Estate Agents Solicitor

I bought from Casas Manuel in 2017. I believe that they recommend a solicitor rather than have you use “theirs”. I used Fontanals who were very up front with the charges from the start and kept me updated throughout. 

Just like in the UK, the vendors had their own solicitor/abogado. I never for a moment thought that my solicitor was working for anybody but me 

Good luck with your purchase. 

Shaun

Hi 

We have just been through the same process, not with Casa Manuel another local agent , they wanted me to use their solicitor that they always used, but like you I wanted my own independent one . We spoke to Sun Lawyers at an event in the UK and was impressed by them , they were very helpful,  upfront with costs and sorted all our bank accounts,  NIE numbers,  direct debits for our new house, we are currently going through our residency and tax with them , all English or English speaking,  would recommend no problem. Good luck in your search .

Casas Manuel seem to have a very good reputation on here although we didn't use them ourselves but if you google "Should I use an independent solicitor for a house purchase in Spain", you can make up your own mind.
I look at it like this, the estate agent recommends the same solicitor to all their purchasers and that solicitor will make a decent living from this. I would ask myself where the solicitors loyalties are.
There is another current post where a buyer has been advised by their solicitor that the Spanish State value their property at 60% more than they are paying for it and that some time over the next 5 years they will get a tax bill on the difference. They have got themselves a wonderful solicitor and it may be worthwhile asking for their name. 

If they are saying it is the solicitors they always use then I would not use them as they are not necessarily fully independent. It may even be the case that the vendor is using them too (I've known that happen in Spain!) It is also quite normal for solicitors to pay 'commission' to agents for sucessful recommendations. Choose your own. Contact several by email with the same 5 questions and see who answers all of them quickly and professionally, chances are on that alone you will narrow down to 2, who you can then meet in person to see who you prefer.

Sun Lawyers - very professional and well established firm in Spain. Jose Maria Lomax and his sister Victoria handled our purchase and we had no complaints.

Hi Shaun,

Thanks for your help, I'm sure you are correct as you have been through the process with Casas Manuel and that they will recommend rather than offer their own solicitor.

Many thanks

John & Sarah

Hi Pete, 

Thanks for the advice from your own experiences. We will make a note of the solicitor that you used for future reference.

Many thanks,

John & Sarah

Hi Cheryl,

Thanks for your help, as you say the agents solicitor will side with the agent in this case and it would be wise to find our own.

I will try and find the post you are talking about as it does sound like they have a solicitor who is very thorough.

Many thanks,

John & Sarah

Hi RayD,

Your reply makes very interesting reading and really does answer my question perfectly. I think we now know the best way to proceed when the time arrives.

Many thanks for sharing your experiences with us, they give invaluable information.

John & Sarah