Frequently asked questions
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Real estate
Deposits and reservation agreements
- What is the difference between withdrawal, confirmatory and penalty deposits (“arras”)? Which suit the buyer?
- What must a deposit agreement (“contrato de arras”) say? Does it have to be signed before a notary?
- How much is usually paid as a deposit (“arras”) or down payment when buying a flat?
- If I back out after signing the deposit agreement (“arras”), do I lose what I paid? And what if the seller backs out?
- If the bank does not grant me the mortgage, do I get my deposit (“arras”) back?
- How much time can pass between the deposit agreement (“contrato de arras”) and the public deed? Who decides the signing date?
- How does a reservation agreement differ from a deposit agreement (“contrato de arras”)?
- Do they have to give me back the reservation money for a flat? And what if the estate agent does not return it?
- When is a deposit agreement (“contrato de arras”) void? Is it valid if it is signed by the estate agent and not by the seller?
Checks before buying
- What should you check before buying a second-hand flat?
- What is a land registry extract (“nota simple”), how do you request one and how much does it cost?
- What does it mean if a flat has charges (encumbrances)? Can you buy it with them?
- Can you buy an occupied flat? What are the risks?
- Can you buy a flat that still has the seller's mortgage on it? Who pays for the discharge?
- Can you buy a flat under attachment (seizure) or at auction? What are the risks?
- When does the Generalitat have a pre-emption right (“tanteo y retracto”) on the sale of a home?
Habitability certificate, energy certificate and sale documents
- Is an energy certificate compulsory to sell a flat? Is it true that the worst-rated ones will be banned from sale?
- Can you sell a flat in Catalonia without a certificate of habitability (“cédula de habitabilidad”)?
- What is the difference between the first occupation licence (“licencia de primera ocupación”) and the certificate of habitability (“cédula de habitabilidad”)? Which one do you need in Catalonia?
- What documents do I need to sell my flat in Catalonia?
Notary, Land Registry and purchase costs
- Which costs of the sale are paid by the buyer and which by the seller?
- How much do the notary and the Land Registry cost when buying a flat?
- Who chooses the notary? Can the seller, the estate agent or the developer impose one on me?
- Is a sale made by private document, without a notary, valid?
- I have paid off my mortgage: do I have to discharge it at the Land Registry? How is it done and how much does it cost?
- Is it compulsory to register the purchase at the Land Registry? What is the risk of not doing so?
Taxes when buying
- What taxes do you pay when buying a home in Catalonia?
- Who can pay the reduced rate of property transfer tax (ITP) in Catalonia and how much is it?
- If I buy a new-build home, what VAT and stamp duty (AJD) do I pay in Catalonia?
- What is the cadastral reference value (“valor de referencia”) and how do you check it?
- If the reference value (“valor de referencia”) or the tax authorities say the flat is worth more than I paid, do I have to pay more property transfer tax (ITP)? How do I appeal?
- Is it worth buying flats to let through a company?
- What is the deadline for paying property transfer tax (ITP) in Catalonia and who files the return?
- If I buy a flat in Catalonia as an investment, do I have to pay the 20 % property transfer tax (ITP) for large-scale landlords (“grandes tenedores”)?
Off-plan purchases and new builds
- What are the risks of buying a flat off-plan and how do I protect myself?
- If I buy off-plan, what guarantee is there for the money I pay on account? And what if the developer goes bankrupt or did not give me a bank guarantee?
- What can I do if the developer is late in handing over the home?
- What are the declaration of new building (“escritura de obra nueva”) and the division into units (“división horizontal”), and how much do they cost?
Taxes when selling
- What taxes does the seller of a flat pay?
- Who pays municipal capital gains tax when a flat is sold? And what if it is sold at a loss?
- How much municipal capital gains tax is payable? Is it true that nothing is payable if you have owned the flat for more than 20 years?
- How is the gain on selling a flat taxed under income tax (the “IRPF”)? What expenses can I deduct?
- If I sell my principal residence and buy another, do I avoid paying income tax (the “IRPF”) on the gain?
- If I am over 65 and sell my home, do I pay tax?
- Who pays the IBI, the local property tax, for the year in which the flat is sold? And what if the seller left bills unpaid?
- If the seller does not live in Spain, what taxes do they pay and why does the buyer have to withhold 3 % of the price?
Homes shared with a partner, family or co-owners
- Can I sell a flat to one of my children? Do I need the others' permission? And what if it is for less than it is worth?
- If I let my child live rent-free in a flat I own, what do I have to pay the tax authorities?
- If we buy a flat jointly and one of us keeps all of it, what is ending co-ownership (“extinción de condominio”) and what taxes does it involve?
