buying an apartment in spain
Discussion
I live around 10-15 mins inland from Marbella/Banus. Lived here for 4 years and owned the property for 9 or 10 years.
This ‘winter’…
6 week of rain from the beginning of November through to mid December… wasn’t cold, but it was a bit miserable. Day time temps around 14-16*.
Mid December to mid Jan was nice. Sunny, and warm during the day… could eat lunch outside in a t shirt in direct sunlight (20*), but a lot cooler at night (around 10-12*).
Mid Jan to early March was cold. Lows down to 4*, (which is bloody cold here when you have marble floors and only ducted air heating)… it snowed on the mountains a few km inland, and a mate who lives nr me but in a valley had sub zero. Day time highs often struggled to get in to double figures. Nice when the sun came out, but a quick beer/coffee outside a bar with a hoodie on probably as much as you’d want.
Mid March the weather suddenly changed and it’s been sunny and warm pretty much everyday since.. mid 20s most days. Don’t remember the last time it rained. I’ve mostly been working outside for the past month and have my full summer tan already
Last year it was a lovely autumn all the he way through to Jan. Then cold for 6 weeks or so, followed by 6 weeks of constant rain. Then mid April weather just flipped to full summer.
Nearest town (5mins) is San Pedro de Alcantara, which is a Spanish residential town and everything is open year round… other than our favourite ice cream shop!
This ‘winter’…
6 week of rain from the beginning of November through to mid December… wasn’t cold, but it was a bit miserable. Day time temps around 14-16*.
Mid December to mid Jan was nice. Sunny, and warm during the day… could eat lunch outside in a t shirt in direct sunlight (20*), but a lot cooler at night (around 10-12*).
Mid Jan to early March was cold. Lows down to 4*, (which is bloody cold here when you have marble floors and only ducted air heating)… it snowed on the mountains a few km inland, and a mate who lives nr me but in a valley had sub zero. Day time highs often struggled to get in to double figures. Nice when the sun came out, but a quick beer/coffee outside a bar with a hoodie on probably as much as you’d want.
Mid March the weather suddenly changed and it’s been sunny and warm pretty much everyday since.. mid 20s most days. Don’t remember the last time it rained. I’ve mostly been working outside for the past month and have my full summer tan already
Last year it was a lovely autumn all the he way through to Jan. Then cold for 6 weeks or so, followed by 6 weeks of constant rain. Then mid April weather just flipped to full summer.
Nearest town (5mins) is San Pedro de Alcantara, which is a Spanish residential town and everything is open year round… other than our favourite ice cream shop!
Love the Canaries for the climate but wouldn’t want to live on an island of that size. Even the largest is a few hours one side to the other. Same with Mallorca.
I’m currently at my place in Spain and have a friend staying who grew up in Tenerife. She says the same.
I can road trip around a much bigger country and indeed around Europe.
But purely climate, I see some benefit in the Canaries. I love seasonal weather in mainland Spain, however, despite some colder but generally dry months in winter.
I’m currently at my place in Spain and have a friend staying who grew up in Tenerife. She says the same.
I can road trip around a much bigger country and indeed around Europe.
But purely climate, I see some benefit in the Canaries. I love seasonal weather in mainland Spain, however, despite some colder but generally dry months in winter.
Thanks all for taking the time to respond. My plan is to only live here jan to April so I think it sounds like I’d be better off here than mainland Spain if I really want guaranteed warm weather. I love the uk in spring and summer but find it hard to live there in winter - In swansea it just seems to rain relentlessly ! I think I could do a few months a year here then rent out the flat for the rest of the year. Prices here are high and there is nothing on the market for me ! Zero ! All frontline apartments get snapped up by wealthy Scandinavians . I’ve had to get an agent to look on my behalf and put the feelers out for anything coming up. I don’t think it will happen very quickly - could be a slow burner .
Mainland winters (Nov to March) in southern Spain appear to vary greatly and randomly from experience. As Chris mentioned, this Feb was cold and wet where we are but Feb 22 was lovely and warm. Then March this was much warmer than the previous year. But as Shnozz said, it’s better than the UK. I’m not sure I’d want the amount of wind that an island experiences.
