Congratulations! You’ve bought your house in Marbella, and now?

06 Apr 2020 | Buying and Selling FAQ

After signing the deed of sale at the notary’s office, now as the owner of your new house in Marbella, it is necessary to carry out some final procedures so that your property appears as yours officially without any kind of pending formalities and to start enjoying it personally.

Congratulations! You've bought your house in Marbella, and now?.

When you leave the notary’s office, in addition to feeling the normal satisfaction of having made a good purchase, you should keep in mind the next step which consists of liquidating and paying the Impuesto sobre Transmisiones Patrimoniales y Actos Jurídicos Documentados (ITP-AJD) for the purchase of second hand properties or resale and then presenting the original title of the purchase deed together with the proof of payment of the aforementioned tax in the Property Registry corresponding to the district where the house is located, so that your property will be officially and legally registered in your name.

This can be done directly or through a representative-presenter (your lawyer, manager or real estate agent).

It is also necessary to contact the administrator of the community of owners, if it is the case, to introduce yourself and give your details as the new owner if your house is part of a residential complex where common areas and services are shared with the other owners and your expenses for the maintenance of these will be in proportion to the share of your house. If the house you have just bought is independent and does not share common areas or services, none of this will be necessary.

Nor should you forget to change the ownership of the water, electricity, gas, telephone and internet supply contracts as soon as possible to avoid cuts or bills being issued in the name of the previous owner.

As concerns ownership for the effects of local taxes, that is the Property Tax (IBI) and the rubbish tax, the vendor has a period of 30 days from the signing of the deed to present the documentation required for the calculation and payment of the Incremento de Valor de los Terrenos de naturaleza Urbana, known in short as the municipal capital gains tax, to the Patronato Provincial de Recaudación, and the change of ownership for the next IBI and rubbish receipts is notified at this time.

As the owner of your house in Marbella, you are also obliged to make an annual declaration of Non-Resident Income Tax in the case that you continue as such and do not apply for residence in Spain.

Finally, if the purchased property has gardens and swimming pool, you will need to hire the maintenance services of these and it is recommended to also hire and install a good security system for this type of property. If the property purchased is an apartment, all of this will be unnecessary.

Benarroch Real Estate, apart from accompanying you during the purchase process until the signing of the deed at the notary’s office, offers you our after-sales services so that you do not have to worry about the steps to be taken as the owner of your new home in Marbella.