What should you check before signing the arras?
Check five things: the technical condition of the building (the ITE and meeting minutes), the flat's structural elements (beams, floor slabs), the risers and electrical supply, the legal status (nota simple, cédula de habitabilidad, charges) and whether your intended layout is possible. All of this can be established before the deposit, and withdrawing after the arras costs money.
The ideal order: a first viewing without a technician, a second with a technician and photo records, then a request for documents from the seller and the administrador. If the seller refuses to show the minutes and the ITE, you already have your answer. On luxury projects, where the flat is bought for a full renovation, one missed detail can cost tens of thousands of euros.
Is it worth taking a technician to the viewing?
Yes, and it is the cheapest insurance in the deal. In two or three hours a technician sees what a buyer misses: diagonal cracks by openings, a sagging floor, traces of old leaks on the ceiling, telltale stains by the riser, differences between the actual layout and the plan. He also judges which of your wishes are realistic.
For an overseas buyer it is also an independent opinion, because the agent wants the sale to close. BCN YARD offers a site visit and condition assessment as a separate service: we look, measure and write a list of risks with an approximate order of costs. That is usually enough to decide on the deposit, and the full estimate comes after purchase.
How do you find out about upcoming building repair levies?
Ask the administrador for the minutes of the last three years and the current-year budget, and ask the seller for the certificate showing no debts to the comunidad. The minutes show which works are under discussion (facade, roof, lift, risers) and which are approved. If the ITE flags defects in the facade or roof, a levy is almost certain.
Ask directly: is there an approved levy, who pays it if it is issued after completion, and what the contract says about splitting it between seller and buyer. In practice it is common to agree that levies approved before handover are paid by the seller. Put that in writing before signing, not after.
What hides under the finishes: beams, risers, wiring
In an early-1900s building the floors are often timber or steel joists with brick vaults, and the condition of the supports conditions everything else. The technician looks at deflection, woodworm in the timber, corrosion of steel beams near wet areas and at what you want: if you dream of an open kitchen and living room, the load-bearing wall between rooms needs calculation and reinforcement, which is a separate estimate and a separate project.
Risers and wiring show only indirectly: lead or iron pipe at the boards, aluminium wiring, old breakers, no earthing, the contracted power. In a full renovation almost everything inside is replaced, so at purchase your task is not the work but the boundaries: what is common and what you can change yourself. We cover this in the article on new services in old buildings.
Can you tell in advance whether the new layout will be allowed?
You can, and it is done before the deposit. There are three sources: the zone's planning rules and the building's protection status (an enquiry to the Ajuntament or the catalogue of protected elements), the comunidad statutes (what cannot be touched in the facade and common areas) and the property itself (where the load-bearing walls, shafts, bathrooms and risers are).
For a protected building or in a historic zone of Barcelona, what the rules allow matters, not what you want. Moving partitions inside the flat is usually possible if no structural elements are touched; opening new windows, closing a gallery or altering a patio needs separate approval. A technical opinion on drawings and rules answers "feasible / feasible with conditions / no" before you commit money.
Air conditioning, lift, facade: building limits nobody mentions
A luxury buyer wants air conditioning, and this is where the building often pushes back: an outdoor unit on the facade or in the inner courtyard may be banned by the statutes or the rules, roof space is limited and shafts are full. The solution is planned before purchase: if there is no room for an outdoor unit, ask about integrated systems or a shared installation.
The same goes for the lift: if there is none and you buy on the fourth floor, see whether installing one has been discussed and how costs would be split (the law requires, for lifts and accessibility, a majority of owners who also represent a majority of shares). Facade and protection: any change to the look of windows, blinds or a terrace needs the comunidad's and the Ajuntament's consent.
How much to budget for a full renovation and how BCN YARD can help
Guideline from our estimates, excluding VAT: Basic from 1,000 euros per m2, Standard from 2,000, Luxury from 3,000. For a 100 m2 flat with a luxury renovation that is from 300,000 euros before VAT, and VAT on renovating a second-hand home in our estimates is usually 21 percent. The exact price arrives after the visit and measurements, which is why an inspection before buying helps: it turns guesses into estimate lines.
BCN YARD runs projects in Russian and Spanish, with one person responsible for the site. If you are looking at flats, we can come to a viewing with you and explain what is visible and what needs checking.
Frequently asked questions
What are arras and can you withdraw after signing?
Arras is the deposit paid when buying property in Spain, usually a percentage of the price. Most often these are arras penitenciales: the buyer can withdraw and lose the deposit, and the seller can withdraw and return double. It depends on the contract wording, so have a lawyer review it and agree the technical inspection conditions before signing.
Who can confirm that beams and floors are sound?
The opinion on structural elements comes from an architect or a technical architect (aparejador). A visual inspection is usually enough to decide on the deposit; if in doubt, test openings are made at several points and calculations done. A signed technical report, not the agent's verbal opinion, is the basis for price negotiation.
Can you negotiate the price if problems turn up?
Yes, if the problems are documented. Photos, the technician's report and an estimate of repair costs give grounds for negotiating, and sellers of old flats are used to it. Without papers a request for a discount sounds like a whim; with papers it sounds like arithmetic.