Buying property on the Costa del Sol from the UK.
I’m Michael — a British agent living in Málaga, working for buyers still based in the UK. I source, assess and negotiate property on the Costa del Sol, from the first call to the keys.
You don’t need to be here yet. I do the looking; you do the deciding.
Most of my clients start exactly where you are now — working out budget, towns and timing at a kitchen table in the UK, before they’ve booked a single flight. I handle the sourcing, the checking and the shortlisting from this end, so the only trip you need to make is the one that matters: viewing homes that are genuinely worth seeing.
Málaga is well served from the UK — direct routes from London and most regional airports, typically under three hours in the air — close enough that one focused, well-planned trip can cover several serious viewings in a long weekend.
Start with the numbers. What you need to buy on the Costa del Sol is the place to begin, and what a €350,000 apartment really costs works the taxes and fees line by line. After the numbers, where to buy on the Costa del Sol compares the six stretches of coast, and Spain’s non-lucrative visa sets out the 2026 requirements if the plan is to live here rather than visit.
Six things UK buyers ask me first.
One flight away
Málaga took 26.8 million passengers across 276 routes in 2025, and Aena names the UK as its biggest international market — Gatwick the busiest British route, Manchester next. Under three hours in the air, which is close enough for a single, tightly planned long weekend of viewings once I’ve done the filtering from this end.
Entirely on your side
I represent the buyer, not the building. That is exactly why I can work entirely for you, and walk away from a bad deal on your behalf.
British, and on the ground
I’m based on this coast, and I’m fluent in Spanish. I translate everything — the NIE, the lawyer, the bank, the notary — so nothing gets lost between the UK and Málaga.
One client at a time
A search run from another country needs real attention, not a shared desk. I take on one journey at a time, so yours gets it.
Your budget goes further
A euro buys more square metres here than the equivalent spend does across most of the UK. I’ll put real, current numbers against your budget on the first call, so you know exactly what it reaches before you fly.
Non-EU since Brexit — plan around it
As a UK national you’re capped at 90 days in any 180 in Spain without a residency visa, and the NIE, lawyer and bank steps still apply to you as a third-country buyer. I’ll walk you through exactly what that means for your plans, before you commit to anything.
What a purchase looks like from a kitchen table in the UK.
The distance changes the order of the work, not the work itself. Almost everything that decides whether a home is worth buying happens before anyone gets on a plane, and that part runs from this end. You see it as a shortlist rather than a search.
The first call, in UK hours
Budget, towns and timing, and a straight read on what your number reaches here. What you need to buy runs that arithmetic town by town.
The shortlist, before you fly
I walk the properties, photograph what the listing leaves out, and take out the ones that do not stand up. You get a short list with the reasons attached.
One trip, several viewings
Three to five days covers a serious shortlist once the filtering is done. I plan the route so the driving between viewings does not eat into the trip.
The offer and the deposit contract
A reservation takes the home off the market while the checks run, and the arras contract follows. The arras contract explained sets out what each type commits you to.
NIE, lawyer, bank
The three that need starting early, because they run on their own clocks. How to get an NIE from the UK covers the two routes open to you.
Signing, in person or by proxy
You fly out for the notary, or your lawyer signs under a power of attorney while you stay at home. The buying process step by step has the full order.
From agreed offer to keys is roughly six to twelve weeks on a cash purchase, and eight to sixteen with a Spanish mortgage, because the bank sets its own pace. Working back from that is how you decide when to start.
The checks the UK government tells you to make.
The Foreign Office publishes its own guidance for British buyers in Spain. It is short and worth reading before you start. These are the checks it names, and they are the ones I run before you see a property rather than after.
The land registry extract
The nota simple names the registered owner and any debt or legal proceeding sitting against the home. It is the first document to ask for and the cheapest to obtain.
Your own lawyer
The guidance is blunt about what independent means: a lawyer who works on your behalf only. Not the agent's recommendation, and not the developer's.
The paid-up tax receipt
The IBI receipt shows the local property tax is up to date. Unpaid charges follow the property rather than the person who ran them up.
The cadastral certificate
The boundaries and the built area as the record holds them, which is not always what the listing says.
The habitation certificate
The town hall's confirmation that the home is legally habitable. Without it the utilities and any letting plan get difficult.
The energy certificate
Required on every sale since 2013, and a fair indication of what the place will cost to heat and cool.
If the home is off-plan, the guidance says the bank guarantee covering your stage payments should be in your own name rather than a collective one. Buying off-plan in Spain sets out how that protection works, and what a survey covers in Spain explains the one check that is your decision rather than a requirement.
The same guidance carries a warning worth repeating. Use extreme caution if an estate agent, promoter or lawyer urges you to cut corners to save money or time. My order does not change: the checks first, then the viewing, then the offer. The five I would not skip are in Costa del Sol property tips for UK buyers.
Everything I handle — first call to keys, and beyond.
Five phases, one person across all of them. This is the full service, written out plainly, so you know exactly what a fully managed purchase includes — right through to the internet being on when you arrive.
Discovery & strategy
The beginning — what you actually want, and what it costs.
- Consultation & needs mappingA detailed discovery session to define lifestyle requirements, target areas, property specifications, budget and financing parameters.
- Broad market sourcingActively scanning the open market, shared agent databases and industry contacts to find matching homes — never limiting you to in-house stock.
- Property pre-screeningReviewing listings, specs, building details and neighbourhood locations in advance, to filter out mismatches before you book a single visit.
- Market valuation analysisComparing recent sales and local pricing trends on target homes, so you make well-informed offers.
Coordination & showings
Seeing the right homes — in person or by video.
- Viewing itinerary managementOrganising efficient, multi-property viewing schedules, with access, keys and routes coordinated with selling agents and owners.