- I own a flat jointly with my ex-partner or a business partner and they do not want to sell: what can I do? Can I sell just my share?
- If the flat is in my name alone, do I need my partner's signature to sell it?
- What does an action for division of co-owned property involve and how long does it take?
Planning, permits and building works
- How do I find out the planning classification of a property or whether a plot of land can be built on?
- What is the difference between major works and minor works? Which works do not need a permit?
- When does illegal building work become time-barred in Catalonia? How is it proved?
- Can building work carried out without a permit be regularised? What fine can I be given?
- Can you build a house or put a prefabricated one on rural land in Catalonia?
- What does the City Council require to convert commercial premises into a home in Barcelona?
- What does it mean if a home is non-conforming (“fuera de ordenación”) and what happens if I buy it?
- What is the “assabentat” or notice of works and when is it enough?
Tourist flats
- How do you apply for a holiday let licence in Catalonia and which municipalities restrict it?
- How can I check whether a flat has a legal holiday let licence in Catalonia?
- If I buy a flat with a holiday let licence, does the licence pass into my name? How long can I use it?
- What is the fine for letting a flat to tourists without a licence in Catalonia?
Land: easements, subdivision and the Land Registry
- What rights does a right of way give? Can the land be fenced or a gate put in? When is it lost?
- What is subdividing a property, how much does it cost and what minimum area is needed?
- The size of my property differs between the deed, the Cadastre and the Land Registry: how is it corrected?
- How is an unregistered property entered in the Land Registry for the first time (“inmatriculación”)?
Landlord and tenant
Lease agreement, deposit and guarantees
- What should a residential tenancy agreement include?
- Which clauses in a tenancy agreement are not valid even if they are signed?
- How many months' deposit can I be asked for?
- Besides the deposit, how much can I be asked for as a guarantee or bank guarantee?
- Can the landlord make me pay for rent guarantee insurance?
- Who pays the letting agent's fees in a tenancy?
- Does the deposit have to be lodged with INCASÒL? What happens if the landlord does not do so?
- What does the October 2026 decree change for tenancies?
- Is a verbal tenancy agreement valid?
- What documents can the landlord ask me for before letting me the flat?
- Do you need a certificate of habitability or an energy certificate to let a property?
- If I am a guarantor on a tenancy and the tenant does not pay, what can be claimed from me?
- How does a tenancy with an option to buy work?
Term and extensions
- What is the minimum term of a residential tenancy agreement?
- What happens when the five years are up? Does the tenancy renew automatically?
- How much notice do you have to give not to renew the tenancy?
- When the tenancy ends, does the landlord need a reason not to renew it?
- What is the two-year extraordinary extension and who can ask for it?
- What happens if I leave the flat before the tenancy ends? Do I have to pay anything?
- Can the landlord recover the rented flat if they need it for themselves or for a child?
- Can the landlord refuse the extraordinary extension?
- Does the necessity clause have to be in the tenancy agreement for the flat to be recovered?
- Can the landlord end the tenancy early?
- When does an old-style protected tenancy (“renta antigua”) end?
- How long do tenancy agreements signed before 2019 last?
Sale of the flat, death and divorce
- If I sell the rented flat, does the buyer have to respect the tenancy agreement?
- If the tenant dies, can their partner or children stay in the flat?
- If the landlord sells the flat, do I have the right to buy it before anyone else?
- If the landlord dies or I inherit a flat that is let, does the tenancy end?
- What happens to the tenancy agreement if the tenants separate or divorce?
Rent and rent increases
- How much can my rent go up this year?
- What is the IRAV and when does it apply instead of the CPI?
- What is the 2 % cap on rent increases and how long does it last?
- My tenancy is ending and my landlord wants to raise the rent: how much can it go up on renewal?
- Is there a maximum rent for letting my flat?
- If my landlord has not put my rent up for years, can I now be charged the backdated increases?
- If my tenancy agreement says nothing about rent increases, can my rent go up?
- How and how far in advance must notice of a rent increase be given?
- Can the rent be increased for improvement works?
- How much can the rent on an old-style protected tenancy (“renta antigua”) go up?
- If my rent is above the reference rent index, can it go up this year?
Stressed housing areas and large landlords
- What is a stressed residential market area (“zona tensionada”) and how do I know if my flat is in one?
- What is the maximum rent in a stressed residential market area (“zona tensionada”) in Catalonia?
- What is the reference rent index and where can I look it up?
- If the flat was already let, can I ask the new tenant for more than the previous one paid?
- Who is a large-scale landlord (“gran tenedor”)? Is owning five flats enough in Catalonia?
