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We are led to believe by the media non resident retirees are selling up.

Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 10:12pm
52 replies3761 views18 members subscribed
Andrew6666

Posts: 3

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Location: La Zenia

Joined: 23 Mar 2021

We are led to believe by the media non resident retirees are selling up. 

Is this true of La Zenia, we were thinking of selling our second home in andalusia and moving to La Zenia. We would be non resident retirees also. 

Any replies from retired non residents how your coping with 90/180, or how you now feel about Spain, Thank you I advance. 

Cheryl

Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 11:19pm

Cheryl

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Posted: Wed Oct 20, 2021 11:19pm

There were a lot of illegal Brits living full-time in Spain and now their movements in and out of the country are being monitored they are choosing to move back to the UK as they don't want to be liable for Spanish taxes.
There are also those who liked to spend extended visits in Spain, such as 6 months over winter or to come and go as they wished and some have decided that as they can't use their homes as fully as they are used to they are selling up. 
There are also plenty more who choose to work within the new restrictions and keep their holiday homes.

The fact is if you want to have a holiday home, wherever it is in the Schengen Zone, the same rules apply and I expect the same kind of questions are being asked in France, Greece, Malta and Italy because it is an EU rule, not a Spanish one. It was the UK's decision to leave the EU, nothing to do with Spain.

 Everybody's circumstances are different and if you still want to have a holiday home and can work within the rules there is no reason not to.

trotter

Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 8:50am

trotter

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Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 8:50am

Andrew6666 wrote on Wed Oct 20, 2021 10:12pm:

We are led to believe by the media non resident retirees are selling up. 

Is this true of La Zenia, we were thinking of selling our second home in andalusia and moving to La Zenia. We would be non resident retirees also. 

Any replies from retired non residents how your coping with 90/180, or how you now feel about Spain, Thank you I advance. 

Are non resident home owners selling up in your area of Andalusia? 

I wouldn't believe everything that you read in the media. If the traffic around La Zenia is anything to go by then more people are buying in the area.

Hew

Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 8:37pm

Hew

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Joined: 13 Jul 2016

Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 8:37pm

Cheryl wrote on Wed Oct 20, 2021 11:19pm:

There were a lot of illegal Brits living full-time in Spain and now their movements in and out of the country are being monitored they are choosing to move back to the UK as they don't want to be liable for Spanish taxes.
There are also those who liked to spend extended visits in Spain, such a...

...s 6 months over winter or to come and go as they wished and some have decided that as they can't use their homes as fully as they are used to they are selling up. 
There are also plenty more who choose to work within the new restrictions and keep their holiday homes.

The fact is if you want to have a holiday home, wherever it is in the Schengen Zone, the same rules apply and I expect the same kind of questions are being asked in France, Greece, Malta and Italy because it is an EU rule, not a Spanish one. It was the UK's decision to leave the EU, nothing to do with Spain.

 Everybody's circumstances are different and if you still want to have a holiday home and can work within the rules there is no reason not to.

I’m pretty sure most of us already knew that there were many exploiting the 90/180 rule for many years, it has always been the rule and did not just come into effect due to Brexit. Now it’s being enforced so they have a problem, additionally they had plenty of notice prior to Brexit to do something about it. So basically they were not holiday home owners, they were illegals living in Spain!.
Personally, I am just a holiday home owner, and quite honestly the 90/180 is OK for me, but there are many Holiday home owners from the UK who would prefer to spend 180/360 in Spain. The UK tourist rules allow EU citizens to spend 180 consecutive days in the UK  out of 360. I think the UK government intended for the likes of these differences to be resolved via bilateral agreements, but the rush to get Brexit done left a lot of Brexit undone.  But it’s still possible, depends how petty the EU wants to be. It’s not unreasonable to ask for equality, a Spanish citizen can enter the UK and stay for 180 days. Why should it not be reciprocal. Tell me quite honestly, why Not?



Gloria68

Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 10:05pm

Gloria68

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Posted: Thu Oct 21, 2021 10:05pm

Andrew6666 wrote on Wed Oct 20, 2021 10:12pm:

We are led to believe by the media non resident retirees are selling up. 

Is this true of La Zenia, we were thinking of selling our second home in andalusia and moving to La Zenia. We would be non resident retirees also. 

Any replies from retired non residents how your coping with 90/180, or how you now feel about Spain, Thank you I advance. 

Hi

We are non residents, having a home  since 2004 ,dont believe the press, people are over buying, the 90 day rule as always been here, I have known it ,so why didnt they

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Lancelot

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 9:29am

Lancelot

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Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 9:29am

I suppose it depends on whether the "non resident" had sold up in the UK to move to Spain. Once they could only stay 90 in 180 and needing to be out of Schengen for the rest of the time it likely created difficulty.

We had neighbours who lived here for many years without being legitimate but they kept their UK house. As far as I'm aware they don't plan to sell here but now comply with the law.

If they hadn't retained a UK house it's more likely they'd have been forced to sell here in order to finance UK housing.

We are mostly seeing holiday homes being sold. Those buying are either here permanently, legally, or holiday home owners comfortable with the new arrangements. There is a very healthy trade in property where we live at the moment with prices holding firm given the conversations we've had with new owners.

