Join the Orihuela forum

My name's Alex and this is my website all about Orihuela in Spain. Register now for free to talk about General Orihuela discussion and much more!

Buying a holiday home.

Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2022 3:00pm
chat_bubble4 repliesvisibility145 viewsadd_alert4 members subscribed

Posts: 7

star1 helpful points

Location: Orihuela

Joined: 27 Jun 2022

Hi guys, we are going to buy a holiday home near Orihuela Costa. We know about the 90 day rule, we are asking about poll tax costs etc. We will not be renting out our property, it is just for us and our kids to use. Will spend 90 days at a time there, then the kids, grandkids can use it while we are not there. Any help will be appreciated. 

Thanks Alan & Elaine. 

Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2022 10:46pm

Cheryl

Legendary helpful member

Posts: 2973

star3538 helpful points

Location: Albatera

Joined: 8 Jun 2017

Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2022 10:46pm

Council tax is called IBI but is often referred to as SUMA after the agency which collect it and is much lower than the UK. It is usually collected in a lump sum in September.
When you find a property you are interested in ask the agent to show you the last bill, don't accept a verbal amount from them and also check out what the community fees are.
Check everything works as there are so many posts from people who have just moved in and found the air con or the water heater or the electric drive gates etc don't work. If you go for a second viewing ask the agent to get everything turned on beforehand so you can check the air con heats, cools and doesn't leak. Get them to turn the water heater on in advance and check hot water comes out everywhere you would expect it to and that it also drains away. Check the shower pressure.
A really important thing is to check that the property exactly matches what is written in the deeds which the agent should have a copy of. Pay special attention to the square meterage of the lived area, terraces and if underbuilds have been converted from storage into living accommodation. If anything doesn't match then it is down to the seller to put it right.
Never give a deposit to the agent, this needs to be done via your independent solicitor with any relevant clauses such as subject to everything being kosher.
Before buying anything, work out how you will get to and from the airport as public transport is limited and taxis and hire cars are expensive. Don't even think about flying into Murcia Corvera airport as it will be taxi only. How will you get to the beach and where will you get your shopping if you don't have a car?
You could also check how much the standing charges are for water and electricity backed up by previous bills.

Last of all you will pay Non-Resident tax based on the value of the property.

Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2022 11:33pm

Aikidoamigo

Helpful member

Posts: 465

star297 helpful points

Joined: 3 Apr 2022

Posted: Mon Jun 27, 2022 11:33pm

Buy a second hand car and leave it at the airport for your visitors to use… no need for taxis then 🥸

Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 11:25am

PeterPan

Very helpful member

Posts: 644

star582 helpful points

Location: Almoradí

Joined: 1 Aug 2020

Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 11:25am

Question not asked but... do use an independent solicitor who has nothing to do with any agent. Give the sales contract to your solicitor before signing, he'll probably alter it to protect your interests.

Community fees can be much more expensive than IBI (council tax), ours are.

Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 11:28am

John123456

Super helpful member

Posts: 1472

star1069 helpful points

Location: Benidorm

Joined: 27 Feb 2021

Posted: Tue Jun 28, 2022 11:28am

Assuming you are a UK National you might find the contents of this link useful:

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/how-to-buy-property-in-spain

Sign up for free or login to reply to this topic

Want to reply to this topic? Login or register for free to post your message:

Find more General discussion topics from a particular area: