Since 2022, estate agencies established in the Valencian Community must be in an official public register, reshaped by a court ruling in 2024. How to use it, what it proves, what it does not, and five more checks for the same ten minutes.
The single easiest way to avoid a bad experience is also the quickest: check that the agency is officially registered before you send it a message. Since 2022 agencies established in the Valencian Community have had to register, the register is public and free, and the whole check takes about two minutes.
What the RAICV actually is
The Registro de Agentes de Intermediación Inmobiliaria de la Comunitat Valenciana is the region's official register of estate agents, created by Decree 98/2022 of the regional government. To be entered in it, an agency declares a business address and the cover it holds: professional liability insurance and a guarantee for money it receives from clients.
The rules changed in December 2024. Ruling 706/2024 of the regional High Court (TSJCV), on an appeal by the national competition authority, struck out the minimum amounts the decree set for that guarantee and insurance, and the extra obligations it placed on agencies established outside the region. The court did not touch the register itself: it is still compulsory for agencies based here.
So a missing entry is a reason to ask, not proof of wrongdoing. An agency with an office in the region should be in it. One established elsewhere, working here online or occasionally, may lawfully not be.
How to check, step by step
Three ways, in order of speed:
- On HolaBlanca: every listing shows the agency's registry number and links straight to the official Generalitat Valenciana register.
- On the official register: search by municipality and read the list of registered agents for that town.
- By asking: a registered agency will give you its RAICV number without hesitating. Hesitation is itself an answer.
What registration proves, and what it does not
A registration number is not a promise of a good experience. It does not tell you whether the agency answers emails, whether it knows the street you are buying in, or whether it will still be there in two years. What it does prove is that the agency is identifiable, insured and accountable: there is a company behind it, a professional obligation, and somewhere to complain.
Treat it as a filter, not a verdict. It removes the worst risk in about two minutes; the rest of your judgement is still yours to make.
Five more checks, in the same ten minutes
Once the registry number is confirmed, these five tell you most of what is left:
- The legal name and CIF: does the company on the website match the company on the register, and on the contract you will sign?
- The address: is there a real office you could walk into, or only a mobile number?
- How long it has existed: a company registered last month is not disqualified, but it is a different risk from one trading since 2008.
- The languages it genuinely works in, as opposed to the flags in the website footer. Ask for a reply in your language and see what arrives.
- Who holds your deposit: it should go to a client account or through your lawyer, never into a personal account.
What to do if an agency is not registered
You are not obliged to walk away, but you should not hand over money. Ask why. Some agencies are registered under a legal name you did not recognise, and appear under it in the register rather than under their trading name; that is common and easy to confirm. If no entry exists at all, keep your deposit and your documents with your own lawyer, or find another agency: there are hundreds of registered ones on this coast.
Where HolaBlanca gets this from
Every listing on this site is built from the official register, re-read automatically every day, and each fiche shows the date it was last checked. We do not take an agency's word for its own registration, and we publish the method so you can repeat the check yourself.
Questions people ask
What is the RAICV number?
It is the entry number of an estate agency in the Registro de Agentes de Intermediación Inmobiliaria de la Comunitat Valenciana, the region's official public register of estate agents. Every agency established in the region must have one, and it can be checked free of charge.
Is it illegal to use an unregistered estate agent in Valencia?
The obligation falls on the agency, not on you, and since the 2024 court ruling it does not apply to every agency: one established outside the region may lawfully work here without an entry. Either way, ask the agency which insurance and which guarantee cover the money you hand over, because that is the protection you would want if something went wrong.
Does a RAICV number mean the agency is good?
No. It means the agency is identifiable, insured and accountable. Quality, local knowledge and how well it communicates are separate questions, and no register measures them.
The agency's trading name is not in the register. Is that a red flag?
Not necessarily. Many agencies trade under a brand name while being registered under their company's legal name. Ask for the legal name and the CIF, then search again. If nothing matches either, that is a genuine problem.
How often is HolaBlanca's data checked?
The official register is re-read every day and the result is stored with a date and a fingerprint. Each listing shows when it was last confirmed.