Property in Spain | Real estate Spanish-English glossary
This Spanish-English glossary is our attempt to make buying or selling property
in Spain a little bit easier.
We think we have included all the most important Spanish terms related to house-buying and their English equivalent.
This Spanish-English glossary is our attempt to make buying or selling property
in Spain a little bit easier.
We think we have included all the most important Spanish terms related to house-buying and their English equivalent.
Click
on the word to get a much fuller description of each term on a seperate page.
If you want to suggest a term we may have left out of this Spanish-English
real estate dictionary, send us an email.
Click
on the word to get a much fuller description of each term on a seperate page.
If you want to suggest a term we may have left out of this Spanish-English
real estate dictionary, send us an email.
| Abogado | Lawyer/solicitor (see also Solicitor fees in Spain) |
| Administrador de fincas | Spanish licensed property administrator or Community Administrator |
| Agente de la Propiedad | Property Agent or Estate Agent |
| Amortización | Repayment of loan/mortgage, depreciation |
| Arbitraje | Arbitration |
| Arras | Down Payment, deposit |
| Arrendador | Landlord |
| Arrendatario | Tenant |
| Aval | Loan guarantee or Bank guarantee |
| Avalista | Guarantor (of a loan) |
| Bungalow | 2 or 3 storey terraced house |
| Caja de ahorros | Spanish savings banks |
| Cargas | Charges, burden, arrears |
| Catastro | Spanish Land Register |
| Cláusula | Clause or conditions in a contract |
| Cláusula abusiva | Unfair/ abusive clause in a contract usually to the detriment of the consumer |
| Cédula de habitabilidad | Certificate of occupancy |
| Certificado registral | Certificate informing about debts of a specific property |
| Chalet | Villa |
| Compra sobre plano | Off-plan property purchase |
| Comunidad de propietarios | Association/Community of property owners |
| Contrato de arrendamiento | Letting/renting contract |
| Contrato de compraventa de vivienda | Private property sales contract |
| Cooperativa de viviendas | Housing co-operative |
| Cuenta de ahorro vivienda | Housing savings account with special tax benefits |
| Derecho de tanteo | Right of first refusal |
| Derecho de retracto | Right of repurchase |
| Desahucio | Eviction |
| División horizontal | Official document to describe division pf property between different owners |
| Documento privado | Private document |
| Documento público | Public document |
| Escritura | Deeds |
| Escritura pública de compraventa | Title deeds |
| Euribor Official | Euro Interbank offered interest rate |
| Fianza | Deposit |
| Finca | Estate |
| Folleto informativo | Information leaflet/brochure |
| Gestoría | Firm specialised in obtaining official authorisations, permits, licences etc |
| Gestoras de cooperatives | Firm specialised in obtaining official paperwork in relation to housing co-operatives |
| Hipoteca | Mortgage in Spain | Hipotecar | to mortgage |
| Hipoteca de inversión | Endowment mortgage |
| Hipotecable | Mortgageable |
| IBI Impuesto sobre Bienes Inmuebles | Spanish yearly property tax or Council Tax |
| Impuesto sobre actos jurídicos documentados | Legal documentation tax |
| Impuesto sobre el Incremento del Valor de Terrenos | Tax on the increase of land value |
| Impuesto sobre el patrimonio | Capital gains tax Spain |
| Inmobiliaira | Estate agent |
| IVA Vivienda | Property VAT |
| Libre de cargas | Free of debts |
| Libro del edificio | Documents handed over by the promoter when a building is finished |
| Licencia de obra | Building permission |
| N.I.E. | NIE |
| Notario | Notary |
| Nota simple registral | Certificate from a property register |
| Novación | Renegotiation of mortgage terms |
| Obra Nueva | Document certifying a brand new building |
| Oferta vinculante | Bank document certifying the exact mortgage conditions |
| Pago en efectivo | Cash payment |
| Parcela | Plot of land |
| Piso | Flat |
| Poder | Power of attorney |
| Préstamo con techo | Loan with variable interest rates with a fixed minimum and maximum |
| Préstamo cualificado VPO | Special loan given only for the purchase of low-cost housing |
| Préstamo hipotecario | Mortgage loan |
| Plusvalía Municipal | Capital gains tax on the sale of property |
| Proindiviso | Co-ownership, when a property has more that one owner |
| Promotor | Property developer |
| Registro de la propiedad | Property Registry |
| Representante fiscal | Official tax representative |
| Residencia (permiso) | Residency permit |
| Residente | Resident |
| Segunda vivienda | Second home |
| Seguro multirreisgo hogar | Household insurance |
| Se alquila | For rent |
| Se vende | For sale |
| Seguro de amortización de préstamos | Loan repayment insurance |
| Señal | Deposit, down payment |
| Subvención | Subsidy |
| Superficie útil | Useable square metres in a property |
| Tasación | Independent valuation of property |
| Terreno | Plot of land |
| Tipo de interés | Interest rate |
| Tipo sustitutivo de referencia | Substitution of the official interest rate - for example the euribor |
| Titulo de propiedad | Deeds stating the ownership of property, date of sale etc... |
| Valor catastral | Registered value of land |
| Verificación | Verification |
| Vivienda de Protección Oficial (VPO) | Low-cost housing subsidised by the state |
| Other useful links | |
| Latest news on the property market in Spain Selection of news articles related to the real estate market here. | |
| Mortgages in Spain, a brief introduction to the Spanish mortgage market, how it works and interest rates in Spain | |
| Spanish banks, before applying for a mortgage, find out more about Spain's most popular banks and Spanish savings banks. | |
| Property taxes in Spain, description of taxes involved in purchasing property and yearly property taxes in Spain. | |
| Useful Spanish vocab for buying a house - you should learn at least the basic terms. Check out our pronunciation guide too. | |
| Renting property in Spain - if you want to buy to rent, then read this section and our free notice board of property to rent in Spain. | |
| Spanish lawyers - information on lawyers fees in Spain for property transactions | |
| Houses for sale in Spain - take a look at the kind of houses available. Or check out our free Spain property for sale board. | |
