How to check debts on a property in Spain

What a nota simple tells you

A nota simple comes from the Registro de la Propiedad, the Spanish Land Registry. It relates to one finca, meaning one registered property, and reflects the registry records on the day the document is issued.

The document identifies the property as registered, including its location, area and type. It also names the registered owner or owners, states the share held by each one and records how and when they acquired their interest.

For debt checks, the most important section is the section dealing with cargas, meaning registered charges. This can reveal rights or claims affecting the property, including mortgages, embargos, easements, usufructs and annotations relating to legal proceedings.

A nota simple is informative rather than certified. It is commonly used for due diligence before buying, checking registered debts, handling an inheritance and dealing with a bank, notary or lawyer. A certificación registral, meaning a certified registry document, is a different document.

Which charges on a Spanish property may appear

The wording and layout vary, but the charges section may contain several types of entry. Reading the entire entry matters because it may state the amount secured, the parties involved, relevant dates and whether a later entry changes or cancels the original charge.

The appearance of a charge does not by itself explain the current financial position outside the registry. The document shows what is recorded, not whether the parties privately consider a debt settled. If a charge could affect a purchase, inheritance or mortgage application, ask your notary or lawyer to assess the entry.

• Hipoteca, meaning mortgage: a registered security over the property in favour of a lender.
• Embargo, meaning seizure for debt: an entry showing that the property has been seized or made subject to enforcement because of a debt.
• Anotación preventiva, meaning provisional entry: a temporary registry entry that can protect or give notice of a claim, proceeding or other matter.
• Anotación de demanda, meaning annotation of a lawsuit: notice that legal proceedings affecting the property have been recorded.
• Servidumbre, meaning easement: a right affecting how the property or part of it may be used.
• Usufructo, meaning usufruct: a registered right to use or benefit from the property.

What the nota simple does not reveal

A nota simple is not a complete statement of every amount connected with a home. It reports information recorded at the Land Registry. Debts or payment issues that are not entered there will not necessarily appear.

In particular, the document does not provide a current balance for unpaid community fees. These are payments due to the comunidad de propietarios, meaning the community of owners, for shared costs in an apartment building or residential development.

It also does not provide a complete account of unpaid IBI, the municipal property tax, or confirm the current position of electricity, water, gas or other utility accounts. A clean charges section should therefore not be treated as proof that every property-related bill has been paid.

The Catastro, meaning the Cadastre, does not fill this gap. It is a tax and physical inventory containing information such as boundaries, area, cadastral value and the 20-character cadastral reference. It does not prove ownership or show mortgages and debts.

How to check community fees, IBI and utility debts

The registry check should be combined with supporting documents and enquiries. The appropriate checks depend on the type of property and the transaction, so your notary or lawyer should confirm what is needed in your case.

For community fees, request a certificate from the community administrator showing the payment position. This check is separate from the nota simple because the Land Registry extract does not provide a live account of sums due to the community of owners.

For IBI, examine the available IBI receipts and check the position with the relevant town hall. The cadastral reference can help identify the property for tax purposes, but the Catastro itself is not evidence that the tax has been paid.

For utilities, review recent bills and ask the relevant supplier what account or payment information can be confirmed. Utility accounts are not part of the Land Registry record, so they require a direct, separate check.

• Land Registry: obtain a recent nota simple for registered ownership and charges.
• Community of owners: request a certificate from the community administrator.
• IBI: review receipts and make enquiries with the town hall.
• Utilities: examine recent bills and check with the relevant suppliers.

When a debt may affect the property itself

In Spain, some liabilities can affect the property rather than being only a personal matter for the individual who incurred them. The expression afección real means that a property is legally attached or subject to a liability. The practical effect depends on the type of entry and the circumstances.

A nota simple may contain wording showing that the property is subject to a tax-related or other registered liability. This should not be ignored simply because the named owner has changed or because the entry is old.

However, not every unpaid bill follows the property in the same way, and the nota simple alone may not establish the present amount due. Where an afección real, embargo or other unfamiliar entry appears, ask a Spanish notary or lawyer to confirm its current effect and what evidence of payment or cancellation is required. Our service supplies the registry document but does not provide legal advice.

How to distinguish a cancelled mortgage from a live entry

A mortgage can remain visible in the property’s registry history even when a later entry records its cancellation. Look for a cancelación, meaning cancellation, that clearly refers back to the mortgage entry. The cancellation wording and its connection to the original charge are more important than the age of the mortgage.

Do not assume that an old mortgage has been cancelled merely because many years have passed or because the seller says the loan was repaid. Repayment of a loan and cancellation of the registered mortgage are not the same question for the purpose of reading the registry.

If the mortgage appears as a charge and there is no corresponding cancellation entry in the nota simple, treat it as an existing registry issue until a professional confirms otherwise. A partial cancellation, amendment or transfer should also be read carefully, as it may not remove the full charge.

Registry entries can be technical and may refer to other entries by number or date. Before signing or paying money, ask your notary or lawyer to confirm whether the mortgage is live, fully cancelled or affected by a later entry.

Ordering the Land Registry extract

Notas Registrales España is a private, independent service. We are not the Registro de la Propiedad, the Colegio de Registradores, a government body or a law firm.

You provide the property address or cadastral reference, town, province and your email address. The owner’s name is optional but can help where an address is ambiguous. We identify the competent registry and cross-check the property details against the Catastro and the registry’s maps before submitting the request.

The price is €35.86 per property, comprising a €24.95 service fee and a €10.91 official registry fee. The nota simple is delivered as a PDF by email, usually within 24–48 hours on working days. Weekends and Spanish public holidays can add time.

The registry issues the document in Spanish. An optional non-sworn translation into English is available for €3.99. It is produced using AI and checked by rules, and is intended to help you understand the document rather than for filing with an authority.

You can also request the same document yourself through the official website, sede.registradores.org, for the official fee, which costs less than our service. The official process is in Spanish and requires the correct registry and property data. Our fee covers the property and registry pre-check, submission and email support in your language.