Before buying property in Mallorca, first clarify whether what was built is approved and what you will be allowed to change, and only then look at the condition of the building. On a finca the rules for rustic land decide a lot, on the coast it is the protection strip, in Palma’s old town the catalogue sheet of the building, and in an apartment the owners’ community. Ownership, charges and the purchase contract are checked by the notary and a lawyer. The building side is checked by an architect, ideally at the viewing, while you are not yet committed.
Permits first, condition second
After buying a finca, the most common discovery is that the building does not match its documents. Stables became bedrooms, a terrace was roofed over, an outbuilding was added, and not all of it is recorded. That decides what you are allowed to renovate at all. So before buying, what was built is compared with what is registered and approved.
For older extensions without a permit, an extraordinary legalisation procedure under Law 7/2024 has been open in Mallorca since February 2025, for three years. It applies to buildings against which no enforcement action can be taken any more, costs a one-off 10, 12.5 or 15 percent of the building cost depending on whether you apply in the first, second or third year, and requires, among other things, proper wastewater treatment. A challenge against it is pending at the Constitutional Court. So do not count on every extension being legalised.
Finca on rustic land: what you may add later
If the house is on rustic land (suelo rústico), the Balearic rustic land law of 1997 applies. A new house on ordinary rustic land needs a plot of at least 14,000 square metres. In Mallorca at most 3 percent of the plot may be built on and 4 percent covered, with two storeys, a height of 8 metres and no more than 1,500 cubic metres per building. A legal house on a plot below the minimum size cannot be extended.
Municipal rules come on top. In Andratx, for example, a pool at a house on rustic land is limited to 50 square metres of water surface on protected rustic land and 75 square metres on ordinary rustic land. If you buy a finca because you want to extend it or build a bigger pool, find out first whether exactly that is allowed there.
In the countryside, utilities add to the picture. Water, electricity and sewage on a finca are often not connected to the public network. A well or cistern, solar panels with storage and a wastewater system on the plot cost real money and have to match the use you have in mind. What a renovation costs overall is covered in Finca renovation costs in Mallorca.
Houses on the coast and in protected areas
On the coast, the Spanish Coastal Law applies. In the protection strip of 100 metres from the shoreline, or 20 metres in areas that were already classified as urban in 1988, no new houses may be built. Legally built houses there may be repaired, improved and modernised as long as volume, height and floor area do not grow. A house on the front line can be renewed, then, but not enlarged.
Parts of 20 municipalities lie within the Serra de Tramuntana nature reserve, among them Andratx, Calvià, Palma, Pollença and Sóller. Inside a protected natural area, the authority granting a licence first has to obtain a report from the nature conservation authority. That authority has two months from a complete file, and an unfavourable report is binding. For a renovation this means an extra step in the procedure, which is worth planning in from the start.
Townhouse in Palma’s old town
Palma’s old town has been protected as a historic ensemble since 1964, and many buildings are also catalogued individually. Work in the old town, in protected zones and on catalogued buildings needs additional approval from the heritage authority of the Consell de Mallorca. Work on catalogued buildings also needs a historical and artistic report, and a simple notification to the town hall is never enough there.
Before buying, it is worth reading the building’s catalogue sheet. It shows what is protected and therefore whether the layout, the facade or the roof can be changed the way you imagine. Palma also offers a preliminary enquiry for projects in the old town. A positive answer is a good sign, but it does not yet oblige the city to grant the licence.
Apartment: owners’ community and building inspection
In Palma every building has to be technically inspected at 50 years of age and every ten years after that. The community arranges the report. It shows which works on the common parts are coming up, such as the facade, the roof or the pipes, and as a new owner you will share their cost. Ask for the report and for the decisions of the owners’ meeting before you buy.
Whatever you want to change in the apartment after buying should fit the community. It has to be informed before work starts, and changes to the structure or the facade and enclosing a terrace need the approval of the meeting. Shared pipes belong to everyone. More in Renovating an apartment in Palma.
What we look at in the building
At the viewing we look at the structure, the roof and the timber. Both are often in worse condition than they look from below. In old houses, rubble stone walls often stand on the ground without a damp-proof course. Signs of rising damp are salt deposits in the plaster and timber that gives way at floor level. Old stone walls need to be able to release moisture. If they were sealed with dense materials, the damp is often already in the newer surfaces.
