# Crazy Lawyer Fees



## degroover (9 mo ago)

Hello everyone, I'm hoping someone can help me with a problem my parents have had after selling their apartment in Spain.

Their lawyer has charged crazy fees. Before his fees were deducted they received about 60,500 after the realtors cut, so they expected to get about 55 to 57 thousand after a small amount of capital gains, some other small expenses, and the lawyer fee were deducted. The capital gains was only 1500.
The amount the lawyer has charged them is incredibly high though. Some of the charges approx:

Energy efficiency certificate: 1400
Habitation certificate: 1800
Sale contract for property: 1800
Preparation of documents: 2200
Rectification of deed error: 1800
Sale legal fees: 3000

Instead of getting around 55 thousand, they have received 43 thousand.
Keep in mind that this was a very simple sale and it happened very quickly. We can't believe what has happened. Almost 20% of the sale is going to the lawyer.
Does anyone have any experience with this sort of thing and can advise us what to do? Thanks, I would appreciate any advice at all.


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## Overandout (Nov 10, 2012)

You don't mention what agreement was made with the lawyers in the first place and on what basis they were expecting to pay around 3,000€.
If they are charging an hourly fee, how much is it?

If you have some grounds for the discrepancy, other than your personal expectations, with documentation to back it up, you can file a complaint with the applicable colegio de abogados who act as ombudsmen in such cases. These are regional institutions so you would need to look up the one to which the lawyer is affiliated. It should say so on any paperwork.


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## Roy C (Sep 29, 2012)

No matter how anybody tries to defend it, that sounds like a right rip off, exploitation.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Presumably you or your parents were informed prior to sale what the potential costs would be approximately? I have no idea how much costs are on selling as it has been so long since I sold my last property however buying cost are usually with 10 -15% of the actual sale price. I imagine that might possibly be the same for selling costs. One thing for sure is that whilst property is cheap in Spain the selling and buying costs are much higher than in places like UK. Unfortunately the various persons will no doubt have taken all their cuts before you get anything meaning it will be difficult to get anything revised unless it was a specific error. Persuing it will mean more costs and will take time as people will simply delay and delay. My advice is phone lawyer and politely ask them to check numbers for any potential errors. If they say that the various aspects of their work are normal I would just accept it and move on- it is not unusual for properties to lose money in Spain as the market is always very stagnant at the low end but costs are not proportional to profits. I would expect to lose at least 10 % of my intial investment if I sold now and that would be quite normal.


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## blondebob (Aug 16, 2019)

When I sold a property in 2020 my "energy certificado" was €120. So €1,400 seems extortionate.


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

degroover said:


> Hello everyone, I'm hoping someone can help me with a problem my parents have had after selling their apartment in Spain.
> 
> Their lawyer has charged crazy fees. Before his fees were deducted they received about 60,500 after the realtors cut, so they expected to get about 55 to 57 thousand after a small amount of capital gains, some other small expenses, and the lawyer fee were deducted. The capital gains was only 1500.
> The amount the lawyer has charged them is incredibly high though. Some of the charges approx:
> ...


I sold my property near Alcoy, Alicante, in September last year. My solicitor charged 1% of the sale price plus IVA. The architect charged €120 plus IVA for the energy certificate. Your solicitor is a crook!


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## Joppa (Sep 7, 2009)

Yes, does seem a complete rip-off. How did your parents find their lawyer? Hope it wasn't the one recommended by the estate agent, as it's a recipe for shoddy service and sky-high fees. They should have approached an independent lawyer with good local knowledge and reputation.


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## degroover (9 mo ago)

blondebob said:


> When I sold a property in 2020 my "energy certificado" was €120. So €1,400 seems extortionate.


 Yes from what I have read you can expect to pay from about 100 to 250 depending on the size of the property. This apartment was very small so it should have been on the lower side as well. Thanks for your reply.


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## degroover (9 mo ago)

The Skipper said:


> I sold my property near Alcoy, Alicante, in September last year. My solicitor charged 1% of the sale price plus IVA. The architect charged €120 plus IVA for the energy certificate. Your solicitor is a crook!


Hi, thanks for your reply. Could you give me the contact info of your solicitor so that I can ask for his opinion? The fees you got seem to be the normal expected amount from what I have researched. My parents were fairly close to Alicante too so your solicitor might have encountered this sort of scam before.


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## kaipa (Aug 3, 2013)

Looking at the figures, it looks like there is an extra 0 on most. Do you think it is an error?


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## The Skipper (Nov 26, 2014)

degroover said:


> Hi, thanks for your reply. Could you give me the contact info of your solicitor so that I can ask for his opinion? The fees you got seem to be the normal expected amount from what I have researched. My parents were fairly close to Alicante too so your solicitor might have encountered this sort of scam before.


Lucia Marin of Aitana Consultores Legales in Alcoy. She speaks fluent English. Aitana Consultores Legales – Equipo


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## MataMata (Nov 30, 2008)

Lawyers too often do charge rip off prices, friends of mine were quoted €399 +IVA by a local Abogado for the submission of a very uncomplicated Modelo 720 which would should have taken no more than 15 minutes to do.

A well respected Gestor did it for them for €70.


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## degroover (9 mo ago)

The Skipper said:


> Lucia Marin of Aitana Consultores Legales in Alcoy. She speaks fluent English. Aitana Consultores Legales – Equipo


Great thanks!


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