to your lawyer about how you will own the home, a will and inheritance tax before you sign.

The notary is a neutral public official who draws up and authenticates the deed so the change of ownership can be registered. The notary does not work for you and does not check the home.

The notary:

• Checks your identity and that both parties have the right to sign
• Checks the land registry on the day
• Reads through the deed with you
• Records how the price is paid
• Sends the deed on for registration

The notary does not inspect the home, check planning and licences or advise you. That is your lawyer’s job.

If you cannot be there, someone can sign for you with a power of attorney. As the buyer you can often choose the notary.

You sign the deed at the notary, the rest of the price is paid, and you get the keys.

You, or someone with your power of attorney, attend with the seller or developer and often your lawyer. Your advisor stays with you until you have the keys. After signing, your lawyer pays the taxes and has the deed registered, often within 1 to 2 months.

Read the meters and count the keys before you leave. See what to sort out afterwards.

Put contracts and payments in your name, and get the home ready for your first stay.

Ready for your first arrival:

• Meter readings for electricity and water, with photos
• Electricity and water in your name
• Direct debit for IBI and basura
• Tell the community of owners or its administrator that you are the new owner
• Insurance from day one
• Internet
• Keys counted, and consider new locks

The yearly tax return applies even if you do not rent out, see tax in Spain. With a new build, list any defects and send them to the developer in writing. If you want help with the home, our property management team can look after it.

It depends on your citizenship. EU, EEA and Swiss citizens have no 90-day limit but must register after three months. Citizens of the UK and many other countries can stay 90 days in any 180 without a visa. Owning a home changes neither rule.

As an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen living in Spain for more than three months, you register as a resident. You need to show, among other things, that you can support yourself and have health cover, and you get a registration certificate with your NIE. If you spend more than 183 days a year in Spain, you normally become tax resident there, see living in Spain for much of the year.

If you are not an EU or EEA citizen, read buying from outside the EU and EEA.

Register as a resident if you live in Spain for more than three months, and check tax, health cover and the rules in your home country before you move.

• Registration: EU, EEA and Swiss citizens apply for a registration certificate at the immigration office (Oficina de Extranjería) or the police, and register with the town hall (padrón). Other citizens need a visa or residence permit, see buying from outside the EU and EEA.
• Tax: If you spend more than 183 days a year in Spain, you normally become tax resident there. That changes how your income and assets are taxed. Your home country may still treat you as tax resident for some time after you move, so check its rules too.
• Health and pensions: Your rights differ between visiting Spain and living there.

Talk to a lawyer and a tax advisor before you move.

Yes. You can buy a home in Spain without being an EU or EEA citizen.

Without a visa you can usually stay 90 days in any 180-day period, depending on your nationality. Since April 2026 entries and exits are recorded digitally (EES), so the days are counted automatically. Longer stays need a visa or residence permit, for example the visa for people with their own income who will not work in Spain. Buying a home no longer gives you residence: Spain ended the residence route for property investors in April 2025.

An immigration lawyer can confirm the rules that apply to you now.

It depends on the town hall, the community of owners and whether the home can be registered for holiday rental.

• Short-term holiday rental in Andalusia needs registration with the Junta de Andalucía (a VUT number) before you rent out.
• If the home is part of a community of owners, including a townhouse or villa on a shared development, the community must now approve new holiday rentals by a three-fifths majority.
• Some towns limit new holiday rentals.
• A registered rental licence is no guarantee that you can keep renting the property out once you own it. The licence does not pass to you automatically when the property changes hands, and the town hall and the community of owners can change the rules for holiday rentals.
• Guests must be registered with the police, and the rental income is taxed, see tax in Spain.

Check this with a lawyer before you buy if renting out matters to you. If you want help with renting out, read about property management.

Yes. Our property management team looks after homes along the whole Costa del Sol, with a local property manager as your contact.

You can choose between two services:

• Home care and key holding: Regular visits, deliveries taken in, tradespeople let in, and the home made ready for your arrival. A fixed monthly price.
• Rental management: Pricing, listings, guests, cleaning and check-in, with your own stays as part of the plan.

Email team@solkysten.es or read about property management.

You set an asking price, gather the documents and sign at the notary once you have found a buyer. Your lawyer handles the legal side.

• Valuation: We look at the home and the market with you and agree an asking price.
• Documents: The deed, the latest IBI receipt, a certificate from the community of owners that nothing is owed, the energy certificate and any licences.
• Marketing and viewings: We present the home and show it to interested buyers.
• The buyer’s checks: The buyer’s lawyer goes through the home and the papers.
• Reservation and purchase contract: The buyer commits, often with a deposit.
• Signing at the notary: The deed is signed and you are paid.

See also taxes and costs when you sell, and read about selling with us.

If you do not live in Spain, the buyer holds back 3% of the price and pays it to the Spanish tax agency on your behalf. You then file a tax return on the gain.

• Tax on the gain: It is set against the 3%. If the 3% is more than the tax, you can get money back.
• Plusvalía municipal: A municipal tax on the increase in the land value. If you do not live in Spain, the buyer pays it for you and usually deducts it from the price.
• Agency fee: Paid by you as the seller.
• Lawyer: Your own lawyer’s fee.
• Mortgage: Any mortgage on the home must be paid off and cancelled.
• Your home country: The sale may also affect your tax there.

A gestor (a Spanish agent who handles forms and applications) or a tax advisor can work out your situation.