Investment approach
A listing's floor plan: how to read the metres, windows and rooms
The drawing in a listing shows a hypothesis, not the flat. Which metres are quoted, how many bedrooms there really are, where windows face and what to check the plan against before arras.
A flat's floor plan in a listing is an agency's drawing, not a document: use it to check the area, the windows and the number of rooms, and then compare everything with the cédula de habitabilidad (the certificate of habitability) and the Catastro (the property cadastre). The cédula records the useful area of the flat and of each room and the list of spaces (Generalitat), so a mismatch with the listing shows before the viewing.
What a plan in a listing is and what to expect from it
The plan in a listing is drawn by the agency or the photographer: from measurements, from an old drawing or by eye. The scale is often not given, and the furniture is arranged so that rooms look larger.
So the plan is useful as a list of questions, not as proof. The official description of a flat comes from three sources: the cédula de habitabilidad, the Catastro and the nota simple (the land registry extract) from the Registro de la Propiedad. Catastro data without owner information is open without logging in: the property is searched by cadastral reference or address, and the system shows its physical characteristics (Sede Electrónica del Catastro).
Which metres a listing quotes
In Spain the area of a flat is described in three ways, and a listing usually shows the largest figure.
| Area | What it includes | Where it appears |
|---|---|---|
| Superficie útil | The floor inside the flat that you can walk on | Cédula de habitabilidad |
| Superficie construida | Útil plus the flat's internal and external walls | Listings, project documents |
| Construida con zonas comunes | Construida plus a share of stairs, hall and other common parts | Listings |
Flats and price per metre can only be compared on the same area. If the agent does not know which figure is quoted, it is reasonable to assume it is built area including common parts.
What a metre costs when recalculated on useful area
The difference in how the area is defined changes the price per metre more than bargaining does. Worked example, not a forecast. A flat is sold for 450,000 €, and the listing says 90 m². In the cédula the useful area is 72 m².
| How it is counted | Area | Price per m² |
|---|---|---|
| By the figure in the listing | 90 m² | 5,000 € |
| By the useful area in the cédula | 72 m² | 6,250 € |
The same flat looks 25% more expensive per metre when counted honestly. It cannot be compared with the neighbouring one, where the listing quotes useful metres, using the portal's figures. That is why, in a valuation, DNPI brings all comparables to one area; more in the section on value analysis.
How to check windows and the number of bedrooms on the plan
Windows give more information than metres. Before the viewing, mark on the plan where each room faces:
- onto the street (exterior): more light and more noise;
- onto the inner block courtyard (interior de manzana): usually quieter, light depends on the height of the buildings around;
- onto a light well (patio de luces): little light, you can hear the neighbours;
- no window: a listing may call such a room a study or a dressing room, but it will not become a bedroom.
The number of bedrooms is checked separately. On a plan it is easy to "add" a room with a partition in the living room or a label over the storeroom. If the cédula has two rooms and the listing three, the flat was altered after the document was issued. The cédula itself, according to the Generalitat's clarification, does not legalise buildings from the planning point of view, so the legality of the alteration is checked by an abogado (lawyer). The risks of unlicensed works are covered in the article on buying with unauthorised works, and how to judge light and noise on site in the article noise, light and ventilation.
What is not on the plan
The plan is silent about what often decides a purchase. From a drawing you cannot tell which wall is load-bearing: a technical specialist sees that on site and from the building's documents. Thick walls and columns are most likely structural, and the drainage stacks limit moving the kitchen and the bathroom.
Also missing from the plan are the floor, the lift and the steps at the entrance, the ceiling height, the orientation (without a north arrow), the condition of the walls and what is behind the wall. The floor and accessibility are covered in detail in the article how to assess the floor and the lift.
How to check the plan against documents before arras
The check takes a couple of days and is done before the arras (the reservation deposit contract), not after.
- Ask the agent which area is quoted in the listing and get a copy of the current cédula. For resale housing it is valid for 15 years.
- Find the flat in the Catastro by address and compare area, floor and use.
- Order a nota simple and check the description of the flat, terrace and parking spaces.
- Compare the number of rooms and their area in the cédula with the plan in the listing.
- Write down every discrepancy and pass them to the abogado and the technical specialist together with the questions for the seller.
For flats built before 11 August 1984, the requirements for minimum habitabilidad are milder (Decret 141/2012), and that should also be kept in mind when comparing older and newer housing stock. What the cédula shows in general is covered in the article on the cédula de habitabilidad.
When a plan is not the right basis for a decision
A plan does not work as a basis for the price if the area is not confirmed by a document. Nor does it work for deciding on an alteration: knocking down walls, moving the kitchen or merging rooms need an inspection and a project, not a drawing. And finally, a plan is useless for judging light: a flat with windows onto the street can be dark on the second floor of a narrow street in the old town.
Questions and answers
How do I find the real area of a flat in Spain?
Compare the figure in the listing with the useful area in the cédula de habitabilidad, the Catastro data and the description in the nota simple. A listing more often quotes built area including common parts.
How does superficie útil differ from superficie construida?
Útil counts only the floor inside the flat. Construida adds the walls, and the version with zonas comunes adds a share of the building's common parts as well, so that figure is always larger.
Can you tell from the plan which walls are load-bearing?
No. A plan in a listing does not show that; load-bearing elements are determined by a technical specialist on site and from the building's documents.
What should I do if the plan shows more rooms than the documents?
It is a sign of an alteration after the cédula was issued, or of a room without a window. Before the deposit, the legality of the works is checked by an abogado, and a technician assesses whether they can be legalised.
Do I need to check the plan if I am buying without a mortgage?
Yes. With a mortgage the bank checks the property through the tasación (the bank valuation), but without a loan nobody will do that work for the buyer, and an error in the area goes straight into the price.
