A buy / negotiate / walk away decision — before you pay a deposit
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A traspaso audit is an independent check of a going business in Spain before you pay a deposit: real revenue and profit from the documents, debts, lease terms, licences and staff. The result is a “buy / negotiate / walk away” decision, a justified price range and a risk matrix. Four packages to match the size of the deal; an express report in 1–2 days.
A traspaso is the transfer of a going business together with the premises lease, equipment and usually the staff.
It is how bars, cafés, restaurants, salons and shops change hands in Spain.
You are buying a cash flow, not the walls — and that is exactly what a seller has most reason to embellish.
Employees transfer to the new owner with their rights and liabilities, and the lease may contain terms that only surface after the deal.
So what needs checking is the documents, not the seller’s or agent’s presentation.
Six risks that most often surface after the purchase
An existing business in Spain is bought in one of two ways.
A traspaso is the purchase of the business itself: the premises lease, equipment and customer base, usually together with the staff.
Buying shares (participaciones) in an SL means buying the whole company: all its contracts, debts, tax history and obligations pass to you.
A traspaso does not wipe the business’s past clean.
Employees transfer to the new owner with their rights, and for debts to them that arose before the transfer the old and new owners are jointly liable for three years (art. 44 of the Workers’ Statute).
So a review is needed either way — for a company with several sites, a brand and contracts, that means due diligence.
Steps of the purchase
Our office is in Villajoyosa, between Alicante and Benidorm.
Most traspaso listings on the coast are bars, cafés, restaurants and shops in tourist towns: Benidorm, Alicante, Altea, Calpe, Jávea, Torrevieja.
Coastal businesses are seasonal: the summer months can bring in most of the year’s revenue.
So we look at monthly figures for 2–3 years rather than the “best month” in the seller’s presentation, and work out what the business lives on in winter.
What to check closely on the coast
Who does the check
Founder and CEO of Finetic Consulting
Over 30 years of executive experience in corporate finance and operations at major corporations and banks with annual revenues exceeding $1 billion: financial management, strategic planning, risk management and corporate restructuring.
Asking prices from 2026 listings and payback guides from our sector articles. Each business type links to a full breakdown with a payback calculator and a list of what to check before buying.
| Business | Buy a going concern | Open from scratch | Payback | What decides |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Café or bar | avg €75,000 (half €43,000–120,000) | €80,000–150,000 | about 3 years | Activity licence transferred to the new owner at the town hall; an owner who works in the business |
| Self-service laundromat | about €60,000 | €70,000–80,000 turnkey | 3–4 years | Municipal licence with environmental control; suitable premises, no staff needed |
| Car repair garage | avg €59,000 (half €45,000–81,000) | €30,000–75,000 mechanical; €65,000–155,000 body shop | 3–5 years | Regional industrial register, municipal licence, hazardous waste; an owner-mechanic |
| Small hotel or hostal | about €97,000 per room; median 16 rooms for €1.85m | — | 15–20 years with the building (4–6% a year) | Regional tourism register; on the Balearics, tourist places are bought from existing properties |
| Campsite or glamping | median about €865,000 (€190,000–3.5m) | glamping €0.5–1.5m without land | 6–10 years | Land and a licence from the region and the municipality |
| Restaurant | avg €89,000 (half €50,000–130,000) | €150,000–250,000 with own kitchen | 3–4 years | Licence for a kitchen with extraction; staff; very sensitive to revenue |
| Beach bar (chiringuito) | the pitch is not sold: won in a municipal tender; with a concession — about €1.5m | fee from €18,000–58,000 a year + fit-out | about 2.5 seasons — if the permit is long enough | Length of the permit or concession: a seasonal permit is personal and does not transfer |
| Casa rural (business with accommodation) | about €950,000 for 10 rooms; €560,000 for 5–8 | — | decades at average occupancy (2–4% a year) | Occupancy (27% a year on average), legal buildings on rural land, tourism register |
| Winery and vineyard | €290,000–3.4m with land; a hectare €7,000–60,000 | — | 20+ years | Planting rights and DO, sales channel: bottle, brand and visitors, not bulk grapes |
| Supermarket or convenience store | avg €30,000 (half €19,000–60,000); supermarkets about €50,000 | about €150,000 for 150 m² | about 3 years with the owner at the till | The owner's own work: with a hired employee instead, 17–18 years; lease term left |
| Petrol station | avg €700,000 with land (half €265,000–1.25m) | — | about 7 years in our example | Margin per litre and volume: 3 cents less stretches payback to 10.5 years |
| Language school | avg €35,000 (half €12,000–75,000) | €20,000–60,000 | about 2.6 years | An owner who teaches and manages; no education permit needed |
| Gym or studio | avg €57,000 (half €37,500–117,500) | €80,000–250,000 for 200–600 m² | about 3.8 years | Member churn; leased machines do not belong to the seller |
