Documentation Guide

Documents

Deciding to sell your home is a big step — and it often comes with a wave of unfamiliar paperwork and formalities. From property documents and legal certificates to official forms in Spanish, the process can feel daunting, especially if you’re unfamiliar with what’s required.

This is where working with a trusted, experienced agent like HomeEspaña makes all the difference. We understand the documentation process inside and out and will support you every step of the way. Our team can help you obtain, organise, and submit everything correctly and on time, taking the stress out of the process.

Below is a summary of the documentation typically needed when selling a property in Spain. HomeEspaña and your solicitor will ensure you have everything in place, helping to prevent any unnecessary delays and allowing the sale to proceed as smoothly as possible.

Escritura | Title Deed

Below is a summary of the documentation typically needed when selling a property in Spain. HomeEspaña and your solicitor will ensure you have everything in place, helping to prevent any unnecessary delays and allowing the sale to proceed as smoothly as possible.

Copia Simple | Copy of the Deed

You generally receive a copy of the deed on the day you complete your purchase at the Notary, which serves as proof of ownership until the original deed is sent to you by the Land Registry. The notary or your solicitor should be able to send you an electronic copy (pdf) as well, which you can then send by email if requested by your agent or the buyer’s solicitor.

Nota Simple | Land Registry Property Report

This is the first document requested by banks when a potential buyer needs a mortgage to purchase your property. It is basically a non-certified report based on the latest information the Land Registry has about your property. Anyone can request this report online (click here to request in Spanish) using the information contained in the Title Deed. It costs approximately 10€ and will be emailed to you pdf format 24-48 hours after you request it.

Cédula de Habitabilidad / Licencia de 1ª ó 2ª Ocupación | Habitation Certificate

This is the official Title Deed of your property that the Land Registry sends to you by post, normally two or three months after you completed your purchase at the Notary. You will be required to present this original document at the Notary when you sell your property too, so please make sure you always know where it is!

Impuesto de Bienes Inmuebles (IBI) | Council Tax Receipt

You will need to present the most recent receipt from the Town Hall that you paid along with proof of payment from your bank. If you pay the tax by direct debit and do not receive the receipt by post, you can generally request the most recent receipt by email to your Town Hall.

Recibos de Suministros | Utility Receipts

You will need to provide the most recent receipts of your electricity, gas, water and rubbish collection and treatment bills and also provide proof these have been paid from your bank.

Certificado de Deuda con la Comunidad de Propietarios | Community Fees Certificate

If your property is part of condominium (comunidad de vecinos in Spanish), then you will share certain communal upkeep costs with your neighbours. In order to prove you are up to date with your community payments, you will need to request a certificate from the property management company (Administrador de la Finca in Spanish) via the chairperson or president of your condominium.

You may also be asked to provide the minutes from the most recent neighbours’ association meeting, which the property management company can also provide. The minutes will show whether the community is currently paying for any major work on the building, how much debt is outstanding and how much each home owner has to pay every month until this debt is paid.

Certificado de Eficiencia Energética | Energy Performance Certificate

This certificate is required by law and must be presented at the Notary the day you sign for the sale of your property. The certificate is valid for 10 years, but if you do not have a valid certificate, you will need a chartered architect to visit your property to compile a report to obtain one for you. This should not take more than 10 days and costs approximately 150€. Once again, HomeEspaña can help you with this.

Certificado de Deuda Hipotecaria Pendiente | Mortgage Certificate of Debt Pending

If you took out a mortgage to buy your property and there is still an amount pending payment, you will need to ask your bank to issue a Mortgage Certificate of Debt Pending, so the buyer knows how much they need to pay to the bank to cancel the mortgage and how much is left to pay to you. The bank will also charge you for cancelling the mortgage at the Land Registry, which is required for the property to be legally registered in the new owner’s name. If you have paid off your mortgage, but the bank has not cancelled it at the Land Registry, you will need to request a Certificate of Zero Debt (Certificado de Deuda Cero in Spanish) to present at the notary when you sell your house. There is no cost for requesting either certificate.

Declaración de Obra Nueva | Notarised Declaration of New Building Works

If you have carried out any building work on your property since you bought it, you will need to update the information the Land Registry has. The way to do this is via a Notarised Declaration of New Building Works. The first step in this process is to hire a chartered architect to visit your property and measure the new building works. The architect will then present a report to the notary, where you will sign the declaration that will subsequently be submitted to the Land Registry.

IMPORTANT: Please remember that the Land Registry does take a couple of months to officially enter the new information. This is important, as banks need an up-to-date property report (see above) in order to carry out a property valuation and confirm a buyer’s mortgage. So, making sure your Title Deed is up to date before you put your property on the market is a good idea, as you will open up your property to both cash and mortgage buyers. HomeEspaña can check your Deed for you and let you know if anything needs to be done before listing your property.

If a buyer does not need a mortgage to purchase your property, you can present the architect’s report on the same day you sign for the sale of the property. That way the new deed in the buyer’s name will have all the up-to-date information about the property and you only need to pay one visit to the notary to finalise both.

Certificado de No Infracción Urbanística | Certificate Confirming Absence of Illegal Building Works

In the case of rural villas on land declared rustic or semi-consolidated (as opposed to urban properties), building restrictions apply. As a result, most buyers of this type of property will request a certificate from the Town Hall confirming that none of the buildings on the property have infringed any building regulations. Town Halls can take some time to issue these certificates, or reports, so it is a very good idea to request this as soon as possible, as it could delay completion of your sale.