Estate
Agents and Lawyers
Although
most people buy property in Spain through a real estate agent, you should still
be extremely cautious when appointing one.
Real Estate agents are not lawyers
and this should be remembered, as often they will offer great amounts of legal
advice and insurance in the hope of receiving their monies.
There are regulations
in place that registered Real Estate agents should check the situation of properties
they sell.
However:
- Estate agent activity has confusing regulations and laws.
- No licence is necessarily
required: anyone can sell properties in Spain. Some of the highest rated agencies
in the Costa del Sol are not registered. If they are not registered, there are
no regulations that they have to follow.
- Agents can be more interested
in getting the sale rather than checking the legal status of the properties to
ensure everything is above board.
- The language barrier is a problem for
some agents who have a poor understanding of legal terminology.
There
are both licensed and unlicensed agents in Spain who are excellent.
An
agent may get into trouble when investigating the legal information of
a property. This is best left to a lawyer who will provide the legal guarantees
for the purchase of the property. The lawyer will ensure that the Spanish legal
requirements are met and that the property is bought free of any charge or debts.
He/She will check the property is up to date in all its payments of local contributions
and community charges.
For
more in depth information on this topic, we highly recommend:
Buying a Home in Spain Click
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