Investment approach
Buying a flat in Barcelona step by step: from budget to keys
Nine steps from budget to registration and the deadlines the law sets: ten days for the bank's documents, a six-month life for the valuation, the community debt certificate before the notary.
Buying a flat in Barcelona follows one route: budget and financing, search, valuation and offer, a check before the deposit, the arras (deposit contract), the mortgage, the notary, taxes and registration. Some deadlines are set by law: for example, the bank hands the borrower the mortgage document package at least 10 calendar days before signing (art. 14 Ley 5/2019, the law on real estate credit contracts). The costliest mistakes happen not at the notary but earlier, when the deposit is signed without checking the price and the documents.
What steps the route consists of
It is convenient to keep the route in front of you in one table: the step, the main document and the rule it rests on.
| Step | What happens | Main document | What it rests on |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Budget | Price plus tax and costs | Calculation of the full sum | ITP (transfer tax) of 10% up to 600,000 € (ATC) |
| 2. Financing and NIE | Talk to a bank or broker, the foreigner's number | The bank's preliminary assessment, NIE | Banks usually lend up to 80% of the tasación (bank valuation) (Banco de España) |
| 3. Search and viewings | A short list, one checklist | A written brief | Comparison on the same criteria |
| 4. Valuation and offer | Price from deals, written offer | An offer with conditions | Closed deals, not listings |
| 5. Check before the deposit | Documents, building, flat | Nota simple (property register extract), community debt certificate | art. 553-5 CCCat (Civil Code of Catalonia) |
| 6. Arras | Price, amount, term, exit conditions | Contrato de arras | art. 621-8 CCCat |
| 7. Mortgage | Tasación, FEIN, notarial record | FEIN (standardised information sheet) and FiAE (standardised warnings sheet) | art. 14 and 15 Ley 5/2019 |
| 8. Notary | Escritura (notarial deed), payment, keys | Escritura pública | The notary's checks |
| 9. Taxes and register | ITP, registration, utility contracts | Model 600 (the tax return form), entry in the register | ATC, Registro de la Propiedad |
What to do before the first viewing
Start with the full sum, not with the listings. In Catalonia a resale home costing up to 600,000 € is subject to ITP at 10%, above that on a progressive scale, and for a gran tenedor (large property holder) and for buying a whole residential building the rate is 20% (ATC). On top come the notary, the register, the lawyer and possible renovation. Your own figures are easy to run through the calculator.
If a mortgage is needed, the conversation with the bank comes before the search: that way the buyer does not spend weeks on flats they cannot finance. The NIE is processed in parallel, because without it the deal cannot be signed at the notary: details in the article on the NIE for a buyer.
How to get from a viewing to an offer
After the viewings two or three flats remain, and each needs its own price. It is calculated from closed deals on similar flats nearby, not from the listing price. The offer is made in writing: the price, the source of funds, what is included in the deal, the conditions, the deadline for signing the arras and the period the offer stays valid. How to draw it up is described in the article on an offer to the seller.
What to check before the deposit
The check is finished before the arras is signed, because after that leaving the deal costs money.
- Nota simple. The owner, mortgages, attachments, encumbrances. The Colegio de Registradores (the professional body of property registrars) calls it a document that is "puramente informativa" (Registradores), so the final check is made by the lawyer.
- Debts to the community. The flat answers for them for the current year and the four previous ones, and the seller must present the secretary's certificate of debts and approved charges (art. 553-5 CCCat).
- Cédula de habitabilidad (habitability certificate) and energy certificate. A copy of the certificate with its label is attached to the sale contract.
- Building and flat. Minutes of owners' meetings, the building's technical inspection, the layout matching the documents.
The full list with explanations is collected in the due diligence checklist.
What is signed in the arras
The arras fix the price, the amount of the deposit, the notary date and the conditions on which the parties may exit. In Catalonia money handed to the seller is by default arras confirmatorias: part of the price and a token that a contract has been concluded. The right to withdraw by losing the deposit (arras penitenciales) arises only if it was expressly agreed; if the seller withdraws, they return it double (art. 621-8 CCCat). The text is read by the buyer's abogado (lawyer), not just by the seller's agency.
How to fit the mortgage into the timetable: a worked example
Worked example, not a forecast. The arras are signed, the notary date is in eight weeks. Count back from the day of the deal.
| When | What must happen | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | The bank orders the tasación | The report is valid for six months (art. 62 Orden ECO/805/2003) |
| Weeks 2–4 | The valuation is ready, the bank approves the loan | The bank's decision |
| No later than day −10 | The buyer has received the FEIN, FiAE and draft contract | art. 14 Ley 5/2019 |
| No later than day −1 | Notarial record explaining the terms, free of charge | art. 15 Ley 5/2019 |
| Day 0 | Escritura of sale and of mortgage | Notary |
If the tasación is delayed by two weeks, the margin almost disappears. That is why the notary date in the arras is set with the bank's timings in mind, and what happens in case of delay is written in.
What happens at the notary and after
At the notary the escritura is signed, payment is made and the keys are usually handed over. By then the price and the documents have been agreed, and the appointment is not the place for new negotiations; details in the article on the day of the deal at the notary. After the deal the ITP is paid on Model 600, the title is registered and the utility contracts are put in the new owner's name.
When the standard route does not work
The route changes in several cases: a new build from a developer (IVA instead of ITP, and guarantees on advance payments), a flat with a tenant, a purchase from a bank or at auction, a sale by a non-resident, when the buyer withholds 3% of the price against the seller's tax. In each of them separate checks are added to the steps, and they are agreed with the abogado before the offer.
Questions and answers
How long does buying a flat in Barcelona take?
The search takes the longest and depends on the market and the brief. From the arras to the notary it is usually a few weeks; the exact term is fixed in the deposit contract with the mortgage in mind.
Can I buy a flat in Barcelona without an agent?
The law does not require a buyer's agent. Then the buyer checks the price and documents and negotiates alone or with a lawyer, remembering that the seller's agency works for the seller.
What should I check before signing the arras?
The price from closed deals, the nota simple, the debt certificate and minutes of the community, the cédula, the energy certificate and whether the flat matches its documents.
When must the bank hand over the mortgage documents?
No later than 10 calendar days before signing. Before signing the borrower also receives the notary's explanations free of charge, and the notary records this in a notarial record.
What tax does the buyer of a resale home pay in Catalonia?
ITP: 10% for a home costing up to 600,000 €, above that a progressive scale, 20% for a gran tenedor. For a new build from a developer, IVA and AJD (stamp duty) are paid instead of ITP.