- Remote viewing supportVideo-call walkthroughs and on-the-ground neighbourhood context when you can’t attend in person.
- Objective property assessmentCandid, unbiased feedback on layout, light, noise and condition — plus high-level renovation ideas before bringing in qualified trades for exact quotes.
Offer, negotiation & transaction
Protecting your money through the deal.
- Strategic negotiationStructuring offers and negotiating price, terms, deposit schedules and fixtures to protect your financial interests.
- Legal & technical coordinationLiaising directly with your lawyer and mortgage broker on document flow, title checks, cadastral verification and financing milestones.
- Contract guidanceReviewing reservation agreements and the deposit contract (contrato de arras) alongside legal counsel — protecting deposits and keeping conditions clear.
Closing & handover
The notary, the deed, and the keys.
- Pre-closing walkthroughInspecting the property just before signing to verify condition, included inventory and the agreed handover terms.
- Notary & deed coordinationPreparing documents alongside the Notary (Notaría) — cadastral certificates, energy certificates and community-debt clearances.
- Closing accompanimentAttending the deed signing (Escritura Pública) with you to assist with communication, finalise payments and take possession of the keys.
Post-closing concierge
Beyond the keys — settling you in.
The part many agencies skip- Utility setup & transferAccount ownership transfers and direct debits for electricity, water and gas.
- Home connectivityArranging high-speed internet and telecom installations.
- Administrative onboardingCommunity of owners (comunidad) registration and local property tax (IBI) admin.
- Local professional sourcingEstablished local contacts and the right tradespeople — locksmiths, cleaners, painters, builders — for your specific project.
- Ongoing local supportAn accessible local point of contact for questions and advice as you settle into your new home.
What it comes to in pounds.
You pay in euros, and the rate moves, so a pound figure is only true on the day it is written. On the European Central Bank's reference rate for 18 September 2026, a pound bought €1.16.
At that rate a €350,000 home is about £300,600. The buying costs on a resale run to 10 or 11% on top, which is another £30,000 to £33,000, and a new build carries 12 to 14% instead. The cost of buying works every line of that on a €350,000 purchase, and new build or resale compares the two tax routes.
How the money crosses is a decision of its own, and on a purchase this size the gap between a high-street bank and a currency service is real money. Getting your money to Spain sets out the routes and what each one costs. Plan that before you agree a price, not after.
You will sit in two tax systems, and they do not talk to each other.
On the Spanish side, a non-resident owner files a return each year even with the home empty and no rent coming in. Modelo 210 explained covers what is due and when, and what it costs to own a home in Spain adds the community fees, the IBI and the rest of the yearly bill.
On the UK side, HMRC's position is that a UK resident normally pays tax on foreign income, including rental income on overseas property, declared through Self Assessment, with relief available where the same income is taxed in both countries. A Spanish will is a separate question again, and Spanish wills and inheritance tax in Andalucía explains why most owners make one.
If the plan turns into living here rather than visiting, the government's living in Spain guidance covers registering as a resident, healthcare and exchanging a UK driving licence, which has to be done within six months of becoming resident if you want to keep driving. I am not a tax adviser or a lawyer, and I will say so when a question needs one.
A few of what’s currently on my books across the Costa del Sol — all a short taxi from Málaga airport.
Torre del Mar · Cerro del Águila
One and two bedroom apartments · Under construction
Mijas · Mijas Golf
One, two and three bedroom apartments · Planning phase
Fuengirola · El Higuerón
One, two and three bedroom apartments · Planning phase
Fuengirola · Torreblanca
Two, three and four bedroom apartments · Under construction
New builds by town: Mijas and La CalaFuengirolaEsteponaMarbella, Benahavís and IstánCasares and ManilvaBenalmádena and TorremolinosMálaga and the east coast
Every room walked before they flew, the NIE, the bank — even the furniture handled. One buyer secured their Benalmádena flat without ever leaving their kitchen table back home.
A real purchase · read the story →
Four questions that only come up at this distance.
Which UK airports fly direct to Málaga?
What does a Costa del Sol home cost in pounds?
What should I have in place before I fly out to view?
How far ahead should I start if I want the keys by summer?
Before you book the flight
Costs & money · 7 min
What you need to buy on the Costa del Sol, area by area
Four budgets from €350,000 to €1,100,000, worked against 2026 €/m² prices town by town, with the buying costs on top. Plain numbers for British buyers.
Read →
Costs & money · 6 min
What a €350,000 Costa del Sol apartment really costs
Tax and fees on a €350,000 resale come to about €30,800, and I tell buyers to budget 10 to 11%. A new build pays 10% VAT and 1.2% stamp duty instead.
Read →
Costs & money · 8 min
Getting your money to Spain: what a bad exchange rate costs on a €400,000 purchase
How to transfer money to Spain for a property purchase. What a 2% bank margin costs on €400,000, how currency specialists compare, and forward contracts.
Read →
Costs & money · 7 min
Mortgage in Spain for non-residents: the deposit, the rate and what the bank asks for
Non-resident mortgage in Spain, explained: how much a bank lends a foreign buyer, the deposit you need, how the rate is set, the documents and the steps.
Read →
Living in Spain · 6 min
The 90/180-day rule, explained without the panic
UK, US and other non-EU citizens get 90 days in any 180 across Schengen. How the count works, border logging since April 2026, and why a home adds none.
Read →
The process · 6 min
Five checks to make before you buy on the Costa del Sol
Five checks to make before you buy on the Costa del Sol: your own lawyer, the full cost, the area off-season, what comes with the home, and the pace.
Read →Let’s start it from your kitchen table.
A free thirty-minute call, whenever suits UK hours. Budget, towns, timing — and an honest read on whether the coast fits, before you’ve spent a penny on flights.
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