| Construction or renovation company | rarely sold: small firms ask €90,000–290,000 | €60,000–120,000 with a crew | about 2 years with the owner working | REA registration, health and safety and insurance before the first job |
| Car wash | avg €30,000 (half €18,000–52,500) | hand wash €20,000–50,000; self-service bays from €65,000 | about 2.5 years (hand wash); bays about 4.5 years | Wastewater permit and water limits in a drought |
| Car rental | median €249,000, about €11,000 per car | about €500,000 for 30 new cars | about 6.6 years with fleet wear counted | Fleet wear and renewal; the Canaries require 20 cars, Ibiza has a quota |
| Food truck | avg €10,000 (half €6,000–16,000) | — | about 2.4 years on €25,000 invested | Where you may trade: festivals, markets, private events and land — not the street |
| Hair salon or barbershop | avg €22,000 (half €12,000–36,500) | €15,000–50,000 | about a year with the owner cutting hair; 2.1 years with a hired stylist | Stylists and their clients: when a stylist leaves, the clients follow |
Payback assumes average revenue and, for most small businesses (a café, shop, garage, salon or school), an owner who works in the business. In a real deal, revenue is checked against bank statements and VAT returns, not the seller’s figures.
Not included: checking of source documents or contracts
Discuss package A →Not included: contact with the seller and no staffing analysis
Discuss package B →Not included: financial model or strategic plan
Discuss package CNot included: legal representation: notarial steps and signing are for your lawyer
Discuss package D →Each package includes everything in the previous one. We quote the price after the introductory call and a look at the business.
| Business | Timing |
|---|---|
| Bar, café | 7–10 days |
| Restaurant | 14–21 days |
| Beauty salon | 5–10 days |
| Retail shop | 5–7 days |
Timing depends on the size of the business, its structure and the chosen package.
We came to Finetic Consulting for a business plan and financial model for our project IMSKIPPER.NET. We liked how quickly Vladislav prepares documents and how deeply he works them through. It is comfortable to work together: every question can be discussed at online meetings while the work is in progress.Georgy Im, owner of IMSKIPPER · Translated from Russian.
We'll answer your question; if your case needs a closer look — a 15–30 minute call: your target business, deal timing and the right package. Price and timing follow a look at the materials.
Book a free 15–30 minute call with Vladislav Panchenko — choose a slot that suits you.
A traspaso is the transfer of a going business in Spain together with the premises lease, equipment and usually the staff. The buyer pays for an existing cash flow, so the key is to check that this cash flow is real and that no hidden debts come with the business.
The price depends on the size and structure of the business and the chosen package — from an express screening based on a checklist to full deal support. We quote the exact price and timing after the introductory call and a look at the materials.
An express report under package A is ready in 1–2 days. Checking a bar or café usually takes 7–10 days; a restaurant, 14–21 days.
That is already a risk signal. An express screening can be done from the checklist, and a refusal to show accounts, bank statements or the lease is reflected in our findings: without documents a business cannot be assessed on facts.
Yes. The audit answers questions about money and risk: what the business really earns, what it is worth and what to build into the deal terms. The legal review of contracts and the signing are handled by an abogado or gestor; we work alongside them.
Yes. Documents and correspondence are handled online and findings are discussed by video call; for an express screening the checklist and basic files are enough.
For a bar, café or shop a traspaso is the usual choice: you buy the business and the lease, not the company’s whole history. Buying SL shares makes sense when the value lies in the company itself: contracts, licences, brand. But even in a traspaso the staff and some obligations to them transfer, so a review is needed either way.
Yes, our office is in Villajoyosa. We review businesses in Alicante, Benidorm, Altea, Calpe, Jávea, Torrevieja and other coastal towns, and documents and meetings can be handled online from any country.
Buying a business does not give a residence permit by itself. A non-EU citizen who wants to live in Spain and run the business personally needs a residence permit — usually a self-employment permit, for one year at first. The golden visa has been abolished, and the startup visa does not suit an ordinary business. Residence permits are handled by our partner Relotus; the sensible order is to confirm the permit first and only then pay a deposit.
Buying or opening a café or bar in Spain: costs, payback and licencesRead →
Buying a small hotel in Spain: prices, returns, licences and what to checkRead →
Campsite and glamping business in Spain: costs, licences and paybackRead →
How to value a business for sale: methods, normalised profit and a worked exampleRead →Buying a business to move to Spain? How the self-employment residence permit works is covered by our partner Relotus — Cuenta propia in Spain.
