Selling a High-Value Villa on the Costa Blanca

When a villa is worth several million euros, the buyer comes with a lawyer, and often an architect, who check everything.

If the deeds do not match the house, or an owner who needs to sign cannot be found, a sale can slow down or fall through at the worst moment. We get the legal side ready before the villa goes on the market, work alongside your estate agent and take you through to completion.

PreparationBefore it goes on the market

• Does the deed match the house?Pools, guest apartments and extensions built after the original house are often missing from the deeds. As part of preparing the sale, we tell you what can be recorded and get it done before a buyer asks.
• Who needs to signEvery owner must sign. If an owner has died, the Spanish inheritance has to be completed first, and we handle both. If the villa belongs to a company, we check the authority of whoever signs for it.
• Mortgage and chargesWe arrange the bank’s cancellation on or before completion and check the Land Registry for anything else registered against the property.
• Community and local taxesIn an urbanisation, the law requires a certificate that community fees are paid. Local property tax must be up to date.
• First-line villasFor a villa on the coast, we check the Coastal Law position before listing.

Technical fileWhat we advise you to have an architect prepare

The energy certificate, needed to advertise and sell, the certificate of the age of any extension, the second-occupation paperwork, measurements and the condition of the building are technical matters for an architect. If you do not have one, we can give you the contact of Sergio Tomás Arquitectos in Jávea.

The buyer’s lawyerOne complete file for the buyer’s lawyer

Deeds, Land Registry extract, certificates, receipts and the community certificate, all in one file, so a serious buyer’s lawyer has answers from the first day.

Tax on the sale

The tax side of the sale is included in the sales we handle.

ExamplesWhat this looks like in practice

Situations of the kind we deal with regularly, described in general terms.

1. A villa in Portichol, Jávea, around €3.4 million. The pool house and a guest apartment were not in the deeds. They were recorded before the villa was listed, and the buyer’s lawyer found nothing to question.
2. A villa in Moraira, around €2.6 million, owned by three siblings after their parents died. We completed the Spanish inheritance first and then the sale, without the siblings having to travel.
3. A villa in the Benissa hills owned by a UK company, around €2.1 million. We checked the company’s authority to sell and prepared the documents for the directors to sign in England.
4. A villa in Benitachell, around €2.9 million, sold by owners living abroad. They signed by power of attorney, and everything was settled at completion.
5. A first-line villa in Jávea, around €4.2 million. We checked the Coastal Law position before listing, so the buyers had answers from the first viewing.

They guided me expertly through a property purchase, showing deep knowledge of Spanish law, attention to detail, and clear communication throughout. Reliable, efficient, and trustworthy.★★★★★Lisa Damen · Google review

How we work

Many of our clients are British and European expats selling from abroad. We act for you, alongside your estate agent. The same lawyer follows the sale from the first call to completion, in English. We reply within 24 hours.

For the general steps, see our guide Selling property in Spain as a non-resident; for villas on the coast, our guide to the Coastal Law.

The lawyers who will handle your sale

José Manuel Tomas

Conveyancing, Inheritance and Donations · Admitted to the Valencia Bar in 1992 (no. 6407) · Alicante Bar no. 9382

José Rico

Marital and Family Law · Valencia Bar no. 12075

Mariano Ortuño

Civil Law · Valencia Bar no. 6041

Manuel Lopez de Andujar

Inheritance, Conveyancing and Contract Law · Valencia Bar no. 7773

Juan Poch

Conveyancing, Inheritance and Matrimonial Law · Alicante Bar no. 3607

Ruben Bolufer Martinez – Junior Lawyer

Civil and Insurance

María Salvá

Inheritance, Conveyancing and Civil Law – Dénia · Alicante Bar no. 3699

Antonio Rodríguez de Sola

Inheritance, Conveyancing and Civil Law – Dénia · Alicante Bar no. 3374

Disclaimer. The information on this page is general in nature and does not constitute legal advice. Every property and every transaction is different, and the applicable rules may change. No decision should be taken on the basis of this page alone without obtaining advice on your specific case. Tomas Ballestero Lawyers accepts no liability for actions taken in reliance on this general information.