- What obligations does a large-scale landlord (“gran tenedor”) have?
- Does the maximum rent apply to all landlords or only to large-scale landlords (“grandes tenedores”)?
- What fine can a landlord face for charging more than the maximum rent?
- How do I know if my landlord is a large-scale landlord (“gran tenedor”)?
- If my siblings and I own flats jointly or inherited them together, do they count towards being a large-scale landlord (“gran tenedor”)?
Expenses, repairs and works
- Who pays the IBI and the waste collection charge on a rented flat?
- Who pays the service charges on a rented flat?
- Who pays for faults in a rented flat: the water heater, the boiler, the appliances?
- What are the minor repairs that the tenant has to pay for?
- My tenancy agreement predates the reform and says I pay the IBI: do I still have to pay it?
- How long does the landlord have to carry out a repair?
- Can I stop paying the rent if the landlord does not fix the faults?
- What happens if the tenant does building work without permission?
- Can I paint the flat or hang pictures without the landlord's permission?
- The landlord wants to carry out works with the tenant living there: does the tenant have to put up with them?
- How often does the landlord have to paint the flat?
Living in a rented flat
Non-payment and eviction
- My tenant is not paying the rent: what should I do?
- How many months' rent must a tenant owe before you can evict them?
- How long does an eviction for non-payment take?
- How much does an eviction cost and who pays the legal costs?
- Can a vulnerable tenant or a tenant with children be evicted? Are evictions still suspended?
- Can I change the locks or cut off a non-paying tenant's electricity?
- How can I avoid eviction if I cannot pay the rent?
- Do you have to try to negotiate with the tenant before suing for eviction?
- If I am a large-scale landlord, do I have to offer social rent before suing?
- Can I report my tenant to the police for not paying?
- How long do I have to claim the rent the tenant owes me?
- Can a tenant stop an eviction by paying what is owed?
- What is an express eviction and how long does it really take?
- How will I be notified of an eviction?
- If I cannot evict a vulnerable tenant, will anyone compensate me for the rent I do not receive?
Tenants who will not leave and squatting
End of the lease, return of the deposit and damage
- When does my deposit have to be returned?
- What can be deducted from my deposit?
- My landlord will not return my deposit: how do I claim it?
- How do you recover a deposit lodged with INCASÒL?
- What has to be signed when handing back the keys?
- Can I use my deposit to pay the last month's rent?
- My tenant has left damage that the deposit does not cover: what can I claim?
Seasonal, room and tourist rentals
- When is seasonal letting allowed now?
- How long can a seasonal let last?
- If a seasonal tenancy agreement gives no reason, does it become a residential tenancy of a main home?
- What is the difference between seasonal letting and holiday letting?
- Is it legal to let a flat by rooms and what does the reform change?
- How much can I charge for each room?
- When do holiday let licences in Barcelona come to an end?
- Can the owners' association ban a holiday let?
- What is the “Registro Único de Arrendamientos” (Spain's register of short-term lets) and who needs it?
Taxes on rental income
- How much tax do you pay on letting a flat?
- What income tax allowance do I get for letting my flat?
- Is VAT charged on the rent of commercial premises? Even if the landlord is a private individual?
- If I let commercial premises to a company or a self-employed person, do they have to withhold income tax (the “IRPF”) from me? Who files Form 115?
- How much tax do you pay on letting commercial premises?
- How much tax do you pay on letting a parking space? Is VAT charged?
- What expenses can I deduct for a rented-out flat?
- If I let commercial premises as a private individual, do I have to register with the tax authorities?
Commercial premises: lease, rent, expenses and use
- How long does a commercial lease last?
- Can a commercial tenant transfer the business (“traspaso”)?
- Does the October 2026 rental decree affect commercial premises, offices and garages?
- How is a commercial lease drawn up and what must it include?
- How much deposit is payable on a commercial lease? Does it have to be lodged with INCASÒL?
- How much can my commercial rent be increased each year? Does the CPI or the IRAV apply?
- Who pays for works on rented commercial premises?
- Which law governs a commercial lease? Is whatever is signed valid?
- What rights does the tenant of commercial premises have?
- Apart from the deposit, what guarantees can I be asked for on a commercial lease? Is there a limit?
- Who pays the letting agent and the costs of the lease when renting commercial premises?
- Who pays the service charges and the IBI on rented premises?
- What is a rent-free period (“carencia de renta”) for works on commercial premises?
- What happens if the premises have no business activity licence or I am refused one?
- Can the tenant sublet commercial premises or part of them?
- Can the tenant change the activity in commercial premises, for example from a shop to a bar?
