Fincas for sale in Ibiza

If you want to buy something outside the town centres and the urbanisations, you should be aware of the following:

• Some of the building plots being offered to foreigners in Ibiza are, in fact, fincas rusticas, and after the purchase of the land you may find out that you will not be permitted to build. A "finca rustica" means an agricultural farm or a piece of land that is not classified as building land.

• You have no public guarantee of services for water, roads, electricity or sewage, as you should have on an urbanisation.

• A water-channel next to the land does not necessarily mean that you have any rights to use the water. Water in a well in April does not guarantee you the same well will have any water in August.

• Road rights must also be mentioned in the title deed. Do not get into a situation where, after the purchase of a finca, you are forced to buy additional land for road connection.

• A nearby electricity line is no guarantee that you will be able to tap it. It may be a high tension line. A transformer for only one dwelling may be too expensive.

• Each region has a minimum size requirement before issuing a building permit on agricultural land. You must find this out from the town hall, and you must make absolutely sure that the plot offered has the minimum required.

• It is easier and more economical to get a license to repair an existing building than to construct a new one. If you can restore an existing building, you may not need complete architect's plans, but only a sketch, to obtain a license for "obra menor" (minor work). Consult the town hall beforehand.

Are You The Right Type For Living Under Spanish Rural Conditions?

Ask yourself the question: Am I the right type for living under rural conditions in the Ibiza countryside? If the answer is not resoundingly affirmative, you should delay the purchase until you have become convinced. Maybe it is better to start with a small property on a planned urbanisation first, and take the step into rural Ibiza after you have become more acquainted with the island.

Planning Permission & Building License

Before buying a building plot, you must be sure that you can build on it. Even in an urbanisation with many houses already built, you may find there is no planning permission and that the houses have been constructed illegally, or that you will be the first one to be refused a building license. You must investigate in the town hall and get a written confirmation that you can build on the plot in question.

Sales Contract

You may also ask the vendor to guarantee in the sales contract for the plot that you can build a house of so many square metres on the land and get your money returned if building permission is not granted.

Services To The Plot

When buying a building plot in an urbanisation, you should have all services to the border of your plot, like water, electricity, sewage and paved road. The cost for this is included in the plot price. The only additional cost to you should be for the installation of meters for water and electricity.

Limitations On Construction

On a building plot there are certain limits to the height of the construction, the distance from the house to the road and any neighbours. Find out if you can get the house you want in the position you want before you buy.

Points To Be Kept In Mind

The following points must be kept in mind when buying a plot for construction of an individual villa:

• Do not accept a purchase document that does not clearly indicates the urbanistic qualifications of the land - whether it is a building plot (finca urbana) or agricultural land (finca rustica).

• Do not make a final purchase until you have written confirmation from the town hall that you can use the land for the purposes you intend, or have the assurance that the plot has been zoned and approved for construction.

• Do not sign before you know there are no high tension lines, old rights of way, water pipes or any similar obstacles on the land that may influence the construction.

• Do not buy before you have made sure that there are no major roads, factories, discos or similar irritants planned next to the property.

• If you buy the land from the same person or company that will also construct the house, first demand the title deed to the land upon payment. Then start the construction, and later write the house into the land escritura (declaración de obra nueva).