The new-build buying process in Spain, step by step
From reservation to keys: what actually happens after you choose a project, and roughly how long each stage takes.
Buying new-build property in Spain follows a fairly consistent sequence, though exact terms vary by developer and region. Knowing the shape of it in advance makes the individual documents far less intimidating when they arrive.
1. Reservation
A reservation deposit takes the unit off the market while contracts are prepared — typically a smaller amount, held for a defined period. Read what the reservation document says about refundability before you pay it, because that varies between developers and is the single term people most often assume rather than check.
2. Appointing a lawyer
This should happen at the same time, not later. Your lawyer is independent of the developer, of the agent, and of BuildMatch. They check that the developer owns the land and holds the building licence, that the payment guarantees are in place, and that the contract you are about to sign says what you think it says.
3. Private purchase contract
The contract sets out the unit, the specification, the completion estimate and the payment schedule. Stage payments follow construction milestones. Spanish law requires developers to secure the amounts you pay in advance, through a bank guarantee or insurance policy, so that your money is protected if the building is not delivered.
4. The build
This is the long, quiet stretch — usually a matter of many months, sometimes a couple of years for a scheme sold early. Payments fall due as milestones are reached. Completion dates in contracts are estimates, and slippage is common enough that you should plan around the possibility rather than treat the date as fixed.
5. Snagging and handover checks
Before completion you (or someone acting for you) inspect the finished property against the specification and list the defects to be put right. Doing this properly, and in writing, is much easier before the final payment than after it.
6. Notarial completion
Final payment and legal transfer happen before a Spanish notary. If you cannot attend in person, a power of attorney arranged in advance lets your lawyer sign for you. Registration of the title follows, and utilities are transferred into your name.
This guide describes how the process generally runs. It is not legal advice about your purchase — that is what your own lawyer is for.