Every stage of an auction on the BOE Auction Portal, in order: what happens, which deadlines run and what each term means.
The figures depend on the type of auction. Select yours:
Enforcement proceedings begun before the reform of Organic Law 1/2025. In our data they are the majority of open court auctions: their notice shows a 5 % deposit.
Enforcement begun from 3 April 2025, under the reformed Civil Procedure Act: secret bids, a 20 % deposit and shorter deadlines.
Auctions of the Tax Agency and other administrations collecting debts by administrative enforcement. They follow the tax-collection rules and the terms of each notice, not the Civil Procedure Act.
This is where the decision is made. Almost all the risk of an auction is managed before you pay the deposit.
Narrow the open auctions down to those that fit your criteria and review each sheet.
Status. "Open" accepts bids today. "Opening soon" does not yet: you can study it in advance.
What the Portal publishes is what counts. The BidTerra sheet summarises it but does not replace it.
Three checks that determine the real price of the transaction.
Encumbrances ranking ahead of the debt being enforced survive: whoever is awarded the property takes them on. Later ones are cancelled after the award.
The notice must state, in as much detail as possible, whether the property is occupied or vacant. If occupied, see step 11.
During bidding you may ask the court to authorise an inspection; the court asks the occupant, whose consent is required.
Some notices say whether the property can be viewed. If it does not say, do not assume it can.
Other costs. There may be debts attached to the property, such as community fees or property tax (IBI). Consult a professional before bidding.
Registration, deposit and bid. Everything is done electronically on the Auction Portal.
The Portal requires complete identification of the bidder. Do not leave it to the last day.
It is the guarantee that lets you bid. It is held until the auction ends.
Always check the notice. The deposit shown on the sheet is the one in the official notice and prevails over any figure in this guide.
The auction stays open for twenty calendar days from its opening.
From the close of the auction to approval of the award and payment of the price.
The Portal certifies the best bid and reports it to whoever runs the auction.
Approval depends on how much the best bid represents of the auction value.
The administration approves the award according to the terms of the notice and notifies the winner.
You have forty days from the close to deposit the difference between what you paid and the full price.You have twenty days from the close to deposit the difference between what you paid and the full price.You have fifteen days from notification of the award to pay the rest of the price.
Use the budget calculator (in Spanish) to estimate the total outlay.
Payment is not the end: you still need the title, possession and the registry.
Once the price is paid, the award decree is issued and you receive the document you will present at the Registry.
Once the price is paid, the administration formalises the award in your favour.
Being awarded the property does not mean receiving the keys: handover depends on the property being vacant.
Taking possession and the position of occupants depend on the terms of the notice and the applicable rules.
If you ask, the court puts you in possession.
If the court has already declared that the occupants have no right to stay, eviction is ordered with a fixed day and time.
If not, you may ask for the eviction of occupants in mere fact or without sufficient title within one year of acquiring the property. They are summoned to a hearing within ten days and the court decides by order.
After that year, eviction can only be sought in ordinary proceedings.
Once registered, the acquisition is reflected in the Land Registry.
BidTerra also shows properties that are not sold through this route. Each has its own procedure.
The conditions are in each property's call. The sheet shows no deposit or closing date when the source does not publish them.
Ascending sealed-bid auction. If it is void, successive auctions are held with a lower starting price. The conditions are in the tender document.
They also appear on the Auction Portal. They have their own rules, stated in each notice.
The expressions you will see in the notice and on the sheet. Spanish terms are in brackets.
The starting amount of the auction. For real estate it is the valuation minus the encumbrances ranking ahead of the debt being enforced.
The property's value according to the valuation report attached to the notice. It may be higher than the auction value.
The amount for which enforcement was ordered: principal, interest and an estimate of costs. It is not the price of the property.
The guarantee paid in order to bid. It is returned if you are not the winner and deducted from the price if you are.
A bid is an electronic offer. The best bidder is the one offering most at the close. In a tie, the earlier bid prevails.
The interval the notice sets between one bid and the next.
The option to keep your deposit after the close so you can be awarded the property if the best bidder does not pay.
The sale of the property to the best bidder. "Approving the award" means validating that sale.
The court clerk's decision approving the sale to the best bidder and opening the period to pay the rest.
The decision after payment that awards the property to the buyer.
A copy of the award decree, issued by the court clerk, which serves as title for registration in the Land Registry.
A Land Registry document stating who owns the property and what charges burden it.
Prior: charges registered before the debt being enforced, which continue after the auction. Later: those registered afterwards, which are cancelled.
The documents proving the debtor's ownership. The bidder accepts what exists, or that none exists.
Whether the property is vacant or occupied, and by whom.
Creditor: who claims the debt. Debtor: the owner of the property being auctioned.
The court official who runs the auction and issues the decrees. Formerly called the court secretary.
The court's account into which the rest of the price is paid.
