Can I use my lawyers address to open a bank account to buy a property …

You can open an account with Wise. https://wise.com/ You then transfer money to your lawyer, they will the raise the draft for the payments. A Spanish account not a good idea, Wise can open a Euro account for you.  https://wise.com/gb/blog/opening-a-european-bank-account-online 

In order to buy property in Spain, you will need to have a NIE (Spanish Tax number). Without it you will not be able to complete nor pay taxes, and therefore, you will not be able to register the property in your name until you have a NIE.

https://www.ageinspain.org/post/five-important-steps-to-take-before-you-buy-property-in-spain

You can use your legal representative address for an NIE just check with your lawyer.https://www.altea-moraira-villas.com/nie-number-spain/

Thank you for your reply, 

We are buying off plan and the developer said that we need a Spanish Bank account for them to confirm the Bank Gaurentee. We will open an N26 Account as we already have Wise but to do so we need a Spanish Address. 

Any ideas … 

Things may have changed since we opened a Sabadell bank account in 2019 pre purchase of our Spanish property. However, our UK address was accepted at the time. That makes sense to me, as everyone, resident in Spain or not, will need a bank account prior to buying a property.

 Brexit may have changed this practice?

 Your Spanish lawyer will sort out your NIE if you haven't got one yet (at least ours did)

Hi Tom if you have a good lawyer in spain they will sort everything fir you we bought 3yrs ago and had no address in spain they sorted everything even our appointments with the bank town hall all of it ..

Hope you get sorted I can recommend the lawyer we used in Marbella if needed...

Hi Tim, I opened my bank account with my U.K. address before moving here, so that may be an option for you. Good luck with everything.

To be frank you should be carful and follow steps of a good lawyer, I did not realise you were buying off plan, read this link. (Don't buy with the sun in your eyes & remember Spain a place with 3 million empty homes, property can be very risky) 

 https://cumlaudelegal.com/en/legal-tips-for-buying-a-property-in-spain-off-plan/

Thank you, 

This is invaluable information, 

I would add that agents are not always to be trusted, especially about future infrastructure and facilities which never materialise. It is better to become really familiar with the area by renting first, even for a month. 

Older properties are often cold, uninsulated, need renovation and dark. Not to mention expensive to run …

We rented for 5 years, returned to the U.K. after Brexit and now are ready to move back to Spain. Estepona this time. There are some excellent new developments built to a high standard. We bought directly off the developer and negotiated a little discount.

Thank you again for the information .

Tom …  

Hey Tom,

I very recently bought a property in San Luis de Sabinillas and used Manzanares Lawyers in Marbella. They handled everything for me. They got my NIE number sorted, set up my water and energy contracts, opened a bank account for me, got me registered with the property community. It was quite a painless exercise. What i did have to do was to give them power of attorney by getting some documents stamped & signed ( i forget what it's called :D) by a lawyer in London. of course there was a charge for this but i found navigating Spanish bureaucracy quite daunting so it was a huge relief to have someone I could rely on for all my needs. they were incredibly communicative, responsive and reassuring throughout the process Their after sales service has also been outstanding with any further questions that have arisen. I can't recommend them enough although i am sure there are many reputable lawyers out there doing the same.

As far as the payment for the property, I transferred the payment to my lawyers bank account and they settled the property using it, as the process of getting my bank account through them had not been completed at that stage. That was all part of the service. 

happy to answer any questions you have about my experience of the process.

good luck with your properrty journey

Darren

Thank you Darren, 

Your reply is very helpful, I will do the same …