- What works can the tenant carry out in commercial premises without asking permission?
Commercial premises: end of the lease, non-payment and eviction
- When a commercial lease ends, does the tenant have to be compensated for goodwill?
- A commercial lease is ending: how much notice must be given and how long does the tenant have to leave?
- I want to close my business: can I leave the premises before the lease ends?
- My commercial tenant is not paying: what should I do?
- When can the landlord terminate a commercial lease and evict the tenant?
- The commercial lease has expired, nobody gave notice and the tenant is still paying: has it been renewed?
- If the tenant of commercial premises dies, can the heirs carry on the business? And if the landlord dies?
- I have commercial premises under an old-style protected tenancy (“renta antigua”): does the lease end when the tenant retires or does it pass to his or her children?
- If the landlord sells the premises, do I have to leave? Can I buy them before anyone else?
- How long does it take to evict a commercial tenant?
- To evict a commercial tenant, do you have to meet the same requirements as for a home (prior negotiation, vulnerability, large-scale landlords)?
Parking spaces, storage rooms, warehouses and other uses
- Do you need a contract to rent a parking space? Is a verbal agreement valid?
- Which law applies to renting a parking space and how long does it last?
- If I let my flat with a parking space or storage room, does it all go in the same contract?
- How do I evict the tenant of my parking space if they do not pay or will not leave?
- If I let my flat to a company for its employees, is it a residential tenancy?
- Can a private individual with no business rent commercial premises for storage? And to live in?
- Which law applies to renting an industrial unit or a warehouse?
Condominium law
Notice and voting at the general meeting
- How much notice is needed to call the owners' general meeting and by what means? Is WhatsApp or email valid?
- Who can call an extraordinary general meeting? Can it be called without the managing agent?
- Can the owners' general meeting be held by video conference or can votes be cast remotely?
- Is an owners' general meeting compulsory every year?
- Can I delegate my vote to another neighbour or to the managing agent?
- Can an owner who owes service charges vote at the meeting?
Majorities, minutes and challenges to resolutions
- What majority is needed to pass each resolution of the owners' association?
- How and within what time limit can a resolution of the owners' association be challenged? How much does it cost?
- I did not go to the owners' general meeting: does my vote count? Do the resolutions adopted affect me?
- How soon must the minutes be sent? And what if they do not arrive or do not reflect what was said?
- What defects in the notice make the owners' general meeting void?
- Who keeps the minute book and how is it legalised?
President and managing agent
- Can I be forced to be president of the owners' association? Can I get out of it if I am elderly or do not live in the building?
- What can the president of the owners' association do and what can they not do?
- How do you change managing agent and how many votes are needed?
- Who can be president of the owners' association and how long does the post last?
- Can I see the owners' association's accounts and invoices? And what if the managing agent will not show them to me?
- Is it compulsory to have a managing agent?
By-laws, holiday lets, pets and swimming pools
- How are the owners' association's by-laws changed? Is unanimity required?
- What is the difference between the by-laws and the internal rules?
- Can the owners' association (the “comunidad de propietarios”) ban dogs, or stop them using the lift? What are the rules for pets in the common areas?
- What rules can the owners' association (the “comunidad de propietarios”) set for the pool? Is a lifeguard compulsory in Catalonia?
- Do you need the owners' association's permission to open a holiday let? In Catalonia too?
- If the owners' association bans holiday lets, does it affect those already operating?
Service charges, special levies and allocation of expenses
- What is the participation share, how is it calculated and where is mine recorded?
- How are service charges (owners' association fees) shared out? Can the allocation be changed?
- Do commercial premises have to pay service charges (owners' association fees) and special levies?
- Do I have to pay a special levy if I voted against it?
- Can I stop paying my service charges (owners' association fees) if I disagree or do not use a service? Can my flat be taken from me if I do not pay?
- What is the reserve fund, is it compulsory and is it refunded when the flat is sold?
- I live in a residential development: do I have to pay its service charges even if I do not use the pool or the communal areas?
Arrears, debts and buying or selling a flat
- If a flat is sold, who pays a special levy approved beforehand: the seller or the buyer?
- A neighbour is not paying the service charges: what can the owners' association do?
- What can the owners' association ban a neighbour in arrears from using: the pool, the lift? Can it cut off their water?
- How does the owners' association claim unpaid service charges in court? From what amount and who pays the costs?
- How many years does the owners' association have to claim service charges in Catalonia?
- Can the list of owners in arrears be put up in the entrance hall?
- If I buy a flat with service charge debts, do I have to pay them?
- Do you have to try to negotiate with a neighbour in arrears before taking them to court?
