Glossary of Translations – Spanish Property Buying
Below are some of the key words and phrases you would need to know when purchasing a property in Spain.
Abogado - Lawyer/solicitor (see also Solicitor fees in Spain)
Administrador de fincas - Spanish licensed property administrator
Agente de la Propiedad - Property Agent
Amortización - Repayment of loan/mortgage, depreciation
Arbitraje - Arbitration
Arras - Down Payment, deposit
Arrendador - Landlord
Arrendatario - Tenant
Aval - Loan guarantee
Avalista - Guarantor (of a loan)
Caja de ahorros - Spanish savings bank
Catastro - Spanish Land Register
Cláusula - Clause in a contract
Cláusula abusive - Unfair clause in a contract usually to the detriment of the consumer
Cédula de habitabilidad - Certificate of occupancy
Certificado registral - Certificate informing about debts of a specific property
Chalet - Villa
Compra sobre plano - Off-plan property purchase
Comunidad de propietarios - Association of property owners
Contrato de arrendamiento - Letting/renting contract
Contrato de compraventa de vivienda - Private property sales contract
Cooperativa de viviendas - Housing co-operative
Cuenta de ahorro vivienda - Housing savings account with special tax benefits
Derecho de tanteo - Right of first refusal
Derecho de retracto - Right of repurchase
Desahucio - Eviction
División horizontal - Official document describing division of property between
multiple owners
Documento privado - Private document
Documento público - Public document
Escritura - Deeds
Escritura pública de compraventa - Title deeds
Euribor - Official Euro Interbank offered interest rate
Fianza - Deposit
Finca - Estate
Folleto informativo - Information leaflet/brochure
Gestoría - Firm specialising in obtaining official authorisations, permits, licences etc
Gestoras de cooperatives - Firm specialising in obtaining official paperwork in relation
to housing co-operatives
Hipoteca - Mortgage in Spain
Hipotecar – The act of mortgaging
Hipoteca de inversión - Endowment mortgage
Hipotecable - Mortgageable
IBI Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles - Spanish yearly property tax
Impuesto sobre actos jurídicos documentados - Legal documentation tax
Impuesto sobre el Incremento del Valor de Terrenos - Tax on the increase of land
value
Impuesto sobre el patrimonio - Capital gains tax Spain
Inmobiliaira -Estate agent
IVA Vivienda - Property VAT (current rate is 7%)
Libre de cargas - Free of debts
Libro del edificio – Releasing of documents by the promoter when a building is
finished
Licencia de obra - Building permission
Notario - Notary
Nota simple registral - Certificate from a property register
Novación - Renegotiation of mortgage terms
Obra Nueva - Document certifying a brand new building
Oferta vinculante - Bank document certifying the exact mortgage conditions
Pago en efectivo - Cash payment
Parcela - Plot of land
Piso - Flat
Poder - Power of attorney
Préstamo con techo - Loan with variable interest rates with a fixed minimum and
maximum
Préstamo cualificado VPO - Special loan given only for the purchase of low-cost
housing
Préstamo hipotecario - Mortgage loan
Plusvalía Municipal - Capital gains tax on the sale of property
Proindiviso - Co-ownership, when a property has more that one owner
Promotor - Property developer
Registro de la propiedad - Property ownership register
Representante fiscal - Official tax representative
Residencia (permiso) - Residency permit
Residente - Resident
Segunda vivienda - Second home
Seguro multirreisgo hogar - House insurance
Se alquila - For rent
Se vende - For sale
Seguro de amortización de préstamos - Loan repayment insurance
Señal - Deposit, down payment
Superficie útil - Useable square metres in a property
Tasación - Independent valuation of property
Terreno - Plot of land
Tipo de interés- Interest rate
Tipo sustitutivo de referencia- Substitution of the official interest rate - for example the euribor
Titulo de propiedad - Deeds stating the ownership of property, date of sale etc...
Valor catastral - Registered value of land
Register Overseas Property
