Buying a House to Renovate in Ibiza: What to Check Before You Sign

Buying a house or finca to renovate can be the best way to get the home you want in Ibiza, or the start of a long list of problems. The issues you can’t see on the first viewing are usually the most expensive to fix. This checklist is based on what we find every day in the houses we renovate.

1. Is everything that’s built legal?

This is the most important point in Ibiza, especially for country fincas:

• Compare the real floor area with what is recorded in the cadastre (Catastro) and in the Land Registry extract (nota simple) from the Registro de la Propiedad. Unlicensed extensions are common.
• On rural land (suelo rústico), an unregistered part of the house can stop you renovating or extending as planned.
• Check the property has a valid habitability certificate (cédula de habitabilidad). In Ibiza it is handled by the Consell d’Eivissa.
• If you plan to let it to tourists, check whether it is listed in the island’s tourist activity register and whether that listing carries over to a new owner. Getting a new one in Ibiza is very difficult.

An architect or a lawyer specialising in planning law (urbanismo) can report on this before you sign the deposit contract (contrato de arras). The UK government’s guide Spain: buying and renting property is also a useful checklist.

2. Structure and roof

• Cracks in walls and ceilings, especially diagonal ones or those that open near doors and windows.
• Timber beams: traditional houses often use juniper (sabina) or other woods. Check for woodworm or rot where the beams rest on the walls.
• Flat roofs: stains on top-floor ceilings or in corners often mean leaks.
• Damp at the base of stone walls (rising damp), very common in older houses.

3. Water: a very Ibiza-specific issue

Many fincas aren’t connected to mains water. Before buying, find out:

• Whether the house has mains water, a well or a rainwater cistern (aljibe), or relies on water deliveries by tanker.
• The condition and capacity of the cistern.
• Whether it’s on mains sewerage or a septic tank, and what condition the tank is in.

This affects daily life and also what you can add later: a pool, irrigation or extra bathrooms.

4. Existing installations

You don’t need to open walls to get a first idea:

• Electrics: ask for the property’s electrical certificate (boletín) and check the power it allows and the power currently contracted. If you plan to add air conditioning, a pool or an EV charger, check whether it will be enough. We explain this in how much electrical power an Ibiza villa needs.
• Plumbing: old galvanised pipes usually show up as low pressure and cloudy water when you first open a tap.
• Heating and cooling: note what system is installed and how old it is.

5. Access and logistics

• Can a lorry reach the house? Many country tracks are narrow or unpaved.
• Does the access cross someone else’s land? Check that the right of way is registered.
• Is there space for a skip and for storing materials?

Difficult access doesn’t stop a renovation, but you need to plan for it from day one.

6. Orientation, views and surroundings

• Orientation: a south-facing façade gives winter light but needs summer shading.
• Wind and salt air on the seafront: they affect windows, metalwork and paint.
• Surroundings: check what can be built on the neighbouring plots.

7. Don’t negotiate without a renovation estimate

What you really pay is the purchase price plus the renovation. Before making an offer, have a surveyor or architect give you at least a rough assessment of the work needed. Then you can negotiate with facts, not guesses.

Already got the keys?

Once the purchase is complete, we can visit the property with you and prepare a renovation quote. Get in touch.

Before you start, read our tips for renovating a villa in Ibiza.