Buying a holiday home in Spain

We have been looking at homes to buy in Spain, does the estate agent do all the legal stuff, how can you be sure to trust that the house will definitely belong to you. Also security when your not there, I have been seeing stories on FB about squatters. Can any of you lovely people give me some advice. TIA.

It is recommended to get an independent lawyer rather than one recommended by an estate agent. When you know where you are buying ask for someone local to suggest one in that area. The lawyer will make sure your name is registered on the deeds and it belongs to you. Don't be put off by anything on Facebook.

Thankyou so much.

As Paul Uden says, get an independent solicitor. The one the estate agent recommends or uses will be after repeat business from the estate agent and may not represent you with the same level of service.

The vast majority of sales go through fairly painlessly but the ones that have had problems are the ones who use the agents solicitors. A big UK company in Torrevieja had loads of illegal builds and false documentation passed through by their solicitors. A decent, independent, solicitor will check everything before allowing you to go ahead.

It is also a good idea to take out a small mortgage if you can. Banks are very strict on checking everything before allowing you to borrow. Even something like 15k will mean the banks go through a strict reading of the details before allowing the loan.

If you get "the deeds aren't available at the moment but we'll get them soon" blurb then go elsewhere. You need an up to date deed or nota simple (reduced summary of the deeds) to check everything is registered correctly like swimming pools, underbuilds, extensions and so on.

Best of luck in your search. Lots of properties around at the moment at pretty good prices and the majority will go through without a hitch but just be wary of some of the sales talk and, if possible, check out the area at different times of the year. I would have advised long term renting a while back but circumstances have changed due to the time limits allowed but, if you can rent for, say, a month at a time it would give you the opportunity to check out various areas.

Lots of advice here, thankyou very much.

Use SGM Abogados in Benijófar. They are super professional and will always have your best interests at heart. They've been my legal representation for years without problems. www.sgmlegalspain.com

Thank you so much.

We use Moises in Torrevieja - Very good

I thoroughly recommend SGM in Benijofar. They are excellent.