Thank you so much Felix. I am an English lawyer, so naturally I am very cautious - and I am keen to understand how the system works in Spain.

I would be grateful if you could tell me something about the water laws in Spain. How can I know if there is water available at a plot of land? The plot we are/were interested in has a certificate dated 29 November 2006 from the Secretario de la SAT SANTA GENOVEVA 7805 for la utilizacion de los derechos de riego en una superficie de 3.333 sq m.

I am rather angry with the estate agent, who insisted there was "permission to build" AND that "water is available" at this plot. We were not prepared to accept that without checking - but no doubt plenty of others would, and might have wasted their money!