The nota simple: how to check a Spanish property's title before you buy
A nota simple tells you who owns a Marbella property and what debts cling to it, but not whether it is legal to live in, which is why it is where your lawyer’s checks begin, not where they end. It is Spain’s Land Registry extract (Registro de la Propiedad), and you read it before you sign anything on a purchase here.
You order one online from registradores.org. As Belen Battaglia, a partner who works on Spanish purchases, puts it: the land registry extract is the only way a buyer can check that the seller owns the property and can legally sell it. With foreign buyers reaching a record 51,627 home purchases in the first half of 2026[1], plenty of first-timers meet this document cold.
What is a nota simple?
A nota simple is a summary of what the Land Registry holds on a specific property. If you own property in Britain, it works roughly like a copy of the HM Land Registry title register. In Germany it is the Grundbuch extract, in the Netherlands the Kadaster record.
It is the mandatory first check on a Spanish purchase. It confirms two things before any money moves: who the registered owner is, and whether the property carries a mortgage, an embargo or another charge.
It is a snapshot of the registry on the day you pull it, and it carries no judgement about whether the property is sound. That is why the date matters.
How do you order a nota simple online?
Anyone can order a nota simple, including a buyer. The official route is registradores.org, the portal of Spain’s land registrars. You register an account, identify the property by its registry details or by owner and address, and pay by card.
The informative nota simple costs roughly €9 to €10 including tax, as at October 2026. It usually arrives the same working day, as a PDF[2].
You can also ask your lawyer to pull it, which is what happens once you have appointed one. Ordering it yourself first costs very little and tells you quickly whether the basic facts match what the agent has told you.
The sections of a nota simple, decoded
Most notas simples run to a page or two, divided into a few clear blocks.
Property description (descripción de la finca). The registered description of the property: its surface area, boundaries and registry reference number. Check the built and plot areas against the listing, and against what you have walked around. A terrace or extra room that exists on the ground but not on the register is a sign the property has been altered without being regularised.
Ownership (titularidad). The current registered owner or owners, and the share each holds. If the person selling is not the person on the register, or one of several co-owners is missing from the deal, stop there. Battaglia’s point applies directly: this is the only place a buyer can confirm the seller can legally sell.
Charges (cargas). Mortgages, embargoes, liens, easements and any other burden registered against the property. A mortgage here is normal and is usually cleared at completion. An embargo, a court or tax seizure, or an undischarged old loan is a reason to get your lawyer involved before you go further.
What the nota simple won’t tell you
The nota simple is silent on almost everything that decides whether you can actually live in and use the property.
It does not show the first occupancy licence (licencia de primera ocupación), the permission that makes a home legally habitable. It does not tell you whether an extension, a pool or a guest annexe was built with planning permission, or whether it sits on land the town hall will never regularise. It does not show debts owed to the community of owners (comunidad de propietarios), the body that runs shared areas and can pass those arrears to you as the new owner. The notaries’ new data portal, launched to improve transparency, still won’t give you the figure that matters most: what the property actually sold for.
You can and should order the nota simple yourself. Just do not mistake it for a clean bill of health. Every one of those gaps is a place a buyer gets caught, and closing them is legal work, not a document download.
When should you order one?
Order a nota simple before you sign any reservation or deposit contract. Many buyers sign on the agent’s word and only look at the registry later, by which point a deposit is already at stake. Pull it early, and pull it again close to completion, because a charge can be registered in the weeks between.
Order one even for a new build from a well-known developer. A new property still carries its own registration, its own developer charges and its own licence risks, and the registry entry is where you confirm the plot is registered to the developer who is selling it. The document costs under €10. The cost of skipping it has no ceiling.
Why you still need your own lawyer
The nota simple is where due diligence starts. It is nowhere near the whole of it. The notary who witnesses the deed does not run these checks for you; the notary formalises the transaction on the information presented. The estate agent, however helpful, represents the seller. Neither is doing buyer-side investigation on your behalf.
That work belongs to your own independent lawyer, appointed by you and paid by you. A lawyer reads the nota simple, then goes after what it does not say: the licences, the planning status, the community accounts, and the kind of problem that never reaches the registry at all. A known pitfall is a guest property sold with an undisclosed long-term tenancy attached, something no registry extract would reveal on its own.
Order the nota simple from registradores.org before you sign any reservation contract, read it against the listing, then brief an independent lawyer, not the agent or the seller’s representative, to investigate the gaps it leaves open. We keep a due diligence checklist for exactly this, and the first line on it is the nota simple.
This article is provided solely for informational purposes, reflecting Northern Estate’s interpretation of current legal frameworks and market practices, which are inherently subject to change. It does not purport to offer, nor should it be interpreted as offering, professional investment, financial, or real estate advice. Individuals considering any form of investment or financial planning in relation to luxury real estate should consult with a qualified professional advisor to tailor advice specifically to their circumstances. Northern Estates has endeavored to ensure the accuracy of the information herein; however, we cannot accept liability for any errors or omissions.
Sources
[1] Colegio de Registradores de España, ‘Estadística Registral Inmobiliaria: first half 2026’, Registradores de España, 2026. Available at: https://www.registradores.org
[2] Registradores de España, ‘Nota simple informativa: online request service’, registradores.org, accessed October 2026. Available at: https://www.registradores.org