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The nota simple: reading the Land Registry before you buy
One inexpensive document reveals who really owns a property, what debts sit on it, and whether what is built is what is registered.
What a nota simple is
The nota simple is an extract from the Land Registry (Registro de la Propiedad). It is inexpensive, quick to obtain, and the single most important document in early due diligence. It tells you four things that brochures never will.
1. Who actually owns it
The registered owner — which is not always the person selling. If the seller is not the registered proprietor, or there are co-owners or heirs, that has to be resolved before you can safely buy.
2. What charges sit on it
Mortgages, embargoes (court seizures), liens and easements all appear here. A seller's mortgage must be cancelled at or before completion; an undisclosed embargo can stop a sale dead.
3. How it is described
The registered description — size, boundaries, and what is built. If the registry shows a smaller house than the one standing, there is likely an undeclared extension: common with villa pools, annexes and terraces, and central to rustic-land checks.
4. Any noted restrictions
Planning affections, protected-status notes, or conditions can be flagged on the registry entry — a first signal to investigate further at the town hall.
Why we go beyond it
The nota simple is the starting point, not the whole story. We cross-check it against the cadastre, the town-hall licence record and the physical property, because the risks that cost buyers money are usually the gaps between these sources. It is the backbone of the due diligence on every purchase we handle.
This guide is general information, not legal advice for your specific case, and tax and planning rules in Spain change frequently. For advice on a particular property, get in touch for a free consultation.
