Property lawyers in Estepona · Costa del Sol
Estepona has become one of the most active property markets on the Costa del Sol — and one of the most new-build heavy. As property lawyers in Estepona, we check the licences, the guarantees and the taxes before you commit, so your purchase is safe from the first payment to the deed.
Buying in Estepona: what makes this market different
Estepona is not Marbella, and its property market does not behave like it. A large share of what is sold here is new build bought off-plan — from developments in the New Golden Mile to the town’s own expansion — which means most buyers are paying substantial amounts before the property exists. That changes the legal work completely: the risk is not only in the title, it is in the licences, the payment guarantees and the delivery.
The rest is what you would expect from a Costa del Sol purchase — checking charges at the Land Registry, the reference value for tax, the community and the arras contract — but with one extra layer that catches out buyers from abroad: the difference between a building licence and a first occupation licence. One lets the developer build; only the other lets you legally live there.
Your money, guaranteed
Every euro you pay before completion must be covered by a bank guarantee or insurance policy under Law 20/2015. We verify it exists — and that it covers what you have actually paid, VAT included.
Clean title, no surprises
Charges, debts, community arrears, tenants, planning status: the checks we run before the arras contract, not after. If something is wrong, you find out while you can still walk away.
Taxes, done right
7% transfer tax on resale, or 10% VAT plus 1.2% stamp duty on a new build — filed on time, on the correct taxable base. See the full figures in our purchase cost calculator.
The checks our property lawyers in Estepona run before you buy
Land Registry and planning status in Estepona
Who owns it, what charges it carries and whether the property matches what is registered — plus its urban-planning situation. On resale homes with extensions or pools, this is where problems appear; a certificate of non-infringement settles it.
Estepona licences: the two that matter
Building licence for the development, and first occupation licence before you complete. Without the second, you cannot legally occupy the home or contract utilities in your name.
Guarantees on stage payments
For off-plan, the individual guarantee certificate in your name and the special account where your money must sit. We check it before each payment, not at the end — details in our guide to guarantees on off-plan purchases.
Contract and reservation
The developer’s or seller’s contract is written for them, not for you. We negotiate delivery dates, penalties and the get-out clauses — and review the arras contract before any deposit leaves your account.
Taxes and completion: what property lawyers in Estepona verify
Reference value check, tax filed within the legal deadline, deed signed at the notary — with power of attorney if you cannot travel — and the property registered in your name.
Working with property lawyers in Estepona from abroad
Most of our Estepona clients buy without living in Spain yet. The entire purchase can be handled remotely: we obtain your NIE number, act under a power of attorney if you cannot attend the signing, and keep you updated in your own language. Our office is in Fuengirola, half an hour up the coast — see our Fuengirola team — and we work across the whole province, from Marbella to Málaga city.
What property lawyers in Estepona check on the ground
Local knowledge is not a slogan here — it changes what has to be verified. Estepona’s own town hall grants the building and first occupation licences, and its planning department is where the status of a development is confirmed; you can consult the municipal urban-planning information at the Ayuntamiento de Estepona. Title, charges and debts are confirmed at the Land Registry that covers the property, and the deed is signed before a local notary. Knowing how each of them works — and how long each step really takes — is what keeps a completion date from slipping.
The type of property matters too. Much of Estepona’s coastline is made up of large urbanisations with substantial communities: there, the community minutes and any approved special levy tell you more about your future costs than the sale brochure. Inland and towards the New Golden Mile you find villas on consolidated plots, where the questions are about boundaries, extensions and whether everything built is legally registered. And in a new development, what matters is the phase you are buying into and what the developer has already delivered elsewhere.
If you are buying to let, factor in the regional rules from day one: a holiday let needs to be entered in the Andalusian tourism register and to meet specific requirements, as we explain in our guide to the tourist rental licence in Andalusia. It is far cheaper to check that the property qualifies before you buy than to discover afterwards that your investment plan does not work.
Property lawyers in Estepona — frequently asked questions
Do I need a lawyer to buy a property in Estepona?
What are the total costs of buying in Estepona?
Is buying off-plan in Estepona safe?
Can you handle everything if I live abroad?
Do you work with the estate agent or the developer?
Thinking of buying in Estepona?
Send us the property or the development and we will tell you what to check before you pay anything — with a fixed written quote and no obligation.
Talk to our property lawyers in Estepona →