What to Do in the First 30 Days After Completing on a Spanish Property

You’ve signed the escritura, paid the balance, and the keys are in your hand. Completion day on a Spanish property is a genuinely exciting moment, but it is not, as many buyers mistakenly believe, the finish line. It is the starting pistol for a series of legal, administrative, and practical steps that need to happen quickly and in the right order.

Get these right in the first 30 days, and your ownership will be smooth, legally protected, and financially efficient from day one. Overlook them, and you could find yourself facing unpaid utility bills, unregistered ownership, or tax penalties months down the line.

Here is exactly what to do in the first 30 days after completing on a Spanish property, and when.

Week One: The Legal Priorities

1. Confirm Your Deed Is Going to the Land Registry

The moment you leave the notary’s office, you are the legal owner of your property. However, that ownership is not fully protected until the title deed, your escritura pública, is registered at the Registro de la Propiedad (Land Registry).

Until registration is complete, your ownership does not appear on the public record, making it technically vulnerable to third-party claims. Your lawyer should handle this automatically as part of the post-completion process, but it is worth confirming with them in writing that it has been initiated.

Registration typically takes two to four weeks. Once complete, you will receive a certified copy of the registration, known as a Nota Simple, which officially confirms you as the legal owner and shows any charges or mortgages registered against the property.

Action: Email your lawyer on Day 1 to confirm the deed has been submitted to the Land Registry. Ask for a copy of the Nota Simple once it comes through.

2. Check Your Taxes Have Been Paid

Before the deed can be registered, the applicable purchase taxes must be settled. Depending on whether you have bought a new build or a resale, this will be either:

• New build: VAT (IVA) at 10%, plus Stamp Duty (Actos Jurídicos Documentados / AJD)
• Resale: Property Transfer Tax (Impuesto de Transmisiones Patrimoniales / ITP), typically between 7% and 10% in Andalucía

Your lawyer will usually handle this on your behalf, but you should receive payment confirmation and receipts. If you are unsure whether these taxes have been paid, ask immediately; the Land Registry will not register your deed until they have been settled.

Action: Request copies of all tax payment receipts from your lawyer. Keep these permanently with your property documents.

Week One to Two: Utilities, Insurance and Community Fees

3. Transfer Utilities Into Your Name

Electricity and water contracts do not transfer automatically on completion. If you do nothing, you could end up either with no service or, worse, continuing to be billed under the previous owner’s contract, which creates complications for both parties.

According to AF Consulting, the process involves contacting the supply companies with a copy of your title deed and your Spanish bank account details. In most cases, your lawyer or a property manager can handle this on your behalf. The change typically takes effect within a few days.

You will need a Spanish bank account for this; almost all utility bills in Spain are paid by direct debit (domiciliación bancaria). If you have not already opened one during the purchase process, this is now urgent.

Action: Ask your lawyer to initiate utility transfers on Day 1. Confirm which companies supply electricity (likely Endesa or Iberdrola on the Costa del Sol) and water (usually ACOSOL in Marbella and Estepona, or the local municipal supplier).

4. Set Up Your Community Fees

If your property is part of a development, urbanisation, or apartment block, you automatically become a member of the Comunidad de Propietarios (Community of Owners) the moment you complete. This brings both rights and obligations.

Community fees (cuotas de comunidad) cover shared expenses, maintenance, cleaning, security, communal pools and gardens, and are paid monthly or quarterly by direct debit. These fees can range from as little as €100 per quarter in a modest building to over €1,000 per quarter in a high-end gated community.

Unpaid community fees are a serious matter in Spain. The community can place a charge on your property for outstanding debt, and in extreme cases, force a sale at auction. Do not let payments slip.

Action: Contact the community administrator (administrador de fincas) to register your ownership, provide your bank details, and set up direct debit. Your estate agent or lawyer can usually provide their contact details.

5. Take Out Home Insurance — Immediately

From the moment you complete, you are responsible for the property. Do not assume the community insurance covers you, it almost certainly does not, at least not fully.

As ThinkSpain explains, the community buildings policy covers only communal areas, stairwells, car parks, shared pools, the external structure. It does not cover the inside of your individual property, your contents, or personal liability arising from damage to a neighbour’s apartment (for example, from a water leak). These risks are your responsibility entirely.

If you have a mortgage, your bank will require buildings insurance as a minimum condition of lending. But even without a mortgage, comprehensive home insurance is essential, particularly for non-residents who may not be in the property for extended periods.

Action: Arrange buildings and contents insurance before or on the day of completion. Budget approximately €200–€500 per year for a standard apartment or townhouse; more for a standalone villa.

Week Two: Register with Your Town Hall

6. Get Your Empadronamiento

The empadronamiento, or registration on the Padrón Municipal de Habitantes, is your official registration of residence at your property address with the local town hall (Ayuntamiento). Whether you are buying as a permanent residence, a second home, or a rental investment, if you plan to live in the property for any meaningful period, you need this.

