Spain has no equivalent of UK conveyancing. The notario who witnesses your purchase works for the transaction, not for you. Nobody in the standard Spanish process checks the property on the buyer's behalf unless you hire your own lawyer. For foreign buyers that check is the difference between a clean purchase and inheriting someone else's debts: unpaid IBI and community fees transfer with the property, not with the seller. The firms below are verified English-speaking property specialists listed on ELS.
Verified property lawyers in Spain
25 verified English-speaking firms are currently listed for property work, pulled from the live ELS directory, so this list always matches the full listings. Every firm here is checked before listing: how we verify firms.
Link Lawyers
Barcelona law firm supporting international clients, companies, startups and entrepreneurs with property, family, business, wills and cross-border legal advice.
Forcam Lawyers
English-speaking law firm serving companies, investors and private clients, with offices in Barcelona, Madrid and Reus and relevant coverage for business, employment and property matters.
SpainLawyer
English-speaking law firm offering broad legal support across Spain for expats, covering property, family, employment, wills and inheritance, tax and business matters with nationwide reach.
American & Legal Spain
English-speaking firm for U.S. citizens and U.S.-connected clients in Spain, covering visas, residency, tax, real estate, business, wills, inheritance and family law.
EYM Abogados
Gandia-based legal practice supporting English-speaking expats from Valencia to Alicante with conveyancing, contracts, wills, inheritance, family law, debt recovery and litigation.
CostaLuz Lawyers
Law firm serving expats across Spain with immigration, property, inheritance and tax support, combining English-language clarity with broad geographic reach.
Lawbird Legal Services
English-speaking law firm in Marbella serving international clients with property purchases, residency support, mortgage disputes and cross-border inheritance matters on the Costa del Sol.
Pellicer & Heredia
Alicante law firm serving expats across immigration, property, tax and family matters on the Costa Blanca, with multilingual support and practical client resources.
Spanish Solicitors
Multilingual legal and tax advisory firm serving international clients on the Costa del Sol, with a strong fit for property conveyancing, inheritance and Spanish tax matters.
Tejada Solicitors
English-speaking Málaga law firm for expats needing help with property purchases, Spanish residency, NIE numbers, tax matters and investment planning in southern Spain.
Bufete Buades
Mallorca law firm with clear English-speaking positioning for expat and international clients, covering Balearic property purchases, wills, inheritance tax and business law.
Abad Abogados
English-speaking lawyers and accountants in the Region of Murcia, with expat-facing property law, taxes, probate and residency services.
Sun Lawyers
English-speaking Spanish property lawyers serving expats across Alicante, Costa Cálida and Murcia on property, relocation, tax and wills matters.
MAM Solicitors
Multilingual law firm focused on property purchases and sales, Spanish taxes, fiscal representation, wills and litigation.
Consuelo Hernández
Murcia immigration law firm with expat-relevant services including residence and work permits, visas, real estate, digital nomad matters and inheritances.
Fuster & Associates
English-speaking legal and tax team with coverage for property, immigration, Spanish tax and wills/inheritance matters.
Legal Iuris
English-speaking law and tax firm covering property, immigration, tax, inheritance, family, employment, criminal and administrative matters.
ACC Legal
Murcia law firm with English-language information for immigration, property, employment, family, tax, business, wills and inheritance legal services.
Galicia Property Lawyers
Pontevedra property law firm supporting English-speaking buyers in Galicia with conveyancing, searches, contracts, notary support and related legal services. Ana Asorey Sobrado is now sole partner following Elena Lino García’s passing in October 2023.
Goñi Abogados
English-speaking Galicia law firm with Lugo and Vigo presence, covering real estate, foreign investment, tax, company, civil, commercial, family and litigation matters.
ACYL Lawyers
Galicia law firm advising foreign buyers and expatriates on property purchases, due diligence, powers of attorney, military authorisation, wills, inheritance and private international law.
