The Complete Guide To Buying Property In Spain: Buying, Renting, Letting, Selling

by Davey, Charles

• ISBN13: 9780749440565
• ISBN10: 0749440562
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2004-07-01
• Publisher: Kogan Page Ltd

Summary

Spain is the perfect location for a home in the sun, but buying a property is not all about sunshine and sangria. "The Complete Guide to Buying Property in Spain" is the most comprehensive and up-to-date source of information available. It deals with the details of buying or renting a home in Spain in a practical, straightforward style, covering every issue you will need to consider, including: choosing your location - the regions of Spain, their property markets and transport links; every step of the purchasing process; Spanish inheritance and taxation rules; health and education; adapting to your Spanish lifestyle; renting a home in Spain; letting your Spanish home; and setting up a business in Spain. Packed with practical details such as contact addresses, flight information, useful vocabulary and maps, this is the essential and definitive guide to buying a property in Spain.

Table of Contents

Preface	vii
Acknowledgements	ix
1 Choosing your location	1	(7)
Climate	1	(1)
Property prices	2	(1)
Areas most popular with expatriates	3	(1)
Employment	3	(1)
Crime	4	(1)
Noise and pollution	4	(1)
Tourists	4	(1)
Education	5	(1)
Proximity of facilities	5	(1)
The local population	6	(1)
Transport links to the UK	6	(1)
Availability of English-speaking contacts	6	(1)
British/Irish/US goods and services	7	(1)
Flooding	7	(1)
2 The regions	8	(46)
Costa Brava and northwards	9	(3)
Costa Dorado	12	(2)
Costa del Azahar	14	(2)
Costa Blanca	16	(4)
Costa de Almeria	20	(3)
Costa Tropical and the Alpujurras	23	(1)
Costa del Sol	24	(7)
Costa de la Luz	31	(2)
The North Atlantic coast	33	(3)
The Balearic Islands	36	(7)
The Canary Islands	43	(8)
Madrid	51	(3)
3 Renting a home in Spain	54	(10)
Reasons to rent	54	(1)
Finding a home to rent	55	(1)
Visiting the property	56	(1)
Rental contracts	56	(1)
Protection afforded by Spanish law	57	(1)
The rental agreement	57	(7)
4 The purchase of your Spanish home	64	(21)
The first step: deciding on legal advice	64	(1)
The Spanish notario and the UK solicitor	64	(1)
Methods of owning property	65	(1)
Regimen matrimonial	66	(2)
Timeshares	68	(2)
Finding a property and negotiating with the vendor	70	(4)
Declaring at an undervalue	74	(1)
Purchasing at auction	74	(1)
Viewing the property	75	(1)
Surveyor's report	76	(2)
What your lawyer should do	78	(5)
The costs of purchase	83	(2)
5 Financing the purchase of your Spanish home	85	(3)
6 Buying a new property and having a property built	88	(8)
Building plots	88	(4)
The building contract	92	(1)
Buying from a developer	93	(2)
The guarantees	95	(1)
7 Buying an apartment or private property on a housing development	96	(3)
8 Heating and utility bills	99	(5)
Choosing how to heat your home	99	(1)
Electricity	99	(1)
Gas	100	(1)
Solar energy	100	(1)
Air-conditioning	101	(1)
Electricity bills	101	(1)
Water bills	102	(1)
The telephone	102	(1)
Direct debit	103	(1)
9 Settling in	104	(19)
The New Spain	104	(1)
The gestor	105	(1)
Your right to stay in Spain	105	(1)
Retiring to Spain	106	(1)
Payment of other UK benefits while living in Spain	107	(1)
Entitlement to Spanish state benefits	108	(1)
Importing your belongings	109	(1)
Pets	110	(1)
Your car	110	(3)
The railway system	113	(1)
Taking and transferring money to Spain	113	(1)
A Spanish bank account	114	(1)
Household insurance	115	(1)
Communications: the telephone and postal system, fax, and the Internet	115	(1)
Television and satellite	116	(1)
Welcome to Spain	116	(1)
Speaking and learning the language	117	(3)
The time of day	120	(1)
Formalities	120	(1)
Your neighbours and you	120	(1)
Taking Spanish nationality	121	(2)
10 Letting and selling your Spanish home	123	(8)
Holiday lettings	123	(2)
Longer-term lettings	125	(1)
The nightmare tenant	126	(1)
Property insurance	126	(1)
Income tax	127	(1)
Right of first refusal	127	(1)
Selling your property	127	(1)
Practicalities	128	(1)
Capital gains tax	129	(2)
11 Education and health	131	(11)
Pre-school education (educacion infantil)	131	(1)
Choices for primary and secondary education	131	(1)
State schools	132	(1)
Private Spanish schools	133	(1)
International private schools	133	(1)
The Spanish system - state and private	134	(1)
Bilingual children	134	(2)
University education	136	(1)
The Open University	136	(1)
Healthcare and the Spanish health system	136	(2)
Your rights to medical care in Spain	138	(1)
Private insurance	139	(1)
Language difficulties	139	(1)
Pharmacies	139	(1)
Emergency treatment	140	(1)
Vaccinations	140	(2)
12 Working and setting up a business in Spain	142	(8)
Employment	142	(2)
Starting and running a business in Spain	144	(3)
Taxation of business	147	(1)
Business premises	148	(1)
Bank finance	148	(1)
State aid and other assistance	149	(1)
Insurance	149	(1)
13 Spanish inheritance laws and the taxation of capital	150	(7)
Spanish rules of succession	150	(1)
A working solution	151	(1)
Inheritance tax	152	(1)
Avoiding Spanish inheritance tax	153	(1)
Making a will	154	(1)
Impuesto sobre el incremento patrimonial (capital gains tax)	155	(1)
Impuesto sobre el patrimonio (wealth tax)	155	(1)
Imputed income tax	156	(1)
Appendix 1 Useful addresses	157	(17)
Appendix 2 Direct flights to Spain from the UK and Ireland	174	(5)
Appendix 3 Useful Spanish words and phrases	179	(9)
Appendix 4 Pet travel scheme - approved routes and carriers to Spain	188	(2)
Appendix 5 Public holidays	190	(1)
Appendix 6 Further reading	191	(2)
Index	193	(4)
Index of advertisers	197