AiMYNDi · Editorial
Real estate intelligence from across Europe.
Choose a country
News, guides and market updates by country
Curated for you
Stories chosen for English readers
Non-residents pay a flat 7.5% IMT with no relief of any kind. Two routes claw it back, but the application expires six months after you qualify.
Britain adds 5% for a second home and 2% for non-residents. Germany adds neither: Grunderwerbsteuer runs 3.5% to 6.5%, set by the state, never the buyer.
British owners pay 24% on gross Spanish rent while EU owners pay 19% on profit. But the resale rate is 19% for everyone, whatever you have read.
Portuguese house prices rose 17.8% in the year to Q1 2026, the fastest in the EU, while sales fell 8.7%. What that means for buyers and the IMT bands.
A decree of 30 July 2026 lets Portuguese councils with over 1,000 registered short lets extend a freeze on new alojamento local licences to 31 December 2026.
Denmark's tax rebate stops at the takeover date, so buyers pay the full rate from day one. The 2026 and 2027 valuations are now indexed and fixed by law.
From the 2026 tax year cedolare secca on Italian short lets covers only two apartments, at 21% and 26%. A third makes the letting a business, with a VAT number.
The nota simple will not tell you whether anyone is living there. The seven checks that actually reveal occupation risk before you sign for a Spanish property.
One reform is in force, one decree was repealed, and the 24 hour eviction bill is not law. What actually applies to occupied property in Spain right now.
Duisburg dropped its split Grundsteuer rates on 24 February 2026 for a single 1,169% multiplier, lifting residential bills 32% and cutting business ones 20.4%.
From 1 January 2026 the Dutch overdrachtsbelasting on a home you will not live in is 8%, down from 10.4%. The starter exemption still stops at 555,000 euro.
Départements may charge 5% transfer duty until 30 April 2028. First buyers of a main home are outside the rise, and some départements exempt them entirely.
From April 1, 2026 the Czech National Bank caps investment mortgages at 70% LTV and 7x net income on third homes and rentals. Here is what buyers should know.
On May 21, 2026, Spain's Supreme Court struck down the national tourist rental registry and the NRUA number. Here is what changed and what still applies.
From July 1, 2026, Sweden lets private owners sublet up to two homes with freedom of contract. Here is what changed for owners and what tenants still keep.
Spain ended the Golden Visa on April 3, 2025. One year on, here is what changed for foreign property buyers and which residency routes still exist in 2026.
Sweden cut the minimum deposit from 15% to 10% on April 1, 2026. Here is what changed, who benefits, and what buyers should know before applying for a mortgage.
Spain proposed a 100% surcharge on non-EU property buyers. As of March 2026, the bill has stalled in congress. Here is what that means for foreign buyers now.
Prague apartment prices rose 9% last year and supply remains 20% below demand. Here is the complete guide for foreign buyers: legal checks, ownership types, and what to verify.
You cannot sign a Spanish property deed, pay taxes, or open a bank account without a NIE number. Here is what it is, how to get one, and how long it takes.
Sweden lets any foreigner buy a sommarstuga with no residency required. Here is the full step-by-step process, from coordination number to signed contract.
Swedish buyers expect open SMS bidding and a 1.5% lagfart. Spain has neither. What replaces them costs more and binds you earlier than you think.
Norway charges 2.5% on market value at registration. Portugal charges a non-resident 7.5% on the deal, and the EEA appears nowhere in that rule.
Paragraph 311b BGB pushes a German purchase through a notary. The Italian compromesso needs none, and Italy takes 9% where North Rhine-Westphalia takes 6.5%.
A Finnish flat is shares in a housing company. A German flat is Wohnungseigentum, governed by a Teilungserklärung, and the transfer tax at least doubles.
A French second home costs 5.81% to 6.32% in transfer duty, under the 8% the Netherlands now charges. And you get ten days to change your mind, not three.
Registering a Danish home transfer costs 0.6% plus a fixed fee. The cheapest Spanish region charges 6%. Here is what else changes, and what does not.
Sweden charges 1.5% stämpelskatt and nothing on a bostadsrätt. Italy charges 9% on a second home, taxed on the price unless you ask for the cadastral value.
In Norway an accepted bid is binding. In Germany nothing binds until a Notar reads the Kaufvertrag aloud, and the transfer tax is set by the Bundesland.
France charges 5.81% to 6.32% in transfer duty on an existing home. That is above Bavaria's 3.5% and below the 6.5% of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Spain has no housing company. A flat is real property carrying the seller's unpaid community charges, and the transfer tax starts at 6%, not at 1.5%.
