Buying a property on the Costa del Sol: wildfires, floods and planning history
From Málaga to Manilva, the Costa del Sol mixes city flats, golf apartments and hillside villas next to the Sierra Bermeja and the Sierra de Mijas. The paperwork matters as much as the view: this coast has a long planning history and more wildfires than most buyers expect.
Check a specific property →Costa del Sol by town: official data
Town-level figures from official sources. They describe the area, not your house: a villa on high ground in a town with floods can be safe, and the opposite. The Hogarfax report checks the exact plot.
| Town | Population | Urban plots in 100-year flood zone | Forest fires 2006–2015 | Seismic acceleration (ab) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Málaga | 599,063 | 4.9% | 21 (+56 small) | 0.11 g |
| Torremolinos | 71,329 | 1.8% | 2 (+1 small) | 0.08 g |
| Benalmádena | 78,338 | 0.0% | 1 (+5 small) | 0.08 g |
| Fuengirola | 85,211 | 13.7% | none recorded | 0.07 g |
| Mijas | 95,104 | 2.8% | 13 (+22 small) | 0.07 g |
| Marbella | 159,786 | 1.7% | 7 (+16 small) | 0.07 g |
| Estepona | 79,621 | 1.9% | 13 (+12 small) | 0.07 g |
| Manilva | 18,165 | 0.3% | 6 (+2 small) | 0.06 g |
| Nerja | 22,132 | 0.2% | 4 (+10 small) | 0.17 g |
Sources: population, INE municipal register (2025); flood, share of urban cadastral plots inside the 100-year river flood zone (SNCZI, MITECO; it does not cover rain or sea flooding, nor the Canary Islands); fires, municipal forest fire statistics (EGIF, MITECO, CC-BY 4.0); seismic, basic acceleration of the Spanish seismic building code NCSE-02.
Wildfire is the biggest natural risk here
Between 2006 and 2015 the official fire statistics (EGIF, MITECO) recorded 13 forest fires in Estepona and 21 in Málaga. In September 2021 the Sierra Bermeja fire burned for weeks above Estepona. If the villa borders scrub or pine forest, ask about firebreaks and access roads, and follow fires on our live fire map.
Flood zones by the rivers and arroyos
Short Mediterranean rivers and arroyos flood fast. In Fuengirola about one in seven urban plots is inside the official 100-year river flood zone (SNCZI); in Málaga the figure is around one in twenty. Check the plot, not the town.
AFO houses on rustic land
Andalusia has thousands of houses built without a licence on rustic land. When the deadline to act against them has passed, they can be declared asimilado a fuera de ordenación (AFO) under the Andalusian planning law (Ley 7/2021, LISTA): they can be registered and connected, but with limits on works. Ask whether the house has an AFO decree, or why it doesn't need one.
Marbella's planning history
Marbella's 2010 general plan was annulled by the Supreme Court in 2015, so the town has had to fall back on its 1986 plan while a new one is drafted. For a specific property, ask the town hall for an urban planning certificate (certificado urbanístico) and check that the house matches its licence.
41 things to check before buying a home in Spain
Many buyers think they can check it all themselves. In practice the data is spread across the Cadastre, the Land Registry, the Ministry for the Ecological Transition, the Nuclear Safety Council, the National Geographic Institute, regional planning and town halls, each with its own maps and its own language. Missing just one can cost far more than the house's renovation.
Legal status and land
- Cadastral use (is it legally a home?)
- Planning classification of the land
- Urban, developable or rustic land
- Livestock trails (vías pecuarias)
- River public domain (DPH)
- Coastal public domain and easements (Costas)
- Minimum habitable floor area
- Building inspection status (ITE/IEE)
- Land Registry: owner, mortgages, seizures, easements (Land Registry Study)
Natural hazards
- River flooding (100-year flood zone)
- Sea and coastal flooding
- Wildfire: forest next to the house
- Wildfire history of the area
- Areas burned in recent fires
- Active fires detected by satellite
- Earthquake hazard
- Radon gas
- Dams upstream
Installations and surroundings
- High-voltage power lines
- Electrical substations and energy plants
- Wind farms
- Solar farms
- Nuclear power plants
- Thermal power plants
- Macro-farms (intensive livestock)
- Factories and industrial land
- Landfills and incinerators
- Petrol stations next to the home
- Vacant plots next door (what will be built?)
- Noisy roads and motorways
- Railways
- Airports
The house and the price
- Real square metres vs the listing
- Age of the building and its parts
- Estimated renovation cost
- Asking price vs real sales nearby
- Indicative price range
- Estimated rent
- Real buying costs (taxes, notary, registry)
- Annual costs (IBI, community, waste)
- Facade photo and official record
The one you forget is the one that matters: a power line behind the garden, a macro-farm just down the road, a vacant plot next door where a block will go up, a ravine that floods once every few years, or a "villa" that the Cadastre doesn't record as a home. Hogarfax checks all of them for the exact property, with the official source of each one.
Before you pay a deposit in Costa del Sol
- Check the exact plot, not the town: flood zone, distance to forest, planning classification and what is planned around it.
- Check it is legally a home: the cadastral use, the Land Registry description (nota simple) and the occupancy licence.
- Compare the real square metres with the listing and the price with real sales nearby.
- Make the deposit conditional on anything that doesn't add up, and have a lawyer review the contract.
Check the house you like in Costa del Sol
The Hogarfax report checks the specific property against 30+ official sources — legal use, flood zone, wildfire, planning, real size and price — in English, reviewed by a person and emailed within 24 hours. €24.90 VAT included. Add the Land Registry Study (€89) and we request and explain the nota simple for you.
Find the property →Free: check the flood zone of an address on the flood zone page or the wildfire history on the wildfire map.
Frequently asked questions
Is Estepona at risk of wildfires?
Yes, compared with most of Spain. Official EGIF/MITECO statistics recorded 13 forest fires and 12 smaller fires in Estepona between 2006 and 2015, and the 2021 Sierra Bermeja fire burned above the town. Villas bordering forest are the most exposed.
What is an AFO house in Andalusia?
A house built without a licence on rustic land that can no longer be demolished because the legal deadline has passed. With an AFO decree it can be registered and get utilities, but works are limited and some banks will not lend on it.
Is Málaga at risk of earthquakes?
Moderately: the seismic building code (NCSE-02) gives Málaga a basic acceleration of 0.11 g, higher than most of the Spanish coast. Modern buildings must be designed for it.
Other areas
Are you a lawyer, agent or adviser working with buyers here? See our partner programme. Written by Diana Popescu, Hogarfax. This guide is general information, not legal advice.