If you go to any Spanish website where advertisements for the sale or rental of real estate are published, then at first you will be confused by the abundance of terms: similar housing in different advertisements will be called differently, and specific regional names will also add to the confusion.
There is no clear and universal classification of types of Spanish real estate. We tried to create for you the most complete directory, including all types of real estate in Spain known to us.
First of all, all real estate in Spain must be divided into two large groups: residential and commercial. And the first group, in turn, is divided into several subgroups: multi-storey buildings, low-rise buildings, individual buildings and auxiliary facilities.
Residential property in Spain
Residential real estate in Spain includes a huge variety of properties: from small studios to luxury villas, from storage rooms and garages to huge country estates.
For ease of classification, we will group the types of residential real estate in Spain by number of floors:
- Multi-storey buildings are urban apartment buildings and urbanizations/residences consisting of several apartment blocks or buildings.
- Low-rise buildings are, as a rule, housing in suburbs and small resorts, located in buildings with a limited number of floors (2-4 floors).
- Individual development – detached houses with their own land plots.
Types of real estate in Spain: multi-storey buildings
Types of real estate in Spain: Studio
Исп.: studio, studio flat/apartment
A studio is the smallest and most affordable Spanish housing, similar to the familiar one-room Russian apartments. However, this “similarity” is visible and is based only on the absence of a separate bedroom. Spanish studio – 2, maximum 3 rooms: bathroom, room and balcony or terrace. The room combines an entrance hall, living room, bedroom and kitchen. Occasionally you come across studios with a separate kitchen, but, as a rule, it is integrated with an American or French style salon.
Unlike Russia, where one-room apartments act as permanent housing, studios in Spain are used as tourist or student housing. Studios are also offered for long-term rent, and their price is practically no different from one-bedroom apartments.
Thus, studios are of greater interest to investors rather than to citizens purchasing real estate for their own residence. The advantages of studios: low taxes and utility bills, ease of cooling or heating the room, ease of cleaning.
As a rule, piso is an apartment for permanent residence, and apartamento is a tourist apartment. But this division is very conditional, so we propose to consider the two terms as synonyms.
If the size of an apartment is determined by the total and living area, then the type of apartment is determined by the number of bedrooms: one-bedroom apartment, double-bedroom, three-bedroom, etc.
If the ad says “piso de 3 dormitorios” or “apartamento de 3 habitaciones”, know that we are talking about an apartment with 3 bedrooms + a living room (possibly integrated with a kitchen).
Apartments in Spain may or may not have an entrance hall, utility rooms, or separate kitchens – it depends on the layout. Even in a small one-bedroom apartment there may be two bathrooms: a guest bathroom and one adjacent to the bedroom. In expensive residential complexes, apartments with bedroom suites are often found, where each bedroom has its own adjoining bathroom. A utility room or open gallery for a water heater, washing machine and dryer is another nice option in large apartments.
Old housing stock can present an unpleasant surprise to the buyer. Many old houses were built with internal light wells – open shafts into which the windows of the kitchens and some bedrooms looked out. Therefore, when buying an old apartment, pay attention not only to its area and layout, but also to the layout of the entire building.
See our catalog for a large offer of apartments in Spain .
Penthouses are apartments located on the top floors of buildings, usually with magnificent views and a spacious terrace. They are considered luxury housing and are always more expensive than lower floor apartments.
Types of real estate in Spain: Duplex (duplex) apartments
Исп.: duplex, duplex floor/apartment, duplex attic
Duplex (duplex) apartments are most often located on the upper floors – the penultimate and last, and in this case we are dealing with a duplex penthouse. But sometimes they can occupy the first and second floors, or some middle floors. On the first level of such apartments there is usually a guest and dining area (living room, kitchen, guest bedroom, etc.), on the second level there is a private area (master bedroom, children’s room, bathrooms).
You can find a penthouse in Spain using the link .
Types of real estate in Spain: low-rise buildings
We include in this category not just low buildings with a small number of floors, but those in which each residential unit has a separate entrance. Moreover, housing can be located on top of each other, or have only adjacent walls with neighbors. In any case, everyone has a personal entrance (through the courtyard or along an external staircase), and not through a common entrance.
Types of real estate in Spain: Simple one-story bungalow with no neighbors above
Исп.: bungalow, low bungalow
Such housing is not currently being built – it is very wasteful to build only one floor where two, three or four can be built. Those. It’s mostly old stock. One-story bungalows have their own small courtyard and a solarium terrace on the roof, and inside they are ordinary apartments of different sizes and with different numbers of bedrooms and bathrooms.
Sometimes in advertisements you can find the names “chalet (casa) adosado(a)” – “adjacent cottage/house”, but this is a clear exaggeration. Townhouses, semi-detached cottages and houses are separate types of real estate in Spain, of a higher level and price category.
Types of real estate in Spain: Two-story bungalow with no neighbors above
Исп.: duplex, bungalow duplex
Most of all, a two-story bungalow in Spain resembles a townhouse: there are neighbors to the left and right, a private courtyard, one or more terraces and/or a spacious solarium on the roof. Inside, it is a “duplex” – a two-level apartment, which we wrote about above.