- What is the statement of debts or certificate of being up to date with the owners' association, who requests it and how much does it cost?
Common elements and works in a flat or commercial unit
- Which parts of the building are common and which are privately owned?
- What works can I carry out in my flat without asking the owners' association for permission? Can I knock down a partition wall?
- Can I convert my commercial premises into a home? What say does the owners' association have?
- A neighbour has carried out works without permission or taken over part of a common area: what can the owners' association do? And what if years have passed and nobody said anything?
- Can I combine two flats or divide mine into two?
- Can the owners' association refuse to allow an extraction flue for commercial premises?
Façade, balconies and terraces
- Can I enclose my terrace or balcony, even with frameless glass?
- Can I put an air-conditioning unit on the façade?
- Can I replace my windows without the owners' association's permission?
- What can I do on a terrace or roof terrace for private use: a pergola, a lightweight enclosure?
- Do I need the owners' association's permission to put up an awning on the façade or balcony?
- Can fibre optic cables be run across my façade without my permission?
- Can you hang out washing on the façade or on the balcony?
Repairs, insurance and building inspection
- Is the owners' association obliged to have insurance?
- Who pays for repairs to a communal terrace for private use?
- Am I obliged to allow access to my flat to repair something belonging to the owners' association? And what if a neighbour refuses?
- I have damp coming from the façade, the roof or the floor of a ground-floor unit: who pays for it?
- When does a building in Catalonia have to pass the building inspection? How do I know whether it has passed?
- Who pays for replacing the downpipes?
Lifts, accessibility and solar panels
- Do ground-floor flats and commercial premises have to pay for installing and maintaining the lift?
- What majority is needed to install a lift and how is the cost shared?
- Do the new lift regulations require me to upgrade my building's lift? Who pays for it?
- Are accessibility works, such as a ramp or a stairlift, compulsory? Who pays for them?
- Can solar panels be installed on the building's communal roof? What majority is needed?
Parking spaces
- Can I install a charging point for my electric car in my space in the communal garage?
- What can you do and what can you leave in a parking space in a communal garage?
- Can I enclose my parking space in the communal garage?
- If I only have a parking space in the building's garage, do I have to pay for the lift or the entrance hall? And do neighbours without a space pay the garage expenses?
Noise, nuisances, cameras and squatters
- What can I do about a noisy neighbour? What are the noise hours in Barcelona?
- At what times can building work be done in a flat?
- Which activities count as a nuisance and how can the owners' association make them stop?
- Can you smoke on the balcony? Can I report my neighbour for the smoke?
- Can the owners' association (the “comunidad de propietarios”) install surveillance cameras? Who can see the recordings?
- My neighbour has put up a camera or a digital peephole that points at the landing: is it legal?
- There are squatters in a flat in the building: what can the owners' association (the “comunidad de propietarios”) do?
- Can a neighbour who keeps causing a nuisance be evicted from their flat, even if they own it?
- The bar downstairs makes noise or gives off smoke: what can we neighbours do?
Civil liability
Claiming damages
- If it is not a road traffic accident, is there any table for calculating compensation?
- How long do I have to claim damages?
- How much money can you claim in damages?
- How do you claim compensation for damages?
- How much does a claim for damages cost?
- What is non-pecuniary damage and when can it be claimed?
- How much is paid for non-pecuniary damage (distress)?
- What is civil liability and when must compensation be paid?
- What is the difference between contractual and non-contractual liability?
- What is loss of earnings or profit (“lucro cesante”) and how is it calculated?
- If there are criminal proceedings, is compensation obtained there or in separate civil proceedings?
- If the person responsible is declared insolvent, will I go unpaid?
Road traffic accidents
- How much compensation will I get for a road traffic accident and how is it calculated?
- What is the statutory compensation scale for traffic accidents (the “baremo”) and where can its tables be found?
- How much compensation is paid for whiplash?
- After a road traffic accident, how much will I be paid for each day of sick leave or rehabilitation?
- In a road traffic accident, how much do you receive for each after-effect point?
- If I am discharged from medical treatment with after-effects following an accident, what can I claim?
- If I have an accident that is not my fault, what expenses and damage do they have to pay for?
- How long does it take to get compensation for a road traffic accident?
- If a family member dies in a road traffic accident, who receives the compensation?
- Do I have to declare accident compensation on my income tax return?
- If I am knocked down while crossing where I should not, do I still get paid?
- If I cannot work because of the accident, do I get paid for the earnings I lose?
- If I did not see a doctor straight away or did not take sick leave, will I be paid for whiplash?
- If I was partly to blame for the accident, do I get paid anything?
