Buying a Property with Existing Tenants in Girona

Landlords sell tenanted homes for all sorts of reasons — they want to release equity, they are retiring from the rental business, or the property forms part of a wider portfolio being wound down. For a buyer, an occupied property in Girona can mean immediate rental income and a tenant who already knows the home, but it also means stepping into a legal relationship you did not create.

Spanish tenancy law generally protects sitting tenants when a property changes hands, so the first task before any offer is understanding the contract you would be inheriting, not just the bricks and mortar.

Girona province covers the Costa Brava coastline as well as inland countryside toward the Pyrenees, offering both beach towns and rural stone villages. Its proximity to France draws French, Belgian and Dutch buyers, alongside others wanting a quieter alternative to busier Spanish coasts.

Girona-Costa Brava airport serves the coast directly, with Barcelona airport also within reach for wider connections. Coastal areas see strong summer activity, while inland towns remain calmer, and property types range from apartments and townhouses near the sea to farmhouses further inland.

Before deciding on a home in Girona (province), it helps to see the place in numbers: population, asking prices, transport links and climate, each dated and sourced. Together they offer a realistic grounding for anyone weighing up Girona (province) for a permanent home, a holiday base or a rental.

According to the INE annual census, 830,429 people were registered as living in the whole of Girona province on 1 January 2025. The count takes in every town and village across the province, not only its capital. The province of Girona registers 181,899 residents of foreign nationality, about 22 out of every 100 people. That share is notable yet far from dominant, and it varies widely between towns within the province.

On 1 January 2025, the province of Girona had just 3,372 British nationals on its register, a modest figure. Because registration only counts year-round residents, it leaves out second-home owners who spend part of the year in the province. Below are the main foreign nationalities registered in Girona (province) as of 1 January 2025, taken from the figures INE publishes municipality by municipality.

Beyond the main nationalities listed above, the INE also registers smaller groups, Germans, Italians, Dutch, Belgians or Scandinavians among them, across Girona province. This breakdown reflects 1 January 2022, the last edition counting every nationality individually, a different year from the table above.

Across the province of Girona, 5,315 homes currently listed carry a median price of €2,840/m² and a median ticket of €290,000. These figures sit mid-range, near the €3,135/m² median recorded across the 130 towns we track nationwide. Prices vary considerably from one listing to the next, though the bulk of the market, its middle half, falls between €1,930 and €3,820 per square metre.

Taking €290,000 as the median asking price in Girona (province), the resale transfer tax at 10 % amounts to about €29,000, and notary, land registry and gestoría costs add a further €3,500. The combined figure, close to €32,500, is what a buyer needs ready in savings, separate from any mortgage funds. The figures reflect asking prices in listings live on 2026-11-01, rather than prices actually paid. Final amounts are agreed through negotiation and vary with the state, location and orientation of each property.

The table below brings together the towns we track across Girona (province), listing inhabitants, foreign residents per 100 people and median asking price per square metre, to show how much these markets differ.

According to INE's experimental estimate from holiday-rental platform listings, Girona (province) had 20,821 tourist dwellings in 05/2026, offering 116,320 bed places and close to 25 per 1,000 residents. The presence is moderate overall, but a regional licence remains necessary for tourist letting. In 2024, 43,826 tax-declared long-term tenancies in Girona (province) produced a median rent of €550 a month, according to the Ministry of Housing's reference system. It is historical data for long-term contracts, unrelated to holiday-let income, and rents can fall as well as rise. The same source shows that the middle half of all flats for long-term rent are priced between €450 and €680 a month.

As Girona is served by only one commercial airport, Aeropuerto de Girona-Costa Brava (GRO), buyers near the provincial border should also weigh up whether an airport just across the boundary might be more convenient. The climate figures below were recorded in or near Girona, the provincial capital, and conditions elsewhere in the province, inland, at altitude or on other islands, can differ noticeably. With January averaging 7.1 °C (minimum 1.1 °C) and August averaging 23.4 °C (maximum 29.8 °C), winters here are genuinely cold for Spain. That makes heating and insulation a meaningful part of the running costs of any home. Annual rainfall reaches about 728 mm on roughly 66 days, well above many Spanish coastal or inland averages. Checking for damp is a sensible part of any viewing here. Climate data come from AEMET's 1981-2010 normals, recorded at its Girona Aeropuerto station around 9 km away; the actual spot may vary a little, particularly further inland or higher up.

The province of Girona saw 15,239 registered home sales in the year to 07/2026, per INE. A busier market like this generally offers more comparable transactions and greater choice. Bear in mind that these numbers reflect the province of Girona overall; they shift a great deal between towns and between individual properties. Let us know what you have in mind so we can look at your case.

The transfer tax on a resale home is set by each Spanish region. In Girona the general rate is 10 %, and on top of it come notary, land registry and gestoría (roughly one more percent). On a new build you pay 10 % VAT plus stamp duty instead of the transfer tax. This money is not lent by the bank.

Under Spanish law, selling a rented home does not usually end the lease. The new owner steps into the previous landlord's position by operation of law, and the tenant keeps occupying the property under the agreed terms until the contract runs its course or is properly terminated. You cannot simply ask a sitting tenant to leave because the property has changed hands.

There are limited situations, tied to whether the lease was registered at the Land Registry and when it was signed, where a buyer may not be bound in the same way. These exceptions are narrow and fact-specific, so treat continuity as the default and have your lawyer confirm the exact position in writing before you sign anything.

A tenanted sale should come with a paper trail. Ask the seller's agent for the signed lease, proof that the deposit was lodged with the relevant regional body, and recent evidence that rent has been paid on time. A gap in any of these should slow you down, not speed you up.

Alongside the property documents, UK buyers typically need proof of income such as a recent P60 and payslips, a last filed Self Assessment tax return, bank statements from the last three to six months, evidence of any existing loans or mortgage commitments, and a valid passport or national identity document. A lawyer coordinates these with the notary and bank so the purchase, tenanted or not, proceeds in the usual way.

Spain and the United Kingdom have a double taxation agreement, and a local tax adviser should confirm how rental income collected from an existing tenant, or any future gain, must be declared in Spain and reported to HMRC. As the United Kingdom is no longer an EU member state, British buyers can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, so plan viewing trips and completion dates with that limit in mind. The Golden Visa route for property investors ended on 3 April 2025 and is not an option for residence planning.

Spain is a relatively short flight away from most UK airports, making regular visits to a Spanish property straightforward for owners based in Britain. Many British buyers are drawn to Spain for its climate, coastal lifestyle and established expatriate communities. One practical point to bear in mind is that Spanish inheritance law differs from UK rules, so it is worth taking specific advice on how it may affect the property and one's estate. Currency movements between sterling and the euro can also affect the overall cost of purchase and ongoing expenses.

Spain and the United Kingdom have a double taxation agreement in place, and a local tax adviser should confirm how rental income or gains from Spanish property must be declared and reported to HMRC.

As the United Kingdom is no longer an EU member state, British citizens may stay in Spain for up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa, and must apply for a visa or residence permit for longer stays.

Since the United Kingdom uses the pound sterling (GBP) rather than the euro, buyers should factor in exchange-rate movements and currency conversion costs when paying for a property or transferring funds to Spain.