Glossary of selling a property in Catalonia

A sale in Barcelona is conducted in Spanish, sometimes in Catalan. Here are the terms you will come across, grouped by stage, with their meaning. The Catalan term is given where it differs.

The sale file

• Cédula de habitabilidad (cèdula d'habitabilitat): certificate confirming that a home meets the minimum standards of habitability. Required by the notary for a sale in Catalonia; valid for 15 years for an existing home.
• Certificado de eficiencia energética (CEE): energy performance certificate, with a rating from A to G. Required from the moment the property is marketed; valid for 10 years.
• Certificado de amianto: certificate of the presence or absence of asbestos, required since 3 October 2026 for properties built before 2002.
• Certificado de deuda de la comunidad: statement from the owners' association administrator showing whether service charges are paid.
• ITE (inspecció tècnica de l'edifici): compulsory technical inspection of buildings over 45 years old, which leads to a certificate of fitness.
• Nota simple: extract from the Land Registry showing the owner, the registered floor area and any charges, such as a mortgage.
• Registro de la Propiedad: the public Land Registry of properties, their owners and their charges.
• Catastro, valor catastral: the cadastre and the cadastral value of the property, used as the basis for IBI. The cadastral reference identifies the property.
• Tasación: valuation of the property by an approved valuer, in particular at the request of the buyer's bank.

The mandate and the negotiation

• Encargo de venta: written sales mandate given to an agency, exclusive (en exclusiva) or non-exclusive.
• Oferta: written offer to buy, with the price and conditions.
• Contrato de reserva: reservation agreement that takes the property off the market for a few days while the deposit contract is prepared.
• Arras (contrato de arras): deposit contract that commits both parties, with a sum paid by the buyer. With arras penitenciales, a buyer who withdraws loses the deposit and a seller who withdraws repays it twice over. With arras confirmatorias, the sum is an advance on the price and the contract is binding.
• Condición suspensiva: condition on which the sale depends, for example the buyer obtaining a mortgage.

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The signing

• Escritura pública (escriptura): deed of sale signed before a notary. It transfers ownership and allows the buyer to be registered at the Land Registry.
• Notario (notari): public official who checks the parties' identity, the documents and the means of payment, and authorises the deed.
• Poder notarial: power of attorney signed before a notary, allowing a person you trust to sign on your behalf.
• NIE, DNI: foreigner identification number (NIE) and Spanish national identity document (DNI), needed to sell.
• Cancelación de hipoteca: repayment of the outstanding mortgage, usually on the day of the sale, and its removal from the Land Registry.

Taxes

• Plusvalía municipal (plusvàlua): local tax on the increase in the value of the land during ownership, paid by the seller.
• IRPF, IRNR: income tax for residents (IRPF) and non-residents (IRNR), under which the gain on the sale is taxed.
• Retención del 3%: the buyer pays 3% of the price to the tax authorities when the seller does not live in Spain (form 211). The seller then declares the sale on form 210.
• IBI: annual property tax, due from the owner on 1 January.
• ITP: property transfer tax, paid by the buyer of a resale home.

The building

• Comunidad de propietarios (comunitat de propietaris): the owners' association, which manages the common areas and approves works.
• Derrama: special levy approved by the owners' association to pay for works.
• Finca regia: stately building from the late 19th or early 20th century, typical of the Eixample, with high ceilings and original features.
• Planta principal, entresuelo, ático: the noble floor above the entresol; the entresol, between the ground floor and the principal; the top floor, often with a terrace.
• Patio de luces, interior de manzana: the building's inner light well; the space at the centre of an Eixample block.
• Tribuna, galería: glazed bay projecting from the façade; enclosed balcony, often facing the inner block.

For more detail, see the guides on documents needed to sell and the stages of a sale.