Types of residential property in Spain

Finding a home in Spain to meet your needs might mean you have to look at types of property you are not used to seeing in your country of origin. Sometimes, the name of a property may seem familiar to you, but the description is slightly different. Here's a guide to the main categories of residential properties you'll find in Spain, to help you decide which types you would like to view.

Viviendas unifamiliares ('single-family homes')

In Spain, homes are referred to as viviendas unifamiliares ('single-family homes') and viviendas plurifamiliares ('multiple-family homes'). A 'single-family home' would be a house or villa, for example. 'Multiple-family homes' refers to apartments, flats, studios and penthouses. These are designed for just one household, but are among several in the same building.

Detached, semi-detached or terraced

A house or villa in Spain might be a casa independiente or vivienda aislada ('detached home'), which is a stand-alone building not joined to any others. Otherwise, it could be a casa pareada or pareado ('semi-detached home'), which is joined on one side to one other residential property. In town centres, a house is most likely to be an adosado or casa adosada ('terraced home'), where a long line of houses are all joined together.

Villa

Usually found on a purpose-built residential complex, or urbanización, a villa (chalé, in Spanish) is one of the most popular types of home among foreign buyers. They are normally detached, typically quite modern, and usually have their own land. Depending upon your budget, your villa may have such a large garden and terrace that it does not feel as though it is on a residential complex at all.

Villas usually (but not always) have their own swimming pools. Smaller villas, especially terraced or semi-detached villas, may have access to a communal pool instead.

A villa is normally some distance from the nearest town, meaning you will probably need a car to be able to reach supermarkets, health centres and other facilities. For this reason, they are popular as holiday homes. Villas are also suitable for commuters, who have to travel to towns for work and do not have to make special trips to use facilities there.

Many villas have just one storey, but occasionally they may have an upstairs floor. Some are on the first floor only, with the ground floor being an apartment. These apartments beneath villas are often called an 'underbuild', and can be used to accommodate guests or to rent out to holidaymakers.

Spain's largest and most luxurious homes are usually villas. They are mostly found in the outskirts of big cities, or in coastal areas.

Dúplex

A dúplex is a common type of semi-detached home, and most often found on residential complexes (urbanizaciones). It is a single building with two large flats, one above the other. Both flats are self-contained, with independent access. They usually each have their own outside staircase to the front door.

Sometimes, dúplex is the name given to a maisonette. This is a flat on two floors within a larger block. An inside staircase, only accessible by one household, joins the two floors.

Terraced homes, or townhouses

A townhouse is usually one of several all joined together along the same street. In Spanish, they are called an adosado or casa de pueblo.

Despite their name, they are very commonly found in small villages, as well as big towns. They nearly always have at least two storeys, sometimes three or even four if they are very large. Most do not have any land of their own: The front door opens right onto the pavement. Some have a small paved courtyard at the back.

Townhouses can also be found on an urbanización, or purpose-built residential complex. Here, they are normally much newer, and offer access to communal facilities, such as gardens and a swimming pool. These townhouses are more likely to be called an adosado, whilst those in actual towns are usually called a casa de pueblo.

An urbanización of town houses may mean individual owners have to pay 'community fees' (gastos de comunidad). This is an annual sum paid to the freehold company. It covers maintenance of communal parts, such as cleaning and repairs. Sometimes community fees may increase if extra work is necessary or new features are required. This might include a swimming pool, or lifts for apartment blocks. Where this is the case, the 'community of owners' (comunidad de propietarios) has to vote on whether to do so. Community fees vary according to urbanización type and location.

Townhouses in towns or villages are frequently quite old, meaning foreign buyers often want to renovate them. This may mean insulating them to protect them from cold, heat and humidity, as the walls can be quite thin and the construction materials of lesser quality. Cosmetic renovations may be desired, such as replacing tiles or modernising fixtures. For this reason, townhouses are often some of the cheapest types of property.

Refurbishing a home can be an exciting prospect and a great investment, or it could be stressful and expensive. That depends upon your overall goals. If you are considering doing so, you can find out more in our article on Renovating a house in Spain.

Townhouses are usually found in the historic quarters of towns or villages, meaning their surroundings can be very picturesque, but with limited parking facilities. Many townhouses have a private terrace on the roof. For some buyers, this compensates for not having a garden, as the roof terrace can be very spacious.

Types of flats and apartments

Flats and apartments are the most commonly-found properties in Spain. According to statistics released by Eurostat in December 2022, a total of 65.7% of residents in Spain live in flats, compared with 34.1% in houses. This means more people in Spain live in flats than in any other European Union (EU) country.

For this reason, flats in Spain can be extremely luxurious and very spacious. They can be purpose-built and modern, or part of an older house which has been converted. You can find flats in big cities and small villages. They may be in high-rise blocks, or even one of just two in a single building.

Many buildings containing flats have a communal garage for residents to use, especially newer blocks. If a flat is outside the main town, it may be on an urbanización or residential complex, and have a communal garden or swimming pool. Most flats have a balcony, which may be large enough to use as seating space.

Many foreign buyers in Spain are initially reluctant to look at flats, as they assume these will be small. But that is often not the case: An average flat in a town will have between two and four bedrooms. Where a flat has three bedrooms or more, it will nearly always have at least two bathrooms.

Flats are typically cheaper than villas of a comparable size, as they do not have land of their own. They can be a very affordable way of gaining extra bedrooms, making them popular with families.

Like townhouses on an urbanización, flats and apartments usually involve paying 'community fees' to cover maintenance and repairs. This is more likely to be the case in a purpose-built block, or larger apartment building. It may not be the case for an older house converted into two or three flats, though. Here, you may simply reach informal agreements with the other owners about carrying out repairs and sharing the cost.

Ground-floor flats (bajos)

A ground-floor flat is known as a bajo. Whilst a bajo is normally used as a garage, shop or other business premises, they are sometimes used as a residential property. This might mean they have a courtyard at the back for private use. If a bajo is on an urbanización, it may have a private garden.

Top-floor flats (áticos)

Top-floor flats are known as áticos. This translates as 'penthouse', but an ático is not necessarily any larger or more luxurious than others in the block, as a 'penthouse' normally is. Many blocks have a communal roof terrace, but those living in the ático may find they get the most use out of it, as it is nearer to them. For this reason, an ático may come at a slightly higher price than a flat lower down in the building.

Apartments and studios

'Apartment' is a term that is often interchangeable with 'flat', in other countries. But in Spain, 'apartment' (apartamento) usually means a flat with one bedroom. A studio flat (estudio) is a one-room flat where the bedroom and lounge are combined, and sometimes even the kitchen. In a studio flat, the bathroom may be separate, or even shared. Studios and one-bedroom apartments are rare in Spain, except in very large cities. They are most likely to be used by students, or very young adults.

If you have already decided which type of property would suit you, you might decide to arrange a visit to Spain to see, in person, what is on offer. Our article Spanish property viewing trips: Why they are important and how to prepare for them will give you more information.