When the best bidder does not pay on time: they lose the deposit and a new auction is called, or the property goes to the next bidder with a reserve bid.
The possibility for the creditor or later creditors to assign to a third party the award they obtain.
Court-ordered removal of the occupants, on a day and time fixed by the court.
One that ends without any bid.
A set of assets sold together. One auction may have several lots.
This guide is based on the consolidated text of the Civil Procedure Act 1/2000 (articles 641 to 675, as worded before and after the reform of Organic Law 1/2025), the AEBOE resolution on deposits in the Auction Portal and the Tax Agency's information for bidders. It is up to date as of October 2026. It is a translation of the Spanish guide, and the Spanish version prevails.
The 2025 reform applies to enforcement proceedings begun from 3 April 2025; the exact start date of a given procedure may be open to debate. The notice of each auction and the law in force always prevail over this guide, which is for information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice.
Every stage of a judicial property sale in Italy, in order: what happens, which deadlines run and what each term means.
This is where it is decided. Almost all the risk of a judicial sale is managed before the deposit is paid.
Narrow the open sales to those that fit your criteria and read the sheet of each one.
Status. BidTerra only shows sales in which, according to the Portal’s data, offers can still be made. Concluded sales move to the History section.
What the Portal publishes is what counts. The BidTerra sheet summarises it but does not replace it.
Three checks that shape the real cost of the deal.
It describes the condition, planning and cadastral compliance, and value. Read it in full, ideally with a technician you trust.
The notice states whether the property is vacant or occupied, by the debtor or by third parties. See step 11.
The court-appointed custodian allows viewings under the rules set by the judge (art. 560); they are requested through the Portal.
Other costs. There may be unpaid condominium fees and formalities that remain with the buyer. Consult a professional before offering.
Offer, deposit and deadlines. As a rule everything is done electronically through the Portal.
Anyone may offer except the debtor, in person or through a lawyer (art. 571).
It guarantees the seriousness of the offer. Without a deposit, the offer is ineffective.
Always check the notice. The deposit and base price stated in the official notice prevail over any figure in this guide.
The judge sets the deadline for filing offers, between 90 and 120 days (art. 569).
From the opening of the offers to the award and payment of the price.
The judge (or the delegated professional) examines the offers and hears the parties.
The decision depends on how close the offer is to the base price in the order.
The judge sets the manner and deadline of payment by decree (art. 574); the deadline may not exceed 120 days from the award (art. 569).
Payment does not end the process: the title, possession and registration are still to come.
Once the price is paid, the judge issues the decree that transfers ownership to you.
Being the successful bidder does not mean receiving the keys: it depends on who occupies the property.
Vacating can already be ordered with the sale order (art. 560).
The order to vacate is issued together with the transfer decree.
It is carried out by the custodian, at no cost to the buyer unless the buyer exempts them. Movable goods left behind must be removed within a period of at least 30 days; afterwards they are considered abandoned.
With registration, the acquisition is recorded in the property registers.
BidTerra shows the judicial sales published on the Portal. Not all of them follow the same pattern.
If no offers arrive, the judge may order a new sale with a base price reduced by up to a quarter; after the fourth attempt, by up to half. The deadline for offers is 60 to 90 days (art. 591). That is why the same property appears at different prices over time.
Sales in insolvency proceedings (for example judicial liquidation, formerly bankruptcy) follow their own rules, stated in the notice.
Some notices provide for an auction sale (incanto) or for offers to be filed in non-electronic form. The method is stated on the official Portal sheet.
The expressions you will see in the notice and on the sheet.
Starting amount set by the judge in the sale order.
Amount below which the offer is ineffective: as a rule 75% of the base price.
Smallest increase with which one can raise in the bidding round among bidders.
Sum paid with the offer, as a rule at least 10% of the price offered.
The judge’s order setting the terms of the sale.
The court expert’s report on the condition, compliance and value of the property.
Proceedings in which a creditor has the debtor’s property sold.
The act by which the property is bound to the satisfaction of the creditor.
Person appointed by the judge who manages the property, organises viewings and carries out the vacating.
Professional (often a lawyer) to whom the judge delegates the sale operations.
Sale by sealed offers, without an ascending auction in a room.
An offer that is late, has no deposit or is more than a quarter below the base price: it is not considered.
The person who wins the sale and must pay the price.
Order by which the asset passes to the creditor who requested it, instead of being sold.
Loss of the status of successful bidder, together with the deposit, for failing to pay on time.
Order that transfers ownership to the successful bidder after payment.
A set of assets sold together. One proceeding may have several lots.
This guide is based on the text of the Italian Code of Civil Procedure (Book III, Title II, Chapter IV) consulted on Brocardi.it, a secondary source updated to 20 February 2026; the official text prevails. Its content is current as of October 2026.
The rules may vary depending on when the proceedings began, and the notice of each sale always prevails. The guide is for information only and is not legal, tax or financial advice.