According to Idealista, you will need to bring the following to your local Ayuntamiento:

• Valid passport or national ID
• Your property deed as proof of address
• A completed hoja de empadronamiento (registration form, available at the town hall)

Many municipalities now allow you to book an appointment online, search for “cita previa empadronamiento” plus your town name. In Marbella, this is handled via the Marbella Ayuntamiento’s website; in Estepona and Benahavis, via their respective town halls.

Why does this matter? Your empadronamiento is required for a wide range of official processes: residency applications, accessing public healthcare, enrolling children in school, applying for a driving licence exchange, and more. The date of first registration also serves as proof of continuous residence, relevant if you later apply for Spanish residency or nationality.

Action: Book your cita previa in the first week and attend with your deed and passport. The process is straightforward and usually completed in a single appointment.

Week Two to Three: Financial and Tax Administration

7. Register as the IBI Taxpayer

IBI, Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles, is Spain’s annual municipal property tax, broadly equivalent to Council Tax in the UK. It is levied by your local Ayuntamiento and is based on the valor catastral (cadastral value) of the property, which is typically well below the market price.

As SpainEasy explains, IBI rates typically range from 0.4% to 1.1% of the cadastral value depending on the municipality. The legal taxpayer is whoever was the registered owner on 1 January of that year, so if you completed after that date, the seller remains liable for IBI in the year of purchase (though contracts often prorate this).

You need to notify the Ayuntamiento of the change in ownership so that future bills are sent to you. Your lawyer can assist with this, or your community administrator may handle it as part of their service.

Action: Contact your local Ayuntamiento (or instruct your lawyer to do so) to update the IBI taxpayer record. Set up direct debit for future payments. IBI is typically collected between May and October each year.

8. Understand Your Ongoing Tax Obligations as a Non-Resident (If Applicable)

If you are not planning to become a Spanish tax resident, you are still subject to Spanish taxation as a property owner. Non-residents must file an annual tax return, even if the property sits empty and earns no rental income.

For a property not rented out, non-residents pay an imputed income tax based on a percentage of the cadastral value. For rented properties, rental income must be declared quarterly. The annual cost for a typical Costa del Sol apartment or villa used purely as a holiday home is generally between €200 and €500 per year.

This is a commonly overlooked obligation. Penalties for non-filing accumulate quickly, so it is well worth instructing a local gestor or tax adviser from day one.

Action: Appoint a local gestor or tax adviser (your agent or lawyer can recommend one) to handle your annual non-resident tax filings. This is inexpensive and removes a significant administrative burden.

Week Three to Four: Practical Ownership Admin

9. Collect All Property Documents and Certificates

After completion, you should eventually receive or have access to the following. Chase any that are missing:

• Original escritura (title deed) — your lawyer holds the original; you should have a certified copy
• Nota Simple from the Land Registry — confirms registration in your name
• Certificado de eficiencia energética — energy performance certificate, required by law
• Cédula de habitabilidad — certificate of habitability (required in some regions)
• IBI receipt from the previous owner — proof the tax was paid in the year of purchase
• Community fee receipts — confirmation the seller was up to date
• Building guarantees — for new builds, a 10-year structural warranty (seguro decenal) is mandatory

10. Change the Locks

A simple but important step that many buyers forget. You have no way of knowing how many copies of the keys exist, previous owners, estate agents, rental guests, cleaners, or contractors. Change the locks on the day you take possession, or within the first week at most.

11. Arrange Internet and Other Services

Broadband in Spain is generally excellent, with providers including Movistar, Orange, and Vodafone all operating on the Costa del Sol. Lead times for new installations can be one to two weeks, so book early. If the property already has a connection, a contract transfer is usually faster.

If You Are Renting the Property Out: Additional Steps

If you intend to let your property on a short-term basis, via platforms such as Airbnb or Booking.com, you will need a tourist rental licence (VUT) issued by the Junta de Andalucía before you can legally advertise or accept bookings. This is a separate process that can take several weeks and involves meeting specific property standards. It is not something to leave until after your first booking.

Additionally, check your community’s statutes; many developments on the Costa del Sol have amended their rules to restrict or prohibit short-term tourist lets. Your lawyer should have flagged this during due diligence, but if you are in any doubt, check with the community administrator.

Your 30-Day Post-Completion Checklist at a Glance

A Note on Getting the Right Support

Much of the above can and should be handled by your lawyer, with your community administrator and gestor handling specific tasks. The buyers who find post-completion administration most stressful are usually those trying to do everything themselves from abroad, without the right people in place.

At Marbella Homes to Love, we do not disappear the moment you collect your keys. We work with a trusted network of independent lawyers, gestors, and property administrators across Marbella, Estepona, and Benahavis who can take care of all of the above on your behalf, so you can focus on enjoying your new home on the Costa del Sol.

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