Home documentation can feel dense and distant. Many forms arrive with long, technical phrases that only lawyers or industry insiders fully grasp. It is a moment that matters deeply for any citizen and becomes especially significant when the topic is buying a home, a major life decision with lasting impact.
To address this, the Alicante Real Estate Developers Association, known as Provia, introduced an initiative focused on simplifying how contracts are written. The aim is to bridge the gap between real estate firms and the everyday buyer, making documents easier to read and understand. Research indicates that a large portion of home buyers struggle with administrative language, a challenge that is not limited to real estate alone but appears across insurance and finance as well.
In response, industry leaders advocate for clearer communication and greater transparency. The preference is for terms that are straightforward, precise, and responsible, ensuring residents understand what they are agreeing to without guesswork.
Provia emphasizes writing in shorter, simpler terms. The guidance also urges accuracy, effective communication, and clarity, while avoiding neologisms, Latin terms, or other professional jargon. The principle is simple: more words do not equal better understanding. Conciseness in contracts does not diminish guarantees; it enhances clarity.
The recommendations offered to partners draw on the Report of the Commission on the Modernization of Legal Language. Key points include keeping paragraphs concise, presenting a single idea per paragraph, and avoiding lengthy secondary or combined sentences. It is advised to steer away from subjective language, passive voice, and gerunds, all of which can create misinterpretation and hinder comprehension.
Home sales in Alicante continue to rise, achieving a record high since 2007
Provia’s effort to simplify language is designed to smooth the journey for people involved in buying or selling a home and to reduce questions at various stages of the process. For the association, the movement toward easy language and the right to be understood marks progress toward a real estate industry that is innovative, aligned with contemporary expectations, and better understood by clients and the market alike. This approach has been noted as part of a broader push to improve consumer experiences in housing markets across Spain and beyond, with insights drawn from practical industry surveys and expert reviews in the field.