Buying in Spain: understanding the method of calculating real estate surfaces

When choosing a country for your expatriation, temporary or long-term, your retirement project or any other project of living abroad, Spain is very often acclaimed for the many advantages it offers to French-speaking citizens. Richness and cultural diversity, incomparable culinary traditions, breathtaking landscapes, dynamic and attractive urban centers: Spain offers an attractive panorama for those who wish to change their life in the best possible conditions.

However, if you have a real estate purchase project, in Spain the method of calculating the area of a house or apartment is different from the method used in the French real estate sector. To ignore this situation is to risk facing many disappointments during the visit. Most potential buyers will be surprised to find that the 120 m² on paper looks more like a 100 m² in real life.

Is the Spanish square meter smaller than the French square meter? What is this difference in area calculation due to?

Calculation of living space in French-speaking countries

In France, Switzerland and Belgium, the calculation of the surface area of a dwelling is done in accordance with the Carrez law. This implies in particular to take into account in the calculation, the totality of the enclosed, covered space and for private use of the accommodation: we then speak of habitable or useful surface.

This living area includes the sum of the floor areas of each room (the ceiling height of which is at least 1.80 m) from which the area occupied by walls, partitions, door and window frames and stair steps is subtracted. Certain open or semi-open annex spaces are not taken into account, this is particularly the case for balconies, loggias, terraces or gardens.

Neither does all of the collective and common spaces of a building (entry, corridor, elevator, common room, etc.) or a horizontal subdivision take into account in this calculation.

Built area and common areas in Spain

With our Spanish-speaking neighbor, the reality is quite different and the Spanish real estate agencies focus above all on the built area. This constructed area is calculated by taking into account the entire area of the house or apartment, including wall and partition thicknesses (in the case of party walls, only half the thickness is taken into account. from the wall). The Spanish calculation also takes into account common areas and annexes which are not normally included in the French calculation. Thus, balconies and loggias covered or with 3 walls will be included in the constructed area of the accommodation.

Regarding the common areas, they are also included in the calculation by applying a pro rata according to the surface area of each dwelling that makes up the building. For example, if you want to buy a 50 m² apartment in a building composed of 4 identical dwellings, the total area of the dwellings is therefore 200 m², and the common areas represent 50 m². The area built according to the Spanish area calculation model will therefore include part of the area of the common areas, in proportion to the area of an apartment: (50 + (50/4) = 62.5 m².

In Spain, you will therefore be presented with a property with a constructed area of 62.5 m², while in France, the living area of this same property will be 50 m².

Before any visit and any purchase, it is therefore essential to be well informed about the methods of calculating area in Spain so as not to have unpleasant surprises when the time comes.

Real estate purchase project in Spain: how can you not go wrong?

If you are looking for a property from France and if you do not speak the language well, or at least not enough to avoid the pitfalls that such research entails, putting you in touch with a real estate professional can represent for you many advantages.

As the property rental market in Spain is not regulated in the same way as in France, it may be wise to entrust your real estate project to a French-speaking agency established on site in order to avoid unpleasant surprises and inconvenience, and to ensure you administrative and legal security.

This will also facilitate your long research work on specialized sites, since the real estate agency will take care of your prospecting work for the entire Spanish real estate market (individuals and professionals) in order to offer you a selection of properties that already meet your criteria. This will also allow you to have the opinion of professionals and to know in more detail, the calculation of the area of the accommodation you are about to visit or buy.

The real estate agency can also take care of the organization of potential visits to real estate that meet your requirements, thus avoiding you to multiply the tedious back and forth between France and Spain.

New bilingual ally in your real estate purchase project in Spain, a French-speaking real estate agency established on site can be a real advantage in case of problems or disputes due to the language, and will facilitate all contact with the owner of your future good.

In summary, in the real estate sector, Spain and the French-speaking countries do not define space in terms of the same standards and this is reflected in the calculation of the area of a dwelling. Spain favors the built surface and includes in its calculation the common parts, while the French-speaking countries reason in terms of useful, habitable and really exploitable surface.

To be sure not to make a mistake and guarantee the success of your property purchase project in Spain, trusting a professional in the sector remains one of the best solutions.