Platinum Legal Spain provides an independent, buyer-focused conveyancing coordination service for property transactions in Spain, and clearly explains which professionals are involved at each stage. Scope typically covers pre-purchase due diligence, reservation and private-contract review, NIE and power-of-attorney route guidance, purchase-tax planning, notary coordination for the escritura pública, completion and post-completion Land Registry inscription and tax filings. Off-plan and new-build transactions include additional stages. Sellers are supported through the equivalent seller-side process. Fees depend on the purchase price, transaction type, financing, location and the work required — you'll receive a written quotation before engagement. Book a consultation and we'll set out the scope and quote for your specific situation.
Our Service Scope
Platinum Legal Spain is a legal-specialist service that coordinates the buyer-facing side of a Spanish property transaction. We are not the notary and we are not the government office issuing your NIE or registering your title — we are the single English-speaking point of contact that keeps the transaction organised, explains what each professional does, and ensures the pieces come together on time.
A typical buyer engagement covers:
- Pre-transaction review and case scoping.
- Pre-purchase due-diligence coordination.
- Explanation of reservation, private purchase and (where relevant) developer contract terms.
- NIE requirements and application-route guidance.
- Power-of-attorney route guidance where you cannot attend in person.
- Purchase-tax planning (ITP or IVA + AJD) and calculation coordination.
- Notary coordination for the escritura pública.
- Post-completion Land Registry inscription follow-up.
- Post-completion tax filings and utility / community-of-owners setup.
- Ongoing Modelo 210 introduction for non-resident owners.
For the broad information hub on buying property, see our buying property guide.
What We Check
Pre-purchase checks aim to identify anything that would affect the transaction before it becomes the buyer's problem. See our pre-purchase due diligence page. Areas typically covered:
Title (nota simple)
Registered owner, ownership history, and any registered charges, embargoes or third-party claims.
Planning & licences
Building licence, first-occupation licence (LPO), cédula de habitabilidad where required, and any known planning issues or unlicensed works. See illegal builds.
Cadastral
Cadastral registration matches title and the physical property; Valor de Referencia identified for tax purposes.
Debts & charges
Certain property-related liabilities may affect the property or the buyer if not identified and dealt with before completion.
Boundaries & extensions
Physical extent matches registered plans; any works have the appropriate licences.
Coastal law
DPMT status for beachfront and near-beach properties. See Ley de Costas.
Due diligence before signing prevents inherited problems
Careful pre-purchase checks help ensure title, planning, licensing and tax issues are addressed before the private purchase contract commits the buyer.
Contract Support
We review and explain the contracts you'll encounter through the transaction:
- Reservation contract — refundability terms and scope.
- Arras / private purchase contract — price, deposit, completion date, penalties. See arras.
- Developer contract — for off-plan and new-build. See developer contract review.
- Mortgage contract — where borrowing.
- Escritura pública — the notarial deed itself, prepared by the notary and reviewed with you before signing.
- Payment-protection (off-plan) — bank guarantee or insurance policy covering advance payments. See bank guarantee.
Our role is to explain terms, flag areas for negotiation, and coordinate with the appropriate Spanish professional where formal drafting or advocacy is required.
Process & Deliverables
Consultation & engagement
Initial call, case scoping, written quotation, engagement letter.
NIE & POA route (as needed)
Guidance on obtaining your NIE and, where you cannot attend in person, on arranging a power-of-attorney route with an appropriate Spanish professional.
Reservation review
Review of the reservation contract before you sign — refundability, price, scope.
Due-diligence coordination
Coordination of property, title, planning, tax and financial checks. Written summary of anything material.
Private purchase contract
Contract review, terms explained, negotiation points identified.
Between contract and completion
Mortgage-finalisation coordination (if applicable), residual issues resolved, notary appointment booked, tax provisions calculated.
Completion at notary
Attendance coordinated. Where a POA route is in place, the appointed Spanish professional attends under the POA arrangement.
Post-completion
Tax filings coordinated, Land Registry inscription followed up, utility transfers and community-of-owners registration organised, direct debits set up, Modelo 210 introduction for non-resident owners.
NIE & Power-of-Attorney Routes
Two adjacent items that typically arise alongside conveyancing:
NIE (Número de Identificación de Extranjero)
Every foreign buyer needs a NIE. We guide you through the NIE requirements and the appropriate application route — Spanish consulate abroad, extranjería in Spain, or via representation with an appropriate Spanish professional and power of attorney. See our NIE for buying guide.
Power of Attorney
Where you cannot attend in person, we can explain the available POA route and coordinate with the appropriate Spanish professional or notary. The POA is signed at a Spanish notary or at a home-country notary with apostille and sworn Spanish translation. See our POA guide. Lead time is typically 2–4 weeks.
Purchase-Tax Planning
Purchase-side tax is one of the largest cost lines. We coordinate:
- ITP for resale purchases — regionally set (commonly 6–10%), calculated on the higher of purchase price and Valor de Referencia. Filed within 30 days.
- IVA + AJD for new-build purchases — IVA 10%, AJD 0.5–2% by region.
- Notary and Land Registry fees (regulated tariffs — not tax, but coordinated at completion).
- Ongoing non-resident property tax (Modelo 210) introduction for non-resident owners.
See our full cost guide and property tax overview.
Off-Plan & New-Build
Off-plan and new-build transactions include additional stages — see our off-plan & new-build guide. Our conveyancing support for off-plan covers:
- Developer and scheme background review.
- Reservation contract review.
- Private purchase contract review — the developer template can be lengthy and skewed toward the developer.
