A finca in the Mallorcan countryside is, for many of our buyers, the reason they started looking on the island in the first place: dry-stone walls, almond trees, silence and the sea a few minutes away. It is also the purchase that can hold the most surprises if it is rushed. We have been selling fincas in the south-east since 1987, and almost every problem we have seen would have been caught with the questions in this article.
First: is everything you see legal?
On rustic land, the key question is not how many square metres the house has, but how many of them are legal. It is common to find extensions, enclosed porches, pools or guest cottages built without a licence decades ago. Some have been regularised, some are time-barred and some are not. The Balearic rules on buildings on rustic land have changed several times in recent years — including an extraordinary regularisation process approved in 2024 — so each building has to be looked at case by case.
- Compare what exists with the title deed, the Land Registry nota simple and the Cadastre.
- Ask for the building licences, the completion certificate and, where they exist, age or regularisation certificates.
- Check there is a valid habitation certificate (cédula de habitabilidad): without it, utilities cannot easily be put in the new owner's name.
- Have an independent lawyer and architect review it before signing the deposit contract, not after.
On a finca, whatever is not in the paperwork does not exist for the bank, the notary or the next buyer.
Water, power and access
Many fincas are not connected to mains water. Ask whether there is a licensed well, a cistern or a tank, how large it is and how it is filled in summer; in some areas the alternative is a water lorry. The same goes for electricity: grid connection, solar panels or both. And the access: a dirt track that is idyllic in April can be a problem in the rain, and you should know whether it is public, private or a right of way shared with neighbours.
Pools, renovations and extensions
If you plan to renovate, extend or build a pool, don't assume you can: it depends on the plot, the type of rustic land (common or protected) and the municipal and island rules in force. A local architect can tell you on one visit what is realistic. Far better to know before buying than to find out afterwards that the house you pictured cannot be built.
Holiday rentals
If the finca is to be let to holidaymakers, it needs a holiday-rental licence (ETV). Getting a new one is very difficult in Mallorca today, so if rental income is part of the plan, the sensible move is to buy a finca that already has a licence and review its file: number of beds, holder and that the licence transfers with the sale. Our guide to the ETV licence covers it in detail.
Price: what makes a finca worth more or less
Sea views, closeness to a town that is alive all year, clean legal status, an ETV licence, secure water and good access weigh most on the price of a south-east finca. A spectacular house with complicated paperwork usually sells below its looks — and that is not always a bargain. Remember to add 10–13 % for purchase taxes and costs.
If you are looking at fincas in Santanyí, Ses Salines or nearby, tell us what you have in mind: many never reach the portals, and we show them with the paperwork already checked.