- How is it decided who is at fault in an accident?
Medical negligence
- How long do I have to claim for medical negligence?
- When is something considered medical negligence?
- What are the most common types of medical negligence?
- How do you prove medical negligence?
- What steps do you need to take to claim for medical negligence?
- How do you claim for negligence by “Social Security” or a public hospital?
- How much does it cost to claim for medical negligence?
- What does winning a medical negligence case depend on?
- How much compensation can you get for medical negligence?
- How long does it take to receive compensation for medical negligence?
- How do I request my medical records and what do I do if they refuse?
- Can you claim for a misdiagnosis?
- If a dentist has botched my treatment, what can I claim?
- For medical negligence, is it better to report it as a crime or to bring a civil claim?
- If I was not informed of the risks of an operation or treatment, can I claim?
- If the after-effects of medical negligence take time to become known, when does the time limit start?
- If I signed the informed consent form, can I still claim?
- Do I need a medical expert to claim for negligence?
- If my relative died as a result of medical negligence, can we claim?
- If a cosmetic surgery operation goes wrong, can I claim?
- Can you claim for an infection caught in hospital?
- Can you claim for negligence during childbirth?
- Is there any point in complaining to the hospital or the Medical Association (“Colegio de Médicos”)?
Construction defects
- How long do I have to claim for defects in my new-build home?
- Who do I claim against for defects in my new-build home: the developer, the builder or the architect?
- How do you claim for construction defects?
- If the developer or the builder does not fix the defects, what should I do?
- If I can no longer claim under the “LOE”, Spain's Building Act, is there another way to claim against the architect?
- Can the owners' association claim for construction defects in the building?
- If the architect I hired makes a mistake in the design, what can I claim?
- If I notice defects when I get the keys to my new-build home, what should I do?
- How much does an expert report on construction defects cost?
- If the developer has gone bankrupt or disappeared, who do I claim against for the defects?
Renovations and latent defects
- If my renovation work has been badly done, what can I do?
- How long do I have to claim for defective renovation work?
- Can I refuse to pay for defective work?
- If I buy a second-hand flat with latent defects, can I claim against the seller?
- If the renovation work was done without a contract or an invoice, can I claim?
- If I sold a flat and the buyer is claiming against me for latent defects, what can I do?
Notaries, tax advisers and other professionals
Damage caused by public authorities
- If I fall in the street because of a loose paving slab or a hole, can I claim against the town council?
- How much compensation can I get for a fall in the street?
- How long do I have to claim against the public authorities and when does the time limit start?
- How do I file a claim for compensation with the town council?
- If a pothole damages my car, who pays?
- What is the “responsabilidad patrimonial” of the public authorities and when do they pay compensation?
- How long do the public authorities take to reply and what happens if they do not?
- If I have an accident on a road or motorway in poor condition, who do I claim against?
- If a tree belonging to the town council falls on my car, who pays?
Defective products
- If a defective product causes me damage, is the manufacturer or the shop liable?
- Does the guarantee cover me if a defective product causes me damage?
- How long do I have to claim for damage caused by a defective product?
- What do I have to prove to claim for a defective product?
- What damage caused by a defective product can I claim for?
- If a battery, an e-scooter or a charger catches fire and damages my home, who pays?
- If I buy a product online from outside Europe and it causes me damage, who do I claim against?
Damage in everyday life
- If a dog bites me, who is liable and how much can I be paid?
- If I get food poisoning at a restaurant, can I claim?
- If my child gets hurt at school, is the school liable?
- Do parents have to pay for the damage caused by their minor children?
- If a power cut or a power surge damages my household appliances, can I claim against the electricity company?
Insurance law
Policies, premiums and cancellation
- Can my insurer put the price up or drop me for making a claim?
- How much notice do you need to give to cancel insurance?
- If I sell my car or house, what happens to the insurance?
- Can a policy clause I did not sign be applied to me?
- If I missed a premium payment and had a claim, am I covered?
- If I did not tell my insurer about a change, can it refuse to pay?
- Can I cancel an insurance policy I have just taken out?
- What is the waiting period in an insurance policy?
Claims against insurers
- What can you do if your insurer refuses to pay?
- When can an insurer refuse to pay?
- How long do I have to bring a claim against an insurer?
- How many days do I have to notify my insurer of a claim?
- How do you complain to Spain's insurance regulator?
- Do I need a lawyer to claim against an insurer?
- Can I choose my own lawyer under my legal expenses insurance?
- If I sign an insurance settlement and release form, can I claim later?
Payment, loss adjusters and interest
- How long does the insurer have to pay a claim?
