Selling your Costa Blanca home

1. Sell, let or keep the property?

Start with the practical question rather than assuming that a sale is the only answer. Selling may suit a move back to the UK or Belgium, a change in household needs or a wish to release capital. Letting or retaining the property is another possibility, but brings its own management, tax and compliance questions. We do not advise on letting arrangements; discuss those with a qualified local professional.

If you are undecided about the area or might buy again locally, consider whether a move in stages would give you time to test your plans. Our guide to renting first in Orihuela Costa explains questions to weigh up before committing to a new home.

2. The broad sequence: listing to notary

There is no single timetable or contract sequence that fits every sale. A typical path may include:

1. Preparation and instruction: gather property information and agree the agent's services, asking price, commission, exclusivity (if any) and contract duration in a written listing agreement, often called a nota de encargo.
2. Marketing and an offer: agree in writing what is included in the sale and how offers, viewings and buyer enquiries will be handled. Do not rely on a verbal understanding for important terms.
3. Reservation or private contract: the parties may use a reservation agreement and/or a private sale contract, commonly called arras. The Spanish Notariado explains that a pre-contract is not obligatory, but a private contract can be legally binding once signed; read it carefully and get independent advice before committing.
4. Completion: the parties normally sign the public deed (escritura pública) before a notary, who checks the property-registration information and explains the deed. Check the completion arrangements, mortgage cancellation (if relevant), funds and handover with your own professional team.

See the Spanish Notariado's home-sale information for its explanation of private contracts, arras, registry checks and the public deed. It is general guidance, not a substitute for advice on the contract you are asked to sign.

3. Paperwork to start gathering

The documents requested vary with the home, its ownership and the transaction. A useful starting folder may include:

• The title deed (escritura) and a recent nota simple. The Notariado recommends checking the current Land Registry information for ownership and any mortgages, attachments or other charges.
• The registered energy-performance certificate and label. Spanish rules require the energy label in offers and advertising for sale, and the registered certificate and label to be attached to the sale contract where applicable. See Royal Decree 390/2021, especially Articles 15 and 17.
• Recent IBI records, community-fee information, utility account details and any receipts or statements that help confirm what is paid and what needs to be transferred or closed. Ask the notary and agent which items they need for your particular sale.
• Any mortgage balance or cancellation information, if there is a loan secured against the property.
• Any occupancy licence or certificate that may apply to the home, and any relevant plans, permissions or completion documents. Ask a local professional which documents are relevant; requirements can vary with the property and its history.
• Identity and ownership records for everyone who must sign, plus a valid power of attorney if someone will sign on an owner's behalf.

A nota simple is a registry information report, not a substitute for a lawyer's review. The official Spanish public-administration guide to property registers explains that it can show ownership and charges. Ask your notary or lawyer to identify any discrepancy before signing a sale contract.

4. Costs and taxes: understand the categories, then get figures for your case

Agent commission. Commission is agreed with the agent; it is not a universal fixed tariff. Costa Blanca seller guides quote ranges that vary by agency and listing, commonly around 3–6% plus IVA (some sources quote 3–5%). Treat any range as an indication only: ask for the exact percentage or fixed fee, IVA treatment, services, exclusivity, contract duration and payment trigger in writing before you sign. See Mediter's 2026 Costa Blanca guide and OceanHome's selling-cost overview; your own signed agreement is what matters.

Municipal plusvalía. The Impuesto sobre el Incremento de Valor de los Terrenos de Naturaleza Urbana (IIVTNU), often called plusvalía municipal, is a local tax relating to increases in urban land value. The national framework is in the consolidated Local Finance Law; the municipality's rules and your property's facts matter. Ask a Spanish tax adviser/gestor or the relevant town hall to assess whether it applies and how it is calculated.

Capital-gains tax and the non-resident withholding. The Spanish Tax Agency says a buyer must generally withhold 3% of the agreed consideration when buying Spanish property from a non-resident seller, report it using Modelo 211, and treat it as a payment on account rather than the final tax. Its current guidance states a 19% rate for non-resident capital gains from property and explains the separate return process through Modelo 210. A Spanish tax resident's capital gain is instead considered under the personal income-tax rules (IRPF). These are not do-it-yourself calculations: ask a Spanish tax adviser or gestor about residency, allowable costs, exemptions, timing and any treaty implications before accepting a completion statement. See the Tax Agency's non-resident property-sale guidance and its IRPF guide to capital gains and losses.

5. Choosing an agent: checks worth making

• Ask for the agent's full legal name, RAICV registration number and the written engagement note. The Generalitat Valenciana housing-register page links to its Public Register of Real Estate Intermediation Agents; use it to check registration details. The GVA's official procedure 22848 describes the register and the information shown in an agent's mandate contract.
• Compare an open listing with an exclusive instruction on the actual written terms: services, duration, cancellation, commission, IVA, when commission becomes due, and what happens if a buyer was introduced during the agreement.
• Agree the advertised asking price and who may publish it. If you speak with more than one agency, keep the price and property details consistent and understand how the agents will coordinate.
• Ask how offers will be passed to you, what buyer information is checked, how deposits are handled and who drafts or reviews each contract. Seek independent legal advice rather than relying on the estate agent alone for legal or tax questions.

A registration entry is one check, not a guarantee of a particular outcome. Ask for the agent's terms in writing and verify any point that matters to you independently.

6. A practical checklist if you are moving back

• Healthcare: if returning to England, review the NHS guidance on registering with a GP surgery. If returning to Belgium, contact your mutualité/ziekenfonds and check the relevant RIZIV-INAMI information on healthcare when living across borders about your own position.
• Local registration: ask the Ayuntamiento de Orihuela's Padrón office what update or cancellation steps apply when you leave the municipality.
• Household accounts: note final meter readings, settle or transfer utilities, and cancel direct debits only after confirming the final IBI and community-fee arrangements with the relevant providers or administrator.
• Removals and pets: get written removal quotes and confirm current animal-travel paperwork before booking. The EU's Your Europe pet-travel guidance distinguishes travel within the EU from travel into it from a non-EU country; check the rules for your route and date.
• Sale proceeds: ask your tax adviser about the funds you should retain for taxes and fees before transferring the balance. For the cross-border transfer itself, compare your bank and providers. Currencies Direct (referral link) is one option to compare for a larger or regular transfer; check the current fees and exchange rate for your own transfer before deciding.

7. How our introduction works

Tell us the property area, type and your likely timescale using the form below. If we can offer a suitable introduction, we will identify one local agent and share the relevant registration details with you first. We will pass your details to that named agent only after you give specific consent; the agent then contacts you directly about the sale. There is no charge to you for our introduction.

Referral-fee disclosure: We may receive a referral fee from the agent if a sale goes ahead. This never adds to what you pay. Any estate-agency commission, scope of work and contract are agreed directly between you and the agent. Move to Costa Blanca is not an estate agent and does not value properties.

Our service is an introduction, not a recommendation that a particular asking price or agent is right for you. Check the agent's current registration, read the mandate carefully and take independent professional advice where you need it.