House auctions in Spain: where to find them and how to take part

House auctions in Spain are published mainly in two official places: the BOE Auction Portal, where judicial, notarial, Tax Agency and other public-administration auctions are held, and the auction portal of the Spanish Social Security Treasury (TGSS). There is no single official list covering every sale by every public authority, so a thorough search involves several portals.

This guide summarizes where to look, what you need to bid and what to check first. If you want to start with listings, houses and detached homes at auction brings together records from the BOE and Social Security, each with its official notice link.

Percentages and deadlines here come from the laws and official pages linked at the end. They are a guide; use the terms in the notice for the auction you are considering.

Where are house auctions published in Spain?

There are six channels to know. The first two contain most public home auctions; the others are additional sources, each with its own website.

• BOE Auction Portal (subastas.boe.es): according to its official help, it hosts judicial and notarial auctions and, since 1 September 2018, tax auctions as well as other administrative auctions.
• Social Security, seized property: the TGSS publishes property seized for Social Security debts on its seized-property auction portal.
• Social Security, its own estate: in a separate section the TGSS sells property it owns, with sale terms for each property.
• State property: the Ministry of Finance maintains a search service for auctions and tenders covering State property sold by the regional offices of the Ministry of Finance.
• General Council of Spanish Procurators: its subastasprocuradores.com portal publishes auctions, direct sales, assignments of auction awards and productive business units. It presents itself as a tool for the public and the Administration of Justice.
• Private platforms: companies manage auctions and asset sales for insolvencies, businesses and individuals. They are not official portals, and each sets its own participation terms.

Subastas de Viviendas collects two of these channels: residential listings from the BOE Auction Portal and TGSS auctions for seized property. It is not an official portal and does not accept bids. It helps you find and compare notices; each listing links to its source. Check other channels on their own websites. Read BOE and Social Security: key differences for more on the two main sources.

How many houses are at auction right now?

On 30 September 2026, the Subastas de Viviendas catalogue recorded 1,024 current home auctions in Spain, 762 of them in a bidding period. That total included 253 houses and detached homes (175 bidding now), 729 apartments and studios, 31 duplexes and 11 penthouses. By source, 882 were published on the BOE Auction Portal and 142 on the Social Security portal.

Among the BOE records, judicial auctions were the largest group: 780 of the 882 current listings, compared with 63 from the Tax Agency, 30 from other public bodies and 9 notarial auctions. There were current auctions in 485 municipalities. These figures come from our residential catalogue and are not an official census. They change daily. Current figures are in houses and detached homes, judicial home auctions and the province directory.

What do you need to bid through the BOE Auction Portal?

To bid for a house through the BOE Auction Portal, you need to register, lodge the required deposit and submit a bid before the deadline. Looking at notices does not commit you to anything; requirements apply when you decide to take part.

• Registration: create an account using a qualified electronic certificate identifying you by DNI or NIE, or Cl@ve PIN or Cl@ve Permanente. The portal then allows access using the username and password set during registration.
• Deposit: lodge it electronically through the portal before bidding, using an account at a collaborating institution for which you are the holder or an authorized user.
• Bid: submit it through the portal while bidding is open. If you act for another person or company, you must prove that authority.
• After closing: if you are not the highest bidder, your deposit is returned after bidding ends unless you reserved your bid; in that case, it remains held until the auction is awarded.

Our step-by-step guide to buying a BOE-auction home explains each stage, from searching to what happens after bidding closes.

How much is the deposit for a house auction?

The deposit depends on the procedure. For judicial auctions of real estate, section 669.1 of the Civil Procedure Act (LEC) requires a deposit of 20% of the auction value, with a €1,000 minimum, for procedures started on or after 3 April 2025. Procedures started earlier, which can still reach auction, retain the 5% of asset value rule.

A court clerk may increase or reduce the percentage for a judicial auction, so two homes handled by the same court can require different deposits. The BOE listing shows the exact amount. The article on auction deposits and refunds explains when it is returned and what reserving a bid means.

How long does an auction last and how do you bid?

A judicial auction on the BOE portal stays open for twenty calendar days from its opening under section 649 of the LEC. Under the current wording, it cannot close on Saturday, Sunday or a national public holiday, during 24 December to 6 January, or in August.

Two rule sets coexist. For judicial proceedings started on or after 3 April 2025, bids are sealed and the twenty-day period cannot be extended. For other proceedings, portal guidance describes an extension: if a bid in the final hour becomes the highest, the close is delayed so that a full hour remains, up to a maximum extension of 24 hours. The notice tells you which rules apply to that auction.

