Real case: they bought off-plan flats and got a petrol station next door (Guadalajara, Spain)

You buy a flat off-plan, pay the deposit and, months before getting the keys, work starts on a petrol station on the plot next door. That is what happened to the buyers of an 80-home building on Calle Francisco Aritio in Guadalajara, Spain. We analysed their plot with Hogarfax to answer the question many buyers ask: could you have known beforehand?

What happened on Francisco Aritio

According to the local press, the homes were licensed in March 2024 and the petrol station, a 24-hour low-cost Plenergy station, in October 2025. The town hall says state rules obliged it to grant the licence on commercial land; residents asked for it to be reviewed in July 2026. Those affected also claim the developer leased the land to the petrol station and started selling the flats without telling them.

What the Hogarfax report says about the plot

We analysed the building's plot (Calle Francisco Aritio, 2). As it is still under construction, the Cadastre records it as vacant land, as happens with any off-plan home until the finished building is registered. In the surroundings section, the report flags in amber “Vacant plots next door” and names the plot: Calle Francisco Aritio, 4, 1,212 m², exactly where the petrol station is being built.

The report cannot know what will be built on that plot: that is in the town's planning and licences. What it does is turn it into a specific question before signing: what use is allowed on the plot next door, and has any licence been granted or applied for? Here the answer would have been “commercial” and “yes, a petrol station”.

Why the petrol station did not appear in any list

The Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition publishes every operating petrol station in Spain daily, over 11,400, with location and opening hours. Hogarfax now cross-checks them with the exact location of each home. But a station under construction does not appear until it opens, and there is no national register of activity licences. That is why the vacant plot next door is the best early warning.

When the station already exists, the report names it and its opening hours

On the same street there is another operating Plenergy station, at number 78. For the neighbouring plot (number 76), the report flags in red “Petrol station practically next door” and adds: “Plenergy (Calle Francisco Aritio, 78), about 17 m away, open 24 hours”. That tells you what to check on the viewing: smells, noise, traffic in and out, and whether it opens at night.

What to check before buying off-plan in Spain

• Look at the surrounding plots in the Cadastre. If there are vacant plots touching the building, whatever is built there will change your surroundings.
• Ask the town hall about the permitted use of those plots (residential, commercial, services) and whether licences have been granted or are in progress.
• Ask the developer in writing what they know about the neighbouring plots, especially if they own, sold or leased them.
• Review the contract: what guarantees you have if the surroundings change before handover.
• Analyse the plot with Hogarfax: the report includes adjacent vacant plots and nearby petrol stations, plus flooding, noise, planning and 30+ official checks.