We’re at our place in Spain presently too and the weather is perfect for getting outside and doing stuff. My son is in north Gran Canaria now and it’s a couple of degrees warmer but expecting more cloud than we have. He’s been there for a week and having hired a car for a few days, has driven round most of the island already. We often use our Spanish home as a base for visiting other parts of Spain.
Horses for courses really.
We’re at our place in Spain presently too and the weather is perfect for getting outside and doing stuff. My son is in north Gran Canaria now and it’s a couple of degrees warmer but expecting more cloud than we have. He’s been there for a week and having hired a car for a few days, has driven round most of the island already. We often use our Spanish home as a base for visiting other parts of Spain.
Horses for courses really.
My wife has been speaking to her Spanish friends and discussing the recent changes to the squatting laws in Spain which favour the squatters even more. It appears holiday homes are being targeted by organised gangs who know exactly what to say to the police. I know there are companies who can deal with this but it’s seems the changes in the law make this more difficult/risky/expensive for the owners to deal with. For example, owners are expected to pay tax on rent they are not receiving. As usual in Spain law it’s complicated!
It’s not an issue I am concerned about because we have a lot of security on site with camera’s, gates and dogs etc. and some very rich/famous/well connected owners. I hope the squatters would probably find easier picking elsewhere.
This is in Spanish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10RRhlWcYH0&fe...
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Wot3crO1VCw
It’s not an issue I am concerned about because we have a lot of security on site with camera’s, gates and dogs etc. and some very rich/famous/well connected owners. I hope the squatters would probably find easier picking elsewhere.
This is in Spanish:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10RRhlWcYH0&fe...
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/Wot3crO1VCw
Squatters not such a problem in Gran Canaria I feel but that is also one reason I fancy a flat rather than a small villa . I think logically I ought to rent a place in mainland Spain for a month winter to see how I like it - even if not hot and sunny - it can’t be a miserable as the uk . .
Edited by swanseaboydan on Friday 5th May 10:05
Phil. I’m sure you know of this company but I keep their details to hand just in case.
https://www.desokupa2.com/
https://www.desokupa2.com/
Shnozz said:
Phil. I’m sure you know of this company but I keep their details to hand just in case.
https://www.desokupa2.com/
Thanks Shnozz. Hopefully I won’t be needing them. I think as a community we spend £1m a year on security and have a 24/7 Securitas team who work closely with the local police. The community publishes annual data and most years burglaries across 2k villas are 0 or may be 1. Over the years we’ve had the odd expensive watched nicked off peoples wrists in the supermarket car park but they’re generally one-offs and people have been restrained until the police arrive. The security is one of the reasons I decided to buy on a community rather than individually. https://www.desokupa2.com/
I do think squatting would be a serious consideration/risk though if I was thinking of buying a place now on its own somewhere to use as a holiday home. It appears the socialist Spanish government are trying to solve their housing problem by enabling squatters to use empty properties.
I think the problem is much smaller than people think.
We have >2,000 apartments and >200 villas on our urbanisation. I’ve never heard of 1 incident in the 9.5 years I’ve owned here.
I’ve been doing some property management and maintenance last 12 months and haven’t heard of 1 incident from owners or other trade people… not even a ‘I know someone who knows someone who had squatters’ etc.
Neither have I seen anything on the various FB groups I’m a member of, or on the expat forum.
It’s obviously a risk, but it’s an incredibly tiny one IMO… a much bigger risk is renting your place and the renters the just stop paying… very difficult to evict them.
We have >2,000 apartments and >200 villas on our urbanisation. I’ve never heard of 1 incident in the 9.5 years I’ve owned here.
I’ve been doing some property management and maintenance last 12 months and haven’t heard of 1 incident from owners or other trade people… not even a ‘I know someone who knows someone who had squatters’ etc.
Neither have I seen anything on the various FB groups I’m a member of, or on the expat forum.
It’s obviously a risk, but it’s an incredibly tiny one IMO… a much bigger risk is renting your place and the renters the just stop paying… very difficult to evict them.
Something completely different.
Blood moon eclipse and meteor shower visible from Spain - around 9pm tonight.
https://murciatoday.com/blood_moon_eclipse_and_met...
