In recent years, Spanish courts have ruled in favor of thousands of mortgage holders who were charged unfair expenses by banks during the signing of their home loans. Among the financial institutions affected by these rulings is Ibercaja, one of Spain’s leading banks. Customers who signed mortgage agreements with Reclamar gastos de hipoteca Ibercaja before mid-2019 may be eligible to claim back a range of expenses they were wrongly required to pay.
These mortgage-related expenses typically include notary fees, land registry costs, administrative agency fees, and property valuation charges. For a long time, it was standard practice for banks to transfer the burden of these costs entirely to the client, regardless of the legal framework or fairness. Spanish judicial authorities, including the Supreme Court and European Court of Justice, have since found that such blanket impositions were abusive when not properly explained or agreed upon by both parties.
For those who took out a mortgage with Ibercaja prior to the implementation of Spain’s mortgage law in June 2019, there is a clear path to recovering these funds. The first step in the process is collecting the necessary documents. These include the mortgage deed (escritura de hipoteca), receipts or invoices for notary services, registry fees, valuation costs, and gestoría or administrative charges. With these in hand, a formal written claim can be submitted to Ibercaja, requesting the reimbursement of improperly charged expenses.
Once the bank receives your claim, it typically has up to two months to provide a response. In some instances, Ibercaja may offer a partial refund or reject the claim altogether. If the claim is rejected or if the response is unsatisfactory, affected customers are entitled to pursue legal action. Taking the case to court is a common next step, and many law firms across Spain specialize in these types of consumer claims. Legal services are often offered on a no-win, no-fee basis, which provides reassurance to those concerned about upfront legal costs.
Most successful claims result in refunds ranging from 1,000 to 3,000 euros, depending on the mortgage and the specific costs paid. In many rulings, courts have also ordered Ibercaja and other banks to pay statutory interest on top of the reimbursed expenses. The legal precedent is now well-established, and courts tend to side with consumers, provided the necessary documentation is available and the claim is submitted in good faith.
While the question of time limits has been the subject of legal debate, recent interpretations suggest that claims are still viable and that the countdown for limitation periods may not have started until key court rulings were made public. This gives current and former mortgage holders a valuable window of opportunity to assert their rights and recover what they are legally owed.
Reclaiming mortgage expenses from Ibercaja is not just a financial step—it is also a way of holding institutions accountable and promoting fairness in banking practices. Many customers who thought the process would be complicated or intimidating have found that, with the right support, it is both manageable and worthwhile.