10 Questions to Ask Before Buying an Off-Plan Apartment

1. Is my deposit legally protected?

In Spain, stage payments made before completion must be protected by a bank guarantee or insurance policy. Ask to see the specific document, not just a verbal assurance it exists.

2. What happens contractually if completion is delayed?

Construction timelines slip more often than not. Ask specifically what the contract says about delay — is there a grace period, and what are your rights (compensation, exit) if it's exceeded?

3. Can I see the actual finishes specification, not just the showroom sample?

Showroom units are frequently upgraded beyond the standard spec. Get the exact materials and brands for your specific unit in writing, and treat verbal descriptions as non-binding.

4. Which amenities are confirmed and funded, versus "planned"?

A rendering of a rooftop lounge isn't the same as a budgeted, permitted, contractually-committed one. Ask what's guaranteed to exist at handover versus aspirational.

5. What's the developer's track record on previous projects?

Ask for, and visit if possible, a previous completed development by the same developer. Talk to actual residents if you can — not just the sales team's reference list.

6. What happens for residents in the first few months after handover?

Is there a single point of contact for new residents, or does everyone route through the sales office? This is a genuinely good signal about how much thought went into life after the sale closes, not just the sale itself — see our piece on what actually helps a development succeed post-handover.

7. What are the projected community fees, and who calculated them?

Pre-completion community fee estimates are often optimistic. Ask what they're based on and whether they include a reserve fund for future maintenance, not just day-to-day running costs.

8. What's included in the price, and what's an extra?

Parking, storage, furniture packages, and connection fees for utilities are common off-plan surprises. Get an itemized total, not just the headline unit price.

9. What's the building permit and licensing status, right now?

Your lawyer should independently confirm the project is properly licensed at the stage you're buying in — don't rely solely on the developer's own claim.

10. Who do I call if something's wrong after I move in?

New-build properties come with warranty periods for defects. Ask exactly how snag-list issues get reported and resolved, and by when — a vague answer here is itself an answer.

Is off-plan riskier than buying a finished property?

It carries different risks — construction and timeline risk instead of the "what's actually wrong with this used property" risk of a resale. Neither is universally safer; the questions above are specifically how you manage the off-plan-specific ones.

Should my lawyer review the off-plan contract differently than a resale contract?

Yes — an off-plan contract needs specific attention to stage-payment protection, delivery timelines, and specification clauses that simply don't exist in a resale contract.

Can I visit the site during construction?

Most developers allow scheduled site visits, subject to safety requirements — ask about this explicitly, and treat a flat refusal as worth asking more questions about.