Marbella · Property law · International clients
Your property lawyer for Marbella
Buying, selling or planning changes to a home in Marbella? Understand the property’s legal and planning history before you commit.
You can contact us before choosing a property, including from abroad.
Velasco Lawyers helps international clients with property purchases, sales, renovations and extensions in Marbella, including San Pedro Alcántara and the municipality’s established residential developments. We investigate the documents supporting the individual property and involve a local architect where planning or technical questions affect the decision.
An independent Spanish law firm founded in 1993, serving clients with property in Marbella from our Almuñécar office.
Your property, your next step
Legal support from the first offer
to the next chapter.
The right enquiries depend on whether you are buying, preparing to sell, or changing a property you already own.
Know the property behind the address
We review ownership, charges, contracts and the property’s documented position. For a villa or apartment with later additions, we examine the available permissions and records rather than assuming that every visible part of the property is covered by the original paperwork.
Discuss a purchasePrepare the planning history for a sale
We help sellers assemble the legal documentation, review the sale terms and investigate questions that could delay a buyer’s decision. Tell us early about pools, guest accommodation, enclosed terraces, extensions or changes of use so the relevant records can be compared.
Plan your saleTest renovation or redevelopment plans
If value depends on extending, dividing, rebuilding or changing a property, we help define the legal enquiries and ask a local architect to assess the current planning and technical position. A proposal should be checked before it becomes a condition of your budget or offer.
Understand the checksFor the wider purchase and sale process, see our Spanish property-law services.
Why the address matters
Different settings. Different planning histories.
Marbella’s municipality includes central neighbourhoods, San Pedro Alcántara, villa areas and residential or tourism developments. The published planning material uses several urban zones and subzones, so the description ‘Marbella villa’ does not establish what may be altered or built.
The applicable planning framework
Marbella’s official planning portal separates the 1986 framework, the annulled 2010 plan, later updating material and the replacement plan process. That history makes the current status of the instrument relied on part of the property review.
For your property: Identify the current plan, mapped zoning, later instruments and decisions that apply to the exact plot; do not rely on a plan name in an agent’s brochure.
Villas are not one planning category
The published 1986 norms distinguish detached housing, attached housing, Mediterranean-village, central and other urban zones. They also divide detached-house zoning into several subzones. Similar-looking houses can therefore sit within different planning conditions.
For your property: Have the architect confirm the mapped zone and current conditions before assuming that subdivision, an extra room, a guest house or a larger footprint is possible.
Existing buildings and later additions
A property’s practical history may include the original building, later extensions, a pool or converted areas. The relevant question is what the current legal and planning records establish for that particular property, without assuming that Marbella homes generally have a defect.
For your property: Compare permissions, technical documents, deeds, Land Registry information and the building as it stands, focusing on any part that matters to the transaction or planned works.
Renovation, extensions and building records
Permission to build.
Paperwork that reflects the building.
Before commissioning a design, separate two questions: whether the proposed work can follow the required municipal route, and whether the existing property records accurately describe the building. Both can affect price, timing and contract terms.
Obra mayor and renovation works
New construction, extensions and structural alterations can require a technical project and the appropriate municipal authorisation. The scope of the work determines the route. Calling a job obra menor (minor works) does not automatically mean that no project or other permission is needed.
Licence or declaración responsable?
The applicable procedure depends on the works, the property and current rules. Some work may follow a responsible-declaration procedure rather than a prior licence, but that is not a general exemption from planning requirements or any other consent that applies.
Declaración de obra nueva
This is the formal declaration of a building or extension for its deed and Land Registry record. It is a separate question from permission to carry out the works. Recording a building does not, by itself, make unauthorised work lawful.
Two questions worth asking early
“Can I extend or redevelop this Marbella property?”
That depends on the exact plot, the current planning instruments and the proposal. We coordinate a property-specific review with a local architect before you rely on additional area, subdivision or a change of use.
“The pool or extension is already there. Is that enough?”
Physical existence does not answer what was authorised or recorded. We investigate the available permissions and legal records, and obtain technical input where the building and documents need to be compared.
People you can speak to
A Spanish legal team.
A clear conversation.
Maria Teresa Velasco provides the firm’s legal leadership. She is bilingual in Spanish and English, with an understanding of Swedish, Danish and French.
Our team can assist in English, Swedish, Danish, French and Spanish. Emmy coordinates our Scandinavian department, and Rebecca supports English–Spanish communication and client services.
Meet Velasco LawyersFrom a property client · Google review
“Their service has been very professional, efficient and helpful.”
Start with your plans
Tell us about your
Marbella property.
You do not need a complete file to make the first enquiry. Tell us whether you are buying, selling or planning works, and mention any offer, deposit or completion deadline.
- We review your enquiry.Share the location and a short outline of what you need.
- We clarify the next steps.Our team discusses the legal questions and whether technical input is needed.
- We explain the proposed work and fees.You can decide how to proceed with a clear scope.
Prefer to speak to us?
+34 958 630 114[email protected]WhatsApp +34 687 307 756Monday–Friday, 09:00–14:00, Spain mainland time. For a time-sensitive matter, please call during office hours.
Your first enquiry
How can we help?
A short outline is enough. All fields are required unless marked optional.
Our team will review your message and contact you to discuss how we can help.
Before you get in touch
Your questions,
answered.
Where is your office?
Our office is in Almuñécar, on the Costa Tropical. We assist clients with property in Marbella, and you can start by phone, email or the enquiry form. We work with local architects where planning or technical input is needed.
Which planning framework applies to my Marbella property?
That depends on the address, the current status of the municipal instruments and the property’s planning history. Replacement-plan documents should not be treated as operative simply because they are publicly available, so we verify the framework in force when the property is reviewed.
Does the annulled 2010 plan determine my property’s position?
The municipal portal expressly identifies the 2010 plan as annulled and publishes the 1986 framework, updating material and the new-plan process separately. The answer for a property requires the applicable instruments, later decisions and permissions, not a single historic plan label.
Can you advise on a property in San Pedro Alcántara?
Yes. San Pedro Alcántara is within Marbella municipality. We review the property’s legal documentation and coordinate local planning or technical checks with an architect for the specific address and your intended use or works.
Can I contact you before choosing a property or paying a deposit?
Yes. Tell us the area, your plans and any deadlines. If you have found a property, share a short outline before signing or paying so that we can discuss the enquiries and proposed work. If you have already signed, explain what was agreed and any dates involved.