- Verification of payment-protection arrangements for advance payments at each stage.
- Stage-payment tracking and IVA reconciliation.
- Coordination if delay or delivery issues arise.
- Snagging coordination pre-handover.
- Escritura at completion and post-handover title, tax and Land Registry follow-up.
Because off-plan work is staged over 18–36 months and involves more moving parts than resale, fees are quoted individually per scheme.
Seller-Side Support
We support sellers through the equivalent seller-side process — see our selling property guide. Scope typically includes:
- Pre-sale document review and CGT projection coordination.
- Reservation and private-contract terms explained.
- Buyer-side due-diligence responses.
- Notary coordination for completion.
- Post-sale plusvalía and, for non-residents, CGT (generally 19% for non-resident individuals) filing coordination via Modelo 210.
- 3% withholding reconciliation for non-resident sellers.
- Selling from abroad via power-of-attorney route.
Fees & Quotation
Fees depend on the purchase price, transaction type (resale, new-build, off-plan), financing (cash or mortgage), location and the specific work required. You'll receive a written quotation before engagement.
Because the work required varies materially between a €120,000 resale with clean paperwork and a €900,000 off-plan across three stage payments with a mortgage, we don't publish fixed percentages. Instead, at consultation we scope the transaction and issue a written quote covering:
- The scope of the service and what's included.
- The fee for the core engagement.
- Any additional-cost items (third-party costs, consular charges, apostilles, courier, insurance, additional translations) — separate unless expressly included.
- Payment schedule.
Adjacent tasks such as ongoing Modelo 210 filings, catch-up filings, or supplementary work are quoted separately.
Why Appoint Us
Buyer-focused
An independent, buyer-focused coordination service — we are appointed by you and represent your interests. When choosing legal support anywhere in Spain, the buyer should confirm who the professional represents, whether any referral arrangement exists and whether there is any conflict of interest.
English throughout
All communication in English, with translation of Spanish documents where needed.
Single point of contact
One dedicated English-speaking contact throughout the transaction — you don't juggle notary, gestor, agent and multiple Spanish professionals.
Written quotation up front
The scope and fee are set out in writing before engagement, so there are no surprises.
Qualified Spanish involvement
Working alongside independent, appropriately qualified Spanish professionals where required for formal legal, tax or notarial work.
Post-completion continuity
Continued availability for ongoing non-resident tax, correspondence and administrative tasks that follow the transaction.
Remote & Area Coverage
Because our service is coordination-based and we work alongside Spanish professionals across the country, we support international buyers and sellers in all of Spain's expat regions — Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Costa Cálida, Costa Brava, Balearics, Canary Islands, Madrid metro and inland areas. Full remote-client coverage: many of our clients complete the transaction from abroad using a power-of-attorney route, only travelling to Spain when they choose to.
Related Guides
Frequently Asked Questions
Not legally required, but strongly recommended. The Spanish notary confirms the authenticity of the deed but is not the buyer's representative. Careful pre-purchase checks and contract review help identify title, planning, licensing and tax issues before the buyer commits. Platinum Legal Spain provides an independent, buyer-focused coordination service and clearly explains which professionals are involved at each stage.
Pre-transaction review, pre-purchase due-diligence coordination, contract review (reservation, private purchase and — for off-plan — developer contract), NIE requirements and application-route guidance, power-of-attorney route guidance where you cannot attend in person, purchase-tax planning, notary coordination for the escritura pública, post-completion Land Registry follow-up, and post-completion tax filings and community-of-owners setup. Ongoing Modelo 210 introduction is included for non-resident owners.
Fees depend on the purchase price, transaction type, financing, location and the work required. You'll receive a written quotation before engagement. At consultation, we scope the transaction and set out the scope of service, the fee for the core engagement, any additional-cost items (third-party costs, consular charges, apostilles, courier, insurance, additional translations — separate unless expressly included), and the payment schedule.
Yes. Where you cannot attend in person, a power-of-attorney route can be arranged with an appropriate Spanish professional. The POA is signed at a Spanish notary or at a home-country notary with apostille and sworn Spanish translation. Lead time is typically 2–4 weeks. Many clients complete the transaction from abroad and only travel to Spain when they choose to. We coordinate the whole process end to end.
No — Platinum Legal Spain provides an independent, buyer-focused coordination service, and works alongside qualified Spanish professionals where required. A recommendation from an agent or developer does not automatically mean the professional is unsuitable, but the buyer should always confirm who the professional represents, whether any referral arrangement exists and whether there is any conflict of interest. Our service is engaged by the buyer.
A resale purchase typically runs 6–12 weeks from reservation to escritura, plus a few more weeks for post-completion filings and Land Registry inscription. Completed new-builds run similarly. Off-plan purchases run 18–36 months from private contract to escritura, with stage payments across the build period. NIE acquisition is often on the practical critical path — starting early is usually the biggest single improvement to timing.
Yes. Full seller-side conveyancing support — pre-sale document review, CGT projection coordination, contract terms explained, notary coordination for completion, post-sale plusvalía, CGT via Modelo 210 (generally 19% for non-resident individuals), and 3% withholding reconciliation. Selling from abroad is normally arranged through a power-of-attorney route with an appropriate Spanish professional. See our selling property guide for the full seller-side view.
Because the service is coordination-based, we support international buyers and sellers across all of Spain's expat regions — Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Costa Cálida, Costa Brava, Balearics, Canary Islands, Madrid metro and inland areas. Remote clients are fully supported: many clients complete the transaction from abroad using a power-of-attorney route.