Gestorías in Spain
The work carried out by a gestor
One word that you will hear a lot in Spain is gestor.
People may advise you to go to a gestor, or a 'gestoría' to help with various matters.
The role is slightly difficult to describe because this agency does not exist in many countries. The main role of a gestoría is the interface between the public and the public administration.
Generally, in most countries you do not need any kind of interface, and when you do, it is clear that you should see a solicitor or legal representative as the first port of call when there are unusual legal problems to resolve.
They will give you a minimum of free advice which could easily consist of directing you to a lawyer, or an accountant, or somebody better suited to resolving your problem for you.
A gestor can best be described as an administrator, or an organizer, who is also your first port of call in Spain. They are usually needed at a much lower level of bureaucracy in Spain than in other countries.
Dealing with taxes or issues to do with the administration of a car etc, are normally done directly in many cases, but in Spain it is often good to find a reliable gestoría and pay a gestor.
They know their way around the intricacies of Spanish administrative bureaucracy, as well as knowing with whom to speak to get things done quickly.
This is particularly important for people moving to Spain and buying property in Spain, they save time and potential heartbreak.
The fee of a gestor is generally not excessive, and in the long run, you will be thankful for their advice.
Take some care however as some of the functions of a gestor overlap with those of an accountant, or 'contable' and an 'abogado' (a kind of lawyer).
They will gladly take on the work of property transfer, for instance, and while the gestor is allowed to do this they is not always the best person for the job.
In Formentera, we always ensure that the gestoria you will use has all the experience and qualifications necessary to help you in the process of your property sale or purchase.
The gestor can also look after your business accounts for you, they can be a cheap and practical option if all you have is a small business with a few employees.
Once the size and scale of your company has outgrown the gestor, you may wish to seek the services of a dedicated 'contable' (accountant).
Having said that, many gestores are also contables in their own right.
A gestor is not always a licensed professional. In reality, they are just a clerk with experience and good contacts. In theory, anyone could open a gestoría without a license so you need to be selective when you search one out.
They can help you with basic administrative processes, but if you can find a gestoría that doubles as an abogado or contable or some such within the same office, then you can be more confident in their services.
If you have any kind of bureaucratic dealings, find yourself a gestor who can understand you and explain your problem to them.
They will either help you get things moving themselves, or tell you who you should be talking to, or they will explain what you have to do yourself (some things have to be done in person by law).
In this last case, they are usually quite willing to make sure you have your papers in order before you go, thus saving you time and heartache in some unhelpful government office.
A gestor will give you an estimate of costs, and the length of time it will take. Make sure you ask for this information. You can check around, but will usually find that gestor prices are similar wherever you go.
People may advise you to go to a gestor, or a 'gestoría' to help with various matters.
The role is slightly difficult to describe because this agency does not exist in many countries. The main role of a gestoría is the interface between the public and the public administration.
Generally, in most countries you do not need any kind of interface, and when you do, it is clear that you should see a solicitor or legal representative as the first port of call when there are unusual legal problems to resolve.
They will give you a minimum of free advice which could easily consist of directing you to a lawyer, or an accountant, or somebody better suited to resolving your problem for you.
A gestor can best be described as an administrator, or an organizer, who is also your first port of call in Spain. They are usually needed at a much lower level of bureaucracy in Spain than in other countries.
Dealing with taxes or issues to do with the administration of a car etc, are normally done directly in many cases, but in Spain it is often good to find a reliable gestoría and pay a gestor.
They know their way around the intricacies of Spanish administrative bureaucracy, as well as knowing with whom to speak to get things done quickly.
This is particularly important for people moving to Spain and buying property in Spain, they save time and potential heartbreak.
The fee of a gestor is generally not excessive, and in the long run, you will be thankful for their advice.
Take some care however as some of the functions of a gestor overlap with those of an accountant, or 'contable' and an 'abogado' (a kind of lawyer).
They will gladly take on the work of property transfer, for instance, and while the gestor is allowed to do this they is not always the best person for the job.