As in the previous case, possible name options using the words “duplex” (duplex), “casa” (house) and “chalet” (cottage).
Types of real estate in Spain: Apartment-bungalow (apartment-bungalow)
Spanish: bungalow
“Bungalow” means that the apartment has a separate entrance. If it is the first floor, then you usually need to go through a small private courtyard and go up to the porch; if the second floor, then go up the stairs (the staircase is external, private, usually closed with a gate). Second floor bungalows almost always have a spacious terrace or rooftop solarium. Otherwise, the bungalows are similar to ordinary apartments.
To understand whether we are talking about a lower or upper bungalow, you need to carefully read the description. The lower floor bungalow will have the postscript “bajo” or “planta baja”, the upper one – “alto” or “planta alta”.
Types of real estate in Spain: Semi-detached cottage for 2 or 4 families
Use: chalet adosado/pareado, casa adosada/pareada + clarification on number of floors: “duplex”/”triplex”
An adjacent cottage is a two- or three-, and sometimes four-story house with two or four separate entrances and, accordingly, two or four adjacent courtyards. Each dwelling in such a house has one or two walls adjacent to its neighbors. Such Spanish housing can be called semi-individual family housing. Usually it has a large area and a good layout, a basement for utility needs, a garage, several balconies, terraces and/or a solarium.
If the size of the land plot and town planning standards allow, such cottages may even have their own small swimming pool.
A semi-detached cottage in Spain is one of the most popular types of housing. It is suitable for both permanent residence and tourist rental, designed for large families and convenient for families with children and animals. At the same time, it is in the middle price category, often on par with 3- or 4-bedroom apartments.
Types of real estate in Spain: individual development
This category includes individual housing, detached houses that do not have adjacent walls with neighbors.
Use: chalet, torre, casa + specifications by number of storeys: “duplex”/”triplex” + “independente” (“independent”)
A cottage or house is a separate building on several floors with its own plot, usually small, and sometimes with an individual pool. This type of housing is as close as possible to villas, but still has its own characteristics. Depending on the layout of the construction sites, houses can be lined up and literally be “window-to-window”. Those. There are no adjacent walls, but the neighbors are there, just extend your hand. It turns out to be very conditional isolation.
A villa is a detached house with a large plot of land and almost always with its own swimming pool. A villa requires more care than a cottage: the garden, the pool, the house itself. There are villas of different sizes: from small and cozy ones with 3-4 bedrooms to huge mansions with an area of several thousand square meters.
In resort areas, at the height of the tourist season, villas are very popular: demand usually exceeds supply.
Types of real estate in Spain: Estate or country estate
Исп.: rural house, farm, rustic property, farmhouse, farmhouse
This is not just a villa located in the countryside, but rather a farm. The territory adjacent to the estate can occupy several hectares. Part of the land is usually used for a farm, horse breeding, vegetable garden, hunting grounds, etc.
Villas and houses in Spain in our catalogue .
Non-residential real estate and ancillary premises in Spain
Types of real estate in Spain: Garage or parking space
Исп.: parking, underground parking, garage, underground garage
Detached garages are rare in Spain. Most often, advertisements for the sale of a “garage” mean a parking space on the territory of a residential complex. Parking can be either above ground or underground.
A parking space can be purchased either simultaneously with housing or separately, i.e. make an independent transaction; both in your residential complex, and in the neighboring one and any other that suits you geographically. In other words, a parking space is not tied to housing and is an object of free purchase and sale.
When purchasing a parking space in an underground garage, we recommend paying attention to the ease of entry and exit, the absence of inconvenient pillars and columns, as well as its area.
Types of real estate in Spain: Individual storage room
Исп.: storage room
As a rule, storage rooms are located in the basement and basement floors of residential buildings. Like parking (garage) spaces, storage rooms come in different sizes and are objects of free purchase and sale.
Before making a purchase, you need to find out whether the room is well ventilated and whether it does not flood during heavy rainfall. Otherwise, mold will constantly appear in the pantry, and it will simply be impossible to store things.
Types of real estate in Spain: Land
Used: parcela, finca, terreno, solar + to clarify the category of land, the words “urbano(a)”, “urbanizable” or “rústico(a)”
According to their type, land plots in Spain are divided into urban land (urbano and urbanizable) and agricultural land (rústico). In the former, the construction of housing is permitted in accordance with existing urban planning standards, in the latter – not (with the exception of technical, auxiliary buildings or small panel houses without a foundation).
When buying land for construction in Spain, make sure that it belongs to the category you need.
Types of real estate in Spain: Commercial real estate in Spain
Исп.: commercial premises, office, warehouse
Commercial real estate includes industrial, warehouse, retail, office premises, as well as premises of bars, cafes, restaurants, etc.
Small and medium-sized commercial real estate can be located on the ground floors of residential complexes. We are talking about offices, shops, catering establishments, beauty salons, clinics, banks, etc.
Large commercial real estate (for example, warehouses, factories, workshops, hangars, etc.) are usually located in industrial zones (zona inductrial or polígono industrial) outside the city.