​ Ask the Realtor: Why do you need a solicitor to buy a property in Spain?

For most people it seems strange that you need a solicitor to buy a property in Spain. Solicitors are known to plea in court, so it seems that you only need them in civil affairs or criminal matters. But in Spain they also have a more administrative task relating to transferring properties. They make sure that

• all documents are available and correct (e.g. property has been built with the correct license, seller and property are correctly registered on the Register and other necessary documents)
• that there are no debts on the property
• they manage the change over of the utilities
• if you want they can also sign by power of attorney on your behalf
• and they make sure that after the signature of the deeds,  the property is properly registered with the Town Hall.

 A notary does not perform any of these checks. He just checks your ID and puts his signature on the deeds, that it. So it is very important that someone else is taking over the responsibility of performing the necessary checks to make sure you can buy your dream property with peace of mind.