Your not in England! I guess that when you move to Spain you know that you are entering a different culture. Procedures we take for granted in the UK do not exist here. Spain is more than twice the size of the UK and has a smaller population so the pressure for planning rules are not as great as the UK. The tendency is to build a house then worry about all the services and permissions a home needs afterwards. The rules and regulations are changing, however will anyone take any notice. The most endearing and sometimes annoying aspect of Spanish culture is a "I will take it if it suits me" attitude towards regulation, especially if that regulation is judged to effect personal choice.

Many people are living happily in homes that do not have any services at all. Water is stored in 10,000 litre containers needing to be refilled once every 6 weeks or so for a price far cheaper than UK water rates. Electric can be supplied from a mixture of solar, wind and generator with enough left over to sell back to the grid if they ever get cables near. Telephones and internet are now being supplied by enterprising companies using wireless.

The problem for lawyers and notaries is that they do not know what you do not know and they would expect a Spanish person to know these things. This situation has been exploited by some "estate agents", often British, who just want your money and have no cares about the way you are left. The form below will help you ask the right questions and it will only be given to regulated estate agents who want happy customers.