In Formentera, we always ensure that the gestoria you will use has all the experience and qualifications necessary to help you in the process of your property sale or purchase.
The gestor can also look after your business accounts for you, they can be a cheap and practical option if all you have is a small business with a few employees.
Once the size and scale of your company has outgrown the gestor, you may wish to seek the services of a dedicated 'contable' (accountant).
Having said that, many gestores are also contables in their own right.
A gestor is not always a licensed professional. In reality, they are just a clerk with experience and good contacts. In theory, anyone could open a gestoría without a license so you need to be selective when you search one out.
They can help you with basic administrative processes, but if you can find a gestoría that doubles as an abogado or contable or some such within the same office, then you can be more confident in their services.
If you have any kind of bureaucratic dealings, find yourself a gestor who can understand you and explain your problem to them.
They will either help you get things moving themselves, or tell you who you should be talking to, or they will explain what you have to do yourself (some things have to be done in person by law).
In this last case, they are usually quite willing to make sure you have your papers in order before you go, thus saving you time and heartache in some unhelpful government office.
A gestor will give you an estimate of costs, and the length of time it will take. Make sure you ask for this information. You can check around, but will usually find that gestor prices are similar wherever you go.
Our gestors in Formentera
In Formentera, we will introduce you to a gestor who we work closely with to carry the administrative duties of your property purchase from start to end.
The gestor works very closely with a notary although theses two agencies can not work from the same practise by law. The notary is authorised to work directly on behalf of the state, and works very much in a legal capacity.
We can introduce you to:-
Media Assessors, San Francisco, Formentera.
They speak good English and they also employ a lawyer from the same offices so they have a wide range of skills to draw on.
(Isabel Ferrer works as the acting lawyer).
Centro de Gestación, San Francisco, Formentera.
The Centro de Gestación also have a lawyer and they tend to specialise in land registry and as a property administration).
They speak excellent English.
The fees for the work and administration done in the process of buying a house is similar between these agencies.
The general work undertaken by the gestor includes:-
Ensuring that NIE or NIF numbers are correct and legal.
If you do not have a NIE or NIF number, the gestor can put the paperwork together for you to get one.
The gestor looks through the various clauses in the old 'escritura' of the property and ensures that the land is registered and that the correct people are named on the land in the 'catastro' (land registry).
The gestor checks the registry certificate to verify that the property has no debt associated with it and ensures that there are no outstanding fees or mortgages on the properties, they undertake a kind of credit check against the property.
The gestor will calculate the taxes (the purchase tax and / or the sales tax and 'plusvalia' tax, which is like a capital gains tax paid by the seller).
These taxes are paid to the state on the day of purchase by the notary.
The gestor works very closely with a notary although theses two agencies can not work from the same practise by law. The notary is authorised to work directly on behalf of the state, and works very much in a legal capacity.
We can introduce you to:-
Media Assessors, San Francisco, Formentera.
They speak good English and they also employ a lawyer from the same offices so they have a wide range of skills to draw on.
(Isabel Ferrer works as the acting lawyer).
Centro de Gestación, San Francisco, Formentera.
The Centro de Gestación also have a lawyer and they tend to specialise in land registry and as a property administration).
They speak excellent English.
The fees for the work and administration done in the process of buying a house is similar between these agencies.
The general work undertaken by the gestor includes:-
Ensuring that NIE or NIF numbers are correct and legal.
If you do not have a NIE or NIF number, the gestor can put the paperwork together for you to get one.
The gestor looks through the various clauses in the old 'escritura' of the property and ensures that the land is registered and that the correct people are named on the land in the 'catastro' (land registry).
The gestor checks the registry certificate to verify that the property has no debt associated with it and ensures that there are no outstanding fees or mortgages on the properties, they undertake a kind of credit check against the property.
The gestor will calculate the taxes (the purchase tax and / or the sales tax and 'plusvalia' tax, which is like a capital gains tax paid by the seller).
These taxes are paid to the state on the day of purchase by the notary.
