Independent pre-purchase review · Mallorca
Check first. Then decide.
I review the documents behind a property on Mallorca before you commit, and tell you in plain language what they say, what is missing and what contradicts. €2,500 fixed. No commission. No interest in whether you buy.
Nobody checks on your behalf in Spain
In Spain the buyer carries the main responsibility for verification, and once the deed is signed the routes to rescission, price reduction or damages are narrow. The problem is rarely a single document. The land registry, the cadastre, the habitation certificate, the energy certificate and the listing text come from different sources, are created at different times, and are almost never laid side by side. The expensive surprises live in the gaps between them.
Fixed fee, not a percentage
€2,500 whether the property costs €400,000 or four million. A percentage of the purchase price creates an interest in the purchase happening. A fixed fee does not.
Before you commit
The lawyer usually arrives after the reservation or arras contract — after money is committed. This runs in the window before that, where information can still change the price.
Interpretation, not translation
Not a rendering of Spanish deeds into English, but a judgement: what is normal, what is unusual, and which question you must ask before signing.
What gets checked
- Nota Simple — ownership, charges, mortgages, easements, registered areas
- Cadastre — reconciliation of area, year and reference against the registry
- Building legality — permits, Bestandsschutz, limitation periods, open enforcement files
- Cédula de habitabilidad — existence, validity, permitted occupancy
- ETV tourist licence — existence, transferability, conditions
- Land classification — urbano or rústico, protected status, buildability
- Utilities — water, drainage, electricity, solar
- Taxes and charges — IBI, waste, arrears, the 3% non-resident retention
From a live listing
1,600 m² or 2,005 m²?
One brochure for a property at €1.85 million stated the plot size twice — 1,600 m² in the data table and 2,005 m² in the description. The listing was sold on an approved project for a 680 m² build, and buildability derives from plot size. So the gap is not a typo. It is the question of whether the approved project stands up at all.
That finding appears in none of the documents. It only exists between them.
Common questions
What does a property check on Mallorca cost?
€2,500 as a fixed fee, regardless of the purchase price. Lawyers on Mallorca typically charge between 0.5% and 1.5% of the purchase price plus IVA — on a €2m property that is €10,000 to €30,000. The fixed fee is deliberate: anyone paid a percentage of the price earns more when you buy.
Does this replace a lawyer?
No, and it is not meant to. I do not give legal advice and I do not handle conveyancing. The check runs before the lawyer: you get an ordered file and a clear list of open questions before you sign a reservation or arras contract. Your lawyer then works faster because he does not start from zero.
How long does it take?
Normally five working days from receipt of the documents. If a deadline is running — a reservation period, for example — say so up front; a shorter turnaround is usually possible.
Do you work with estate agents?
I take no referral commission and pay none. I do not sell property and I have no stake in any transaction completing. That is not a courtesy — it is the condition that makes my answer worth anything.