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Paying your Spanish Rates

Do you know the rateable value of your property?

It can take up to three years for a local council in Spain to assign a rateable value to your new property, and it’s the rateable value which is used to calculate the annual rates bill .  Once a rateable value has been assessed the rates charge is retrospectively charged back to the date of purchase.  A local council will typically apply a percentage between 0.5% and 1% of the rateable value to your property, for example a property with a rateable value of €50,000 x 0.75% would equal annual rates of €375.

Typical issues with the Spanish rates system:

1.   The rates system in Spain is known for being unreliable.  It’s not unusual for owners to not actually receive confirmation from the council as to their property’s rateable value, leaving them exposed to interest charges and fines for late payment!

2.   In other cases, new property owners are simply not aware that they have to pay rates, they assume that is it included in the community fees, and don’t know where to go to sort it out or encounter language barriers at the Town Hall.

3.   Some properties are held in the name of the developer because solicitors have not informed the local council about the new owners on completion.

4.   In the absence of a rateable value, 50% of the purchase value will be used as a figure on which to base the tax due and in most cases this is more than the eventual rateable value – so it pays to get the rateable value assigned quickly.

At Numerological we offer a comprehensive service and will ensure:

  • You have a correct rateable value -
    We’ll contact the local council to obtain your property’s rateable value
    If it’s not been assigned then we’ll ask when a value is likely to be assessed and follow up
  • The paperwork at the council is correct -
    If the property has not been registered at the council in your name then we’ll submit all the paperwork in order for the change of title to take place
  • All rates bills are paid & up to date -
    We’ll inform you as to any outstanding amount owed and can arrange payment on your behalf and provide you with copies of the paid bills and receipts
  • Future bills can be managed easily -
    We can also arrange for future years’ rates to be automatically debited from your Spanish bank account, and for you to receive future bills in the post

    • Simply provide us with your Spanish address and details of who owns the property and we can check your current status.

    To find out more call or email us today.