Foro Avogados
Lugo-based Galician law firm with English-speaking partners and broad coverage for civil, commercial, labour, administrative, criminal, family and inheritance matters across Galicia.
Globalpacta
Zaragoza law firm with broad coverage for individuals and companies, including civil, commercial, real estate, family and employment matters.
Navarro Llima Abogados
Zaragoza legal and tax firm with an English-language site, international networks and services for companies, entrepreneurs and individuals with real estate, inheritance, litigation or tax matters.
BGdB Abogados
Established Zaragoza firm with multiple English-speaking lawyers and practice coverage relevant to property, construction, civil, family and employment matters.
Prefer not to compare firms yourself? Send one enquiry and we route it to the best-fit firm for your city and situation.
What buying in Spain actually costs
Budget 10-14% on top of the purchase price for taxes, fees and legal costs combined. The biggest variable is regional:
| Cost | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ITP (transfer tax, resale property) | ~4-13% by region | 6% in Madrid, 7% in Andalusia, 10% in Catalonia up to €600,000, a €12,000 difference on a €300,000 resale. Catalonia now tiers above that: 11% to €900,000, 12% to €1.5M, 13% beyond (20% for large holders) |
| IVA + AJD (new builds) | 10% + ~1.5% | VAT replaces ITP on new builds, plus stamp duty |
| Independent lawyer | ~1% of price | Typical minimum €1,000-2,000 on lower-value properties; covers due diligence to completion |
| Notary + registry | ~1% combined | Fixed by scale; paid at completion |
Full breakdown, including the 3% retention when you buy from a non-resident seller (Modelo 211, the buyer's legal obligation, not the seller's), in the complete buying guide.
You can work out the exact ITP or IVA on a purchase with our calculator, which shows the banded breakdown for your region and links every official source.
The contrato de arras: where deals go wrong
Before completion you'll sign the contrato de arras, a private deposit contract between you and the seller, typically at 10% of the purchase price. It is legally binding and not standardised: if you pull out, you lose the deposit; if the seller pulls out, they owe you double. Terms, conditions and exit clauses are all negotiable, which means they're all checkable, and the moment to check them is before you sign, not after. A property lawyer reviews the arras as a standard part of the instruction.
What independent due diligence covers: title and ownership at the Land Registry, outstanding charges and embargoes, unpaid IBI and community fees (both transfer to you with the property), planning status and building licences, and (on new builds) the developer's bank guarantee on your stage payments.
Non-EU buyers: the 100% tax question
Spain's proposed 100% tax on non-EU property buyers made headlines in 2025 and is regularly misreported. What has actually passed into law, who could be affected and what UK buyers should do now is covered in our dedicated guide to the non-EU property tax proposal. Short version: don't restructure a purchase around a proposal that hasn't passed; do have a lawyer confirm the current position before you commit a deposit.
Do you actually need a property lawyer in Spain?
Legally, no. Spain doesn't require buyers to use a lawyer, and that's exactly why so many foreign buyers get caught. Everyone else at the table (agent, developer, notary, seller's bank) is paid by the transaction going through, not by it going through safely.
In practice a foreign buyer should never complete without independent representation. It matters most when:
- Buying off-plan: your stage payments must be secured by a bank guarantee; unsecured payments to a developer that fails are usually gone.
- Buying rural or older property: planning irregularities and unregistered extensions are common, and legalising them after purchase is your problem, at your cost.
- Buying from a non-resident seller: the 3% retention (Modelo 211) is your legal obligation as the buyer; get it wrong and the tax office pursues you.
- Selling: a lawyer handles the capital gains position, the 3% retention refund and the Plusvalía calculation.
At roughly 1% of the purchase price, the lawyer is one of the smallest line items in the 10-14% costs stack, and the only one working for you. More detail: do I need a lawyer to buy property in Spain?
Buying or selling in Spain?Send one enquiry and we’ll route it to a verified English-speaking property lawyer covering your region. Free, no obligation.
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