Non-residents pay a flat 7.5% IMT in Portugal with no relief at all, and the three days to change your mind under Dutch law have no counterpart there.
Registering a Danish transfer costs 0.6% plus 1,850 kroner. Italy charges 9% on a second home, or 2% on a main one. Here is the rest of what changes.
Swedish stämpelskatt is 1.5% plus 825 kronor. A French home costs 5.81% to 6.32% in duty, and buys you ten calendar days to change your mind.
Norway is not in the EU, so Norwegians expect the higher Spanish tax rate. They do not pay it. EEA membership keeps them at 19%, and Schengen keeps them longer.
Non-residents pay a flat 7.5% IMT in Portugal, with no relief at all. The binding moment also arrives long before any notary reads a word of the contract.
An asunto-osake has no Italian equivalent, and the tax shows it: 1.5% at home becomes 9% in Italy, or 2% with prima casa relief. Here is what else changes.
A Dutch buyer gets three days to dissolve the purchase. In Germany the notary reads the contract aloud and the signature binds you on the spot.
Denmark makes you apply for permission to own a home. France checks the deed, not the buyer. And your six days to withdraw become ten free ones.
A Swedish bostadsrätt carries no transfer tax at all. Portugal has no such tenure and charges a non-resident 7.5%, refunded only on a six month clock.
Norway is outside the EU, so Norwegians expect Italy's reciprocity test. It does not apply to them. What applies is 9% registration tax, or 2% on a main home.
Germans buy more Spanish homes by count than any nationality but the British. The Spanish notario looks like a Notar and protects you far less. Here is the gap.
You never owned the flat in Finland, only shares in the company. France sells the flat itself, and the duty goes from 1.5 percent to almost six.
Denmark decides who may own a Danish holiday home. Germany applies no nationality test at all, but transfer tax jumps from 0.6% to at least 3.5%.
Article 7:2 BW gives three days from the moment the deed reaches your hands. Italy gives none, charges 9% on a second home, and keeps the caparra you paid.
Swedish bids are open and non binding until signature, there is no cooling off period, and the survey is your problem. The full process for Dutch buyers.
Swedish banks lend to non residents, but on different terms. Deposit levels, the April 2026 rule change, amortisation, and how the Dutch route compares.
Lagfart, fastighetsavgift, rental tax and 22 percent on exit. What a Swedish holiday home actually costs a Dutch buyer, and how Norway and Denmark compare.
Non-residents pay a flat 7.5% IMT in Portugal with no relief at all, against 1.5% at home. Two routes refund it, but the claim expires in six months.
Sweden concludes a sale on a document the parties sign themselves, at 1.5% stamp duty. Germany voids it without a Notar, and charges at least 3.5%.
Dutch buyers are the second largest foreign group buying Spanish homes. The three days to change your mind do not exist in Spain, and the notary is not yours.
An accepted bid binds you in Norway. France gives ten days to withdraw, then charges 5.81 to 6.32 percent transfer duty against your 2.5 percent.
Denmark makes a foreign buyer ask the Ministry of Justice. Portugal asks nothing and charges non-residents 7.5%, refunded only inside six months.
No notário, no CPCV with sinal, no progressive IMT. 8 differences Portuguese buyers must know about bostadsrätt, lagfart and Swedish mortgages.
No notaio, no proposta with caparra, no rogito. 8 differences Italian buyers must know about bostadsrätt, lagfart, imposta di registro and box 3.
No notaire, no compromis de vente, no 10-day SRU cooling off. 8 differences French buyers must know about bostadsrätt, lagfart and Swedish mortgages.
Bostadsrätt looks like asunto-osakeyhtiö but is not the same. 8 differences Finnish buyers must know about cottages, bids, mortgages, and tax in Sweden.
Skåne is cheaper than Copenhagen, but bostadsrätt is not andelsbolig and Öresund commuters must file in both countries. 8 differences Danes must know.
No notaris, no 3 days bedenktijd, no VvE. 8 differences Dutch buyers must know about bostadsrätt, lagfart, Swedish mortgages, and box 3 tax.
Sweden offers no notary, open SMS bidding, lower mortgage rates, and a cooperative share model. Here are 8 differences from Czechia you must know first.
A strong NOK makes Sweden cheap, but bostadsrätt is not borettslag and lagfart is not dokumentavgift. 8 differences Norwegian buyers must know first.
No Notar, no Grundbuchauszug, no Schufa. 8 differences German buyers of Swedish cottages and apartments must know about BRF, lagfart, and mortgages.
Sweden has no notary, open SMS bidding, and you buy a share in a cooperative. Here are 8 differences from Spain that Spanish buyers must know first.