- What do I do if I disagree with the insurer's loss adjuster?
- Can I get the payout in cash instead of having the damage repaired?
- If someone else caused the accident, do I have to pay the excess?
- What is underinsurance and why am I being paid less?
- What interest must the insurer pay if it pays late?
- Am I entitled to see the report by the insurer's loss adjuster?
- If I have two insurance policies covering the same thing, which one do I claim on?
Damage caused by others
- Can you claim directly from the insurer of the person who caused the damage?
- If I fall in a supermarket or a shop, can I claim against its insurance?
- If I suffer negligent treatment at a private clinic, do I claim against the doctor, the clinic or their insurance?
- What does ten-year structural defects insurance cover and how do you claim?
- How long do you have in Catalonia to claim against the insurance of the person who caused the damage?
- Can I claim against the insurance of the architect or the building surveyor (“aparejador”) for defects in my home?
- If my tax adviser (“gestor”) made a mistake and the tax authorities fine me, does the adviser's insurance pay?
Home and rental insurance
- What does home insurance not cover?
- If my home is burgled without the door being forced, will my insurance pay out?
- If there is rain, wind or flooding, does my insurance or the Consorcio pay?
- How do you claim from the Consorcio de Compensación de Seguros?
- If my dog bites someone, will my insurance pay for it?
- Is liability insurance compulsory for dogs?
- If matching tiles cannot be found, does the insurer have to replace them all?
- If my home is burgled and I have no receipts, will my insurance pay out?
- If a power surge burns out my appliances, will my insurance pay?
- Does home insurance cover damage caused by squatters?
- If my child causes damage to someone else, does home insurance cover it?
- If my rent guarantee insurance will not pay, what can I do?
Water damage, neighbours and the owners' association
- If water comes through from the flat above, does my insurance pay or my neighbour's?
- How do you claim against your neighbour's insurance?
- If the neighbour who caused damage to my home has no insurance, will my own insurance pay?
- When does the owners' association's insurance pay for water damage?
- If the flat is let, what does the landlord's insurance cover and what does the tenant's cover?
- What water damage does home insurance cover?
- What can I do if the owners' association's insurer refuses to pay?
- If my neighbour's building work causes cracks in my home, does their insurance pay?
- If a fire in the flat next door damages my home, who pays?
- If I fall in the entrance hall or on the stairs, will the owners' association's insurance pay?
Life and accident insurance
- How do I find out if a deceased relative had life insurance?
- How do you claim on a life insurance policy and how long does it take?
- What is the time limit for claiming on life insurance?
- Who receives the life insurance payout if the beneficiary has died or there is none?
- If I renounce the inheritance, can I receive the life insurance payout?
- In what cases does a life insurance policy not pay out?
- Can a life insurer refuse to pay because of an undisclosed illness?
- How do you change the beneficiary of a life insurance policy?
- If I divorce and my ex is still the beneficiary, do they receive the life insurance payout?
- Do you have to declare cancer you have recovered from when taking out insurance?
- Does life insurance cover suicide?
- Does a heart attack count as an accident for insurance purposes?
Disability, health and sick leave
- Does life insurance cover permanent total disability or only absolute disability?
- Does my private medical insurance cover an illness I already had?
- Can my private medical insurer drop me or sharply increase my premium because of my age?
- If my disability is recognised after the policy has expired, does the insurance cover me?
- If the INSS recognises my disability, does the insurance have to pay me?
- If I have income protection insurance and they do not pay me, what do I do?
- If my private medical insurance will not authorise a test or an operation, what should I do?
Mortgages and loans
- What insurance can the bank require me to take out for my mortgage?
- Can I cancel my mortgage life insurance?
- If a mortgage borrower dies, what does the insurance pay and who claims it?
- If I pay off my mortgage early, do I get part of the insurance premium back?
- If the borrower on a personal loan dies, does the insurance pay it off?
Funeral and travel insurance
Road traffic
- What do I do if the driver at fault has no insurance?
- How do I find a car's insurer from its registration number?
- If the other driver's insurer will not pay, what do I do?
- What should I do if the other driver will not sign the accident report form?
- What is the reasoned offer (“oferta motivada”) and what happens if I do not accept it?
- If my car is a total loss (write-off) and it was not my fault, do I only get the pre-accident value?
- If the car had not passed its ITV, does the insurance pay?
- If someone not named on the policy drives my car, does the insurance pay?
- If I tested positive for alcohol, can my insurer claim back what it paid?
- If someone hits my car and I do not know who it was, or they flee the scene, who pays?
- If I was injured as a passenger, who do I claim against?