TGSS seized-property auctions work differently: they take place at a public event with oral bids, and sealed offers may be made from the call until the working day immediately before the event.

What happens after you win a judicial auction?

Winning a bid does not mean you already own the home. Under the current version of section 670 of the LEC, when the highest bid reaches or exceeds 70% of the auction value, the award is approved for the highest bidder, who has twenty days from closing to pay the difference between the deposit and the price. Below 70%, approval is not automatic and the law provides for other steps.

If the highest bidder does not pay on time, the deposit is forfeited: section 653 of the LEC calls this a failed auction. Before bidding, work out where the remaining price will come from and when it will be available.

Next come the award decree, taxes, land registration and possession, which is separate from ownership. Our guide to charges and occupied homes explains how to keep those questions separate.

What to check before bidding for a house

A house notice may leave out details that matter. Check the documents, not assumptions:

• What is being auctioned: full ownership, a share, bare ownership or another right. The notice title is not enough.
• Charges: by taking part in a judicial auction, a bidder accepts subrogation in charges earlier than the claim being enforced (section 669.2 LEC). For TGSS seizures, prior and preferred charges also remain.
• Plot and structures: compare the cadastral reference with the land-register description. An extension, pool or annex not registered is not part of what the land register records.
• Occupancy: who lives in the house and under what title. An award does not hand over the keys by itself.
• Viewing: during bidding, an interested party may ask the court for permission to inspect the property; a visit depends on the possessor’s consent (section 669.3 LEC).
• Condition: without an interior visit, renovation cost is unknown and needs to be reflected in your budget.

Our guide to reading an auction listing shows where each item appears and what a missing value means.

What is the total cost of buying a house at auction?

Total cost includes the award price, taxes, registration costs, charges that remain, renovation and a reserve for contingencies. The minimum bid is none of these: it is the amount from which offers are accepted, not the final price.

As an illustration, on 30 September 2026 the average published minimum bid among catalogue houses and detached homes with an amount was €47,761, ranging from €1 to €871,517. The average includes finished auctions and is not a market price or forecast of the award amount.

Use the budget calculator to add taxes, renovation and a reserve. Our costs and taxes guide explains each item.

Seized, bank-owned and abandoned homes: what each search means

These are common searches, but they do not correspond to three separate portals.

• Seized homes: a court, the Tax Agency or Social Security seizes the property to collect a debt. It is auctioned through the BOE portal or, for TGSS seizures, its own portal.
• Bank-owned homes: property already owned by a financial institution is sold through estate-agency channels as an ordinary sale, not at a public auction. Mortgage enforcements can appear on the BOE and proceed as judicial or notarial auctions.
• Abandoned homes: no official portal classifies properties this way. A notice does not describe their condition or guarantee vacancy; check both. State property is listed through the State-property search service.

How to search for house auctions by province or municipality

The fastest way to narrow a search is to start with an area you know. The province directory leads to provinces and municipalities with auctions, while the auction map shows listings with a verified location. The search tool filters by property type, minimum bid, area and source.

Auctions change daily, and it may take weeks for a house in a particular municipality to appear. To avoid repeating the same search, you can set new-auction alerts for €3.50 per month, including VAT, which email notices matching your criteria. Alerts help you discover listings; they do not check charges or documents for you.

Frequently asked questions about house auctions

Can anyone bid at a house auction?

Generally, yes. You do not need to be a professional or hire an intermediary. On the BOE portal, register with an electronic certificate or Cl@ve and lodge the deposit required for that auction. At TGSS seized-property auctions, bidders identify themselves with a national identity document or, for a foreign national, a passport.

Can I visit the house before bidding?

It depends on who occupies it. For a judicial auction, you may ask the court for permission to inspect during the bidding period, but a visit requires the possessor’s consent. If no visit is possible, assume the interior condition is unknown.

What if I win and do not pay the balance?

In a judicial auction, the highest bidder who fails to pay on time loses the deposit and another auction is called, unless the deposits are enough to cover the debt and costs. Bid only if the money or financing is already arranged.

Is a house at auction always cheaper?

No. Valuation and auction value are case-file figures, not market prices. The final amount depends on bids, charges that remain and the property’s condition. Compare total cost, not just the minimum bid.

Is Subastas de Viviendas an official portal?

No. It is an independent private search service that brings together residential listings from the BOE Auction Portal and TGSS seized-property auctions. Bids are always submitted through the official channel for each auction.