Davebev1

Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 8:30pm

Davebev1

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Posted: Fri Oct 22, 2021 8:30pm

Hew wrote on Thu Oct 21, 2021 8:37pm:

I’m pretty sure most of us already knew that there were many exploiting the 90/180 rule for many years, it has always been the rule and did not just come into effect due to Brexit. Now it’s being enforced so they have a problem, additionally they had plenty of notice prior to Brexit to do som...

...ething about it. So basically they were not holiday home owners, they were illegals living in Spain!.
Personally, I am just a holiday home owner, and quite honestly the 90/180 is OK for me, but there are many Holiday home owners from the UK who would prefer to spend 180/360 in Spain. The UK tourist rules allow EU citizens to spend 180 consecutive days in the UK  out of 360. I think the UK government intended for the likes of these differences to be resolved via bilateral agreements, but the rush to get Brexit done left a lot of Brexit undone.  But it’s still possible, depends how petty the EU wants to be. It’s not unreasonable to ask for equality, a Spanish citizen can enter the UK and stay for 180 days. Why should it not be reciprocal. Tell me quite honestly, why Not?



I was agreeing with most of what you said until you said the EU was being petty.  When the UK was part of the EU it allowed EU nationals to visit the UK for max 180 consecutive days, but even prior to Schengen rules coming in the Spanish law was always 3 months unless applying for residency for all visitors.  I didn't hear people saying they wanted reciprocal arrangements then.  In all honesty neither country was terribly efficient in enforcing their own laws.  So to try and answer your final question: Each EU country sets its own rules on immigration and for some EU countries it is possible to stay 180 consecutive days without residency.  But the countries in the Schengen zone have adopted one joint policy - it isn't an EU policy and Schengen includes currently 4 non-EU countries and excludes several EU countries (eg Bulgaria, Cyprus and a few others).  So it isn't the EU being petty at all, it is the individual countries making their own immigration rules (always a devolved matter to each sovereign country) and deciding if they want to be part of a joint policy by 26 countries on the continent of Europe.  Spain may decide to have a type of homeowners' visa at some point, giving homeowners extended rights to stay, but that must be Spain's decision and it would be possible for them to do that if they feel it worthwhile.  For now, like it or not, whether you view it as right or wrong, Brits are in the position that we have left the EU and now have to abide by third country rules.

swcoulthurst

Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2021 6:49pm

swcoulthurst

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Posted: Sat Oct 23, 2021 6:49pm

Davebev1 wrote on Fri Oct 22, 2021 8:30pm:

I was agreeing with most of what you said until you said the EU was being petty.  When the UK was part of the EU it allowed EU nationals to visit the UK for max 180 consecutive days, but even prior to Schengen rules coming in the Spanish law was always 3 months unless applying for residency ...

...for all visitors.  I didn't hear people saying they wanted reciprocal arrangements then.  In all honesty neither country was terribly efficient in enforcing their own laws.  So to try and answer your final question: Each EU country sets its own rules on immigration and for some EU countries it is possible to stay 180 consecutive days without residency.  But the countries in the Schengen zone have adopted one joint policy - it isn't an EU policy and Schengen includes currently 4 non-EU countries and excludes several EU countries (eg Bulgaria, Cyprus and a few others).  So it isn't the EU being petty at all, it is the individual countries making their own immigration rules (always a devolved matter to each sovereign country) and deciding if they want to be part of a joint policy by 26 countries on the continent of Europe.  Spain may decide to have a type of homeowners' visa at some point, giving homeowners extended rights to stay, but that must be Spain's decision and it would be possible for them to do that if they feel it worthwhile.  For now, like it or not, whether you view it as right or wrong, Brits are in the position that we have left the EU and now have to abide by third country rules.

I completely agree. Its not the EU being petty, but people from the UK not wishing to be treated the same as people from other non EU countries. 

Unfortunately since the vote (I wont say the word for fear of reprisals), any benefits that were enjoyed as part of the EU are now gone. I have lost any benefits now as a British Citizen and Spanish resident. Having taken early retirement (10years early) and becoming Spanish resident to stay in the country, we now have to pay for things such as healthcare. We have no healthcare facilities in the UK and not having worked in Spain we have no state healthcare here.  The only benefits are the sun and lifestyle, the cost of things like healthcare out of a private pension, is a massive chunk.

To be honest, unless you intend to work, or are UK state retirement age, I would now remain UK resident and retain your UK healthcare. Utilise the 90/180 rule, that way you retain the best of both worlds. Unfortunately the vote has completely cocked everything up in removing the ability of free movement.

suej6

Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:50am

Posts: 19

13 helpful points

Location: Torrevieja

Joined: 6 Oct 2021

Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2021 10:50am

We have a holiday home in Spain and are happy to follow the rules, they are easy to follow. Having never wanted to spend 6 months at a time, we will just carry on the same as before. I understand that the new rules have spoilt things for some, but it’s a bit drastic to give up your home. Three months twice a year sounds good to me.

Roztowe

Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2021 11:24am

Posts: 36

41 helpful points

Location: Los Balcones

Joined: 26 Apr 2017

Posted: Sun Oct 24, 2021 11:24am

I am looking to sell my house in Spain now. I came over very frequently through the year and kept within the rules. However, I can now get a long term visa to stay in France, much easier rules than Spain re income etc, so I will be giving Spain a swerve in future. 

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