Blood moon eclipse and meteor shower visible from Spain - around 9pm tonight.
https://murciatoday.com/blood_moon_eclipse_and_met...
still have half an eye on this (i noticed I last posted in this thread in september last year!)
I'm looking at buying in Ibiza for a pretty big chunk. 50 or 60% deposit I'm thinking.
Just wondering:
how often houses are wrapped in companies to avoid the transfer tax (does it work?)
Would I then have to pay wealth tax even as a non resident?
If I was renting out a house, without a tourist license, how would I actually pay tax? It would be a bit weird to declare it as rental income! -would you just have the money remitted to the uk, and pay in the uk?
I'm looking at buying in Ibiza for a pretty big chunk. 50 or 60% deposit I'm thinking.
Just wondering:
how often houses are wrapped in companies to avoid the transfer tax (does it work?)
Would I then have to pay wealth tax even as a non resident?
If I was renting out a house, without a tourist license, how would I actually pay tax? It would be a bit weird to declare it as rental income! -would you just have the money remitted to the uk, and pay in the uk?
Can’t answer the 1st question, but yes, non residents have to pay wealth tax… it’s based on the value of your Spanish asset (your property).
Pretty sure you need a tourist license to rent… and to get rental insurance… others may be able to confirm.
You can of course try to do everything back channel… I’m sure many do!!
Pretty sure you need a tourist license to rent… and to get rental insurance… others may be able to confirm.
You can of course try to do everything back channel… I’m sure many do!!
HotJambalaya said:
still have half an eye on this (i noticed I last posted in this thread in september last year!)
I'm looking at buying in Ibiza for a pretty big chunk. 50 or 60% deposit I'm thinking.
Just wondering:
how often houses are wrapped in companies to avoid the transfer tax (does it work?)
Would I then have to pay wealth tax even as a non resident?
If I was renting out a house, without a tourist license, how would I actually pay tax? It would be a bit weird to declare it as rental income! -would you just have the money remitted to the uk, and pay in the uk?
Can only comment on what happened in Mallorca when the licence system was bought in. The local govt thought all their christmases had come at once. They enforced the licence and fined those that didn't. Not worth trying to avoid in my opinion. HMRC and Spanish authorities share data, if you are avoiding the licence and paying UK tax on that income the Spanish will eventually realise. Alternative is not to declare in either country, not something I'd be comfortable with.I'm looking at buying in Ibiza for a pretty big chunk. 50 or 60% deposit I'm thinking.
Just wondering:
how often houses are wrapped in companies to avoid the transfer tax (does it work?)
Would I then have to pay wealth tax even as a non resident?
If I was renting out a house, without a tourist license, how would I actually pay tax? It would be a bit weird to declare it as rental income! -would you just have the money remitted to the uk, and pay in the uk?
You pay a wealth tax on your spanish assets, whether you are resident or not.
Assume you've visited out of season? I had a place on Mallorca for 12 years, I wouldn't do it again. The Islands are expensive to get anything done and the season is too short, weather in the shoulder season isn't good enough for me!
I’m weighing up Jan to March in the canaries May be a lot easier and maybe less costly to just rent something nice - it’s peak season so won’t be cheap but may be less hassle - there’s still a part of me that thinks this way I could do 3 months in the canaries one year - then maybe try another warm country the next year etc etc until I know 100% where I’d like to settle
Could try home exchanges.
Some friends of mine here have a 3 bed apartment… pretty much the same as mine. They manage to have 2 big trips every year without paying for accommodation… well, most of it.
They just had 3 months in South America… Bogota and Categena in Columbia and more time in Peru. They paid for trips to the Amazon and Galapagos, but otherwise all their accommodation was free.
They are off to Canada for a couple of months July and August… their place is worth massive points in the summer, and this covers their trips.
Some friends of mine here have a 3 bed apartment… pretty much the same as mine. They manage to have 2 big trips every year without paying for accommodation… well, most of it.
They just had 3 months in South America… Bogota and Categena in Columbia and more time in Peru. They paid for trips to the Amazon and Galapagos, but otherwise all their accommodation was free.
They are off to Canada for a couple of months July and August… their place is worth massive points in the summer, and this covers their trips.
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