- If I have an accident with a foreign car, who do I claim against?
- If I have an accident with an expired driving licence, does my insurance cover me?
- If I hit a wild boar, who pays?
- Can I choose my own garage or must I use the insurer's?
E-scooters and electric bicycles
Inheritance and succession
Wills
- Can you challenge a will in Catalonia?
- How much does it cost to make a will before a notary?
- Is a handwritten will valid in Catalonia?
- Can a person with Alzheimer's or dementia make a will?
- Can a will be changed?
- What is a succession agreement in Catalonia?
- How should a married couple with children make their wills in Catalonia?
- What are the advantages of making a will in Catalonia?
- Can you leave your estate to your carer or to your care home?
- Can a person with a disability make a will in Catalonia?
Forced share and freedom of testation
- How much is a child's forced share in Catalonia?
- Can I leave more to one child than to another in Catalonia?
- How do you claim the forced share in Catalonia and what is the time limit?
- Can you disinherit a child in Catalonia?
- In Catalonia, can you leave everything to your partner if you have children?
- If I have no children, can I leave my estate to whoever I like in Catalonia?
- Do lifetime gifts count when dividing the estate in Catalonia?
Who inherits
- Who inherits if someone dies without children in Catalonia?
- How can you find out whether the deceased made a will?
- When is a declaration of heirs needed and how much does it cost?
- Who inherits if there is no will in Catalonia?
- What is the difference between an inheritance and a legacy?
- How do I find out if I am someone's heir?
- Do grandchildren inherit if their parent died before their grandparent?
- How is the estate divided if there are children from a previous marriage?
- Is a stepchild entitled to inherit in Catalonia?
- Who cannot inherit in Catalonia?
Widows, widowers and stable partners
- What does a widow or widower inherit in Catalonia?
- Does an unmarried partner inherit in Catalonia?
- Does the inheritance I receive also belong to my spouse?
- What is the widow's quarter (“cuarta viudal”)?
- What happens to the usufruct if the bare owner or the usufructuary dies?
- Do you need to be registered as a stable partner to inherit in Catalonia?
Procedures after a death
- How do you claim a deceased person's money from the bank?
- How much does it cost to settle an estate?
- What do you need to do when a relative dies?
- How long can a property stay in a deceased person's name?
- What happens to a joint account if one of the holders dies?
- Who has to pay for a relative's funeral?
- How do you put a deceased person's car in the heir's name?
- What does an executor do and what can they do without the heirs?
- How much is an executor paid in Catalonia?
- What happens if money is withdrawn from a deceased person's account?
- How long does it take to settle an estate?
Acceptance, renunciation and debts
- What does it mean to accept an inheritance with the benefit of inventory?
- If I renounce an inheritance, who does my share go to?
- How long do I have to accept an inheritance in Catalonia?
- What happens if the estate has debts?
- Do you have to go to a notary to accept an inheritance?
- What happens to the mortgage when the borrower dies?
- Can you renounce an inheritance in favour of someone else?
- Can an inheritance be attached if the heir has debts?
- What do you need to accept an inheritance?
- What is an estate in abeyance (“herencia yacente”)?
- Can one heir accept the inheritance while another does not?
Division and sale of inherited assets
- What can be done if an heir refuses to sign the inheritance deed?
- Can a sibling be forced to sell the inherited flat?
- How is an estate divided between siblings?
- How much does it cost to take over your siblings' share of an inherited flat?
- Can an inherited flat be sold without having settled the estate?
- Can the inherited house be sold if the mother has the usufruct?
- What happens to the quotas (“participaciones”) in a company when the shareholder dies?
Taxes
- What is the deadline for paying inheritance tax in Catalonia?
- Do you have to pay municipal capital gains tax when you inherit a flat?
- Is it better to make lifetime gifts or leave an inheritance in Catalonia?
- What taxes do you pay when selling an inherited flat?
- How much does a sibling, nephew or niece pay to inherit in Catalonia?
- Can inheritance tax be paid with money from the estate?
- How much do you pay to inherit your parents' house in Catalonia?
- How much inheritance tax do you pay in Catalonia?
- Who is exempt from inheritance tax in Catalonia?
- How much are the usufruct and the bare ownership worth?
- What value is given to a flat for inheritance tax purposes?
- What happens if the inheritance tax return is filed late?
- Do I have to declare an inheritance on my income tax return?
- How and where do you file inheritance tax in Catalonia?
- Who files a deceased person's income tax return?
- Is inheritance tax payable on life insurance or a pension plan?
- How can you pay less tax on an inheritance in Catalonia?
- How much is the tax on giving money to a child in Catalonia?