Pipes and wiring come next. The tap water in Palma is hard, between 16 and 29 French degrees according to the water utility EMAYA, so taps and hot water systems are part of the viewing. Most findings are no reason to walk away from a purchase. They do belong in your budget and your timeline before the notary appointment. Where a finding calls for it, we recommend a closer investigation.
What later work costs in building tax and fees
If you renovate with a permit after buying, the town hall charges a building tax and usually a licence fee, calculated on the building cost. The rates differ noticeably:
| Municipality | Building tax and licence fee together |
|---|---|
| Palma | 6.61 percent (4 percent tax, 2.61 percent fee) |
| Deià | 6.4 percent (4 percent tax, 2.4 percent fee) |
| Calvià | 5.68 percent (4 percent tax, 1.68 percent fee) |
| Pollença | 3.6 percent (2.8 percent tax, 0.8 percent fee) |
| Sóller | 3.5 percent tax, plus a licence fee |
Most of our residential projects in Mallorca come to 1,200 to 2,500 euros per square metre. Where a particular property sits in that range can be estimated roughly after a viewing, and that number belongs in your calculation before the notary appointment.
Five questions before the notary appointment
- Does what was built match what is registered and approved, and which parts do not?
- Is the plot on rustic land, in the coastal protection strip or in a nature reserve, and what does that mean for your plans?
- Is the building catalogued or in Palma’s old town, and what does the catalogue sheet say?
- For an apartment: is there a current inspection report, and which works has the owners’ meeting approved?
- What do you want to change after buying, is exactly that allowed here, and roughly what will it cost?
If you are weighing a finca against a townhouse, Finca or townhouse in Mallorca helps. The procedures for later work are explained in Building permits in Mallorca.
How CARLO Design helps before you buy
CARLO Design has had a studio in Palma since 2022, at Carrer de Can Sales 14. Before you buy, we look at the property as architects: the condition of the building, its permit status and, for a finca, the rules for rustic land. We tell you whether your plans are possible there, even if you would rather hear something else, and give you a first cost range before the notary appointment. More on the page Property check before you buy.
After the purchase we plan the renovation as your architect in Mallorca, handle the permit together with an architect registered with the Colegio whom we have worked with for years, and design the rooms as an interior design studio in Mallorca.
FAQ
Can I extend a finca on rustic land after buying it?
Only within tight limits. In Mallorca, at most 3 percent of a plot on rustic land may be built on and 4 percent covered, with two storeys, a height of 8 metres and no more than 1,500 cubic metres per building. A legal house on a plot below the minimum size cannot be extended at all. A new house on ordinary rustic land needs a plot of at least 14,000 square metres.
What happens to extensions that were never approved?
Since February 2025 an extraordinary legalisation procedure under Law 7/2024 has been open in Mallorca for three years, for buildings against which no enforcement action can be taken any more. It costs a one-off 10, 12.5 or 15 percent of the building cost, depending on the year you apply, and requires, among other things, proper wastewater treatment. A challenge against the rules is pending at the Constitutional Court. Clarify before you buy what is approved and what is not.
Can I renovate a house close to the sea?
In the protection strip of 100 metres from the shoreline, or 20 metres in areas that were already classified as urban in 1988, no new houses may be built. Legally built houses there may be repaired, improved and modernised as long as volume, height and floor area do not grow. A self-declaration, the declaración responsable, is enough for that.
What should I check before buying an apartment in Palma?
The building inspection report, which every building in Palma needs at 50 years of age and every ten years after that. It shows which works on the common parts are coming up, and you will share their cost. Also check whether your plans fit the community: work on the structure or the facade and enclosing a terrace need the approval of the owners’ meeting.
Does a building survey replace a lawyer?
No. Ownership, charges and the purchase contract are checked by the notary and a lawyer. An architect checks whether what was built matches the documents, what condition the building is in, what you may change later and roughly what that costs. Together they give you the whole picture before you sign.
Your next step
Have a property in mind? Tell us where it is and what you would like to do with it. In the Project Check we talk about the house and whether a viewing before the notary appointment makes sense.
You can work out roughly what a renovation costs in two minutes. Open the cost and timeline calculator.