IF THERE is one thing Brits are known for it is their love of Spanish property, with UK buyers generally accounting for at least 15 per cent of house purchases by non-Spaniards in the country in any given year.

While it was thought that Brexit might dampen their appetite, that does not so far appear to be the case, with reports suggesting that even the weakness of the pound against the euro has failed to put buyers off.

For Ignacio Chanza, who has set up an Aberdeen-based law firm - Spanish & Scottish Law Practice - that specialises in advising on cross-border property and inheritance issues, this is good news, with client numbers steadily increasing since the business opened its doors in March.

Read more: Travel - How to buy your own Place in the Sun

“I thought Brexit would impact [the property market] but it hasn’t, people are still buying property in Spain,” Mr Chanza said.

“I only have two clients that are awaiting the result of Brexit in March 2019. The rest of the people are very confident and are buying.”

Having worked at Aberdeen firm James and George Collie after qualifying as a Scots lawyer in 2013, Mr Chanza’s main focus at Spanish & Scottish is on helping Scots get to grips with the Spanish legal system and Spaniards get to grips with the Scottish one.

Much of this involves ensuring the requirements of the two legal systems marry up so clients avoid some of the pitfalls that some British people have encountered when buying property in Spain.

“In my opinion we had bad press because in the past some people bought properties in rural areas and sometimes they didn’t get the proper legal advice,” Mr Chanza explained.

Read more: Large number of British expats 'may return to UK over Brexit fears'

“When you buy in a rural area you have to make sure that the property meets all the legal requirements.

“It’s like here in Scotland if you buy a property like a bothy. We have bothies too but they sometimes end up becoming bigger and bigger, then they get a swimming pool.

“It’s happening in a few cases, but the problem is it’s illegal.”

To avoid issues like this arising for the firm’s Scottish clients, Mr Chanza’s firm provides a cultural awareness service run by language teacher Julie Fairley.

The point, Mr Chanza said, is to equip clients for life in Spain once their property purchase has completed.

“It’s not just about the language but to know properly the Spanish culture,” he said.

“I think it’s good if we can explain to the client how to deal with things like the bank, the health centre, the insurance company or the council.

“The person who is dealing with this - Julie - is Scottish, from Aberdeen. She was living in Pamplona for some years, speaks Spanish very well and knows the Spanish culture.

“It’s better for a Scottish person to deal with this because I [don't notice the nuances] of Spanish culture because it’s my culture.”

As well as helping Scots who are looking to buy property in Spain, Spanish & Scottish has a growing base of Spanish clients who are doing the same in this country, with demand for the firm’s services likely to see it add a Glasgow office to its existing bases in Aberdeen and Edinburgh in the near future.

Mr Chanza, who divides his time between Scotland and his hometown of Valencia, is also looking to expand the firm’s reach by establishing a Spanish desk for other Scottish law firms whose clients are looking to do make an acquisition in Spain.

“Sometimes legal firms are reluctant to refer a client to me because I am Scottish qualified as well,” he said.

“One way for them to keep the client is for me to set up a Spanish desk and we can provide the Spanish advice in their firm.”

Read more: Brexit war among the Benidorm Brits

In the meantime, while the Brexit negotiations could have the potential to derail the firm’s expansion plans, Mr Chanza remains confident that the ultimate outcome of the discussions will result in few changes being made on either side.

“I think the result of this process is that things will be very similar to how they are now,” he explained.

“As with any divorce both sides are fighting and both parties are demanding, but in my opinion the UK needs the EU and the EU needs the UK. They are fighting, but at the end of the process the situation, in my opinion, will remain as it is now.”