unsure about moving to spain - Page 7

Please check out Jims hints on this Site-he covers everything! I have Hol home in Torrevieja but not a resident......costs include elec & water-d.debits psid direct via Spanish bank...but they charge 35euros per quarter fees. I also have switch on/off wifi & uk tv channels-39euros p/m

Hope this helps

Linda

Have you looked into all the legalities of living in Spain such as the income and healthcare requirements? You will need to apply for residency within the first 90 days of living in Spain and prove that you have enough income to satisfy the authorities you won't become a burden on the state and that you have full healthcare cover.

Who knows what other paperwork and legal requirements will be needed in 3 years time.

Steve 

Without rent or mortgage 1800euro a month will see you ok allowing a bit fot return trips etc pending you get on the Spanish healthcare.

Please remember income tax in spain is more expensive  Don't let anyone say less because it won't be.

Keep a book on out goings our last year there with Spanish healthcare and our own property was 20760 Euro for year Inc tax .Don't forget most brits in spain are illegal and don't pay tax etc ,but it's getting and going to get a lot harder.our outgoings in uk 4 bed house was 21700 pounds .

So there you I know Im correct in spain 3600euro tax uk nil

Just starting to delve into the ins and outs, I know many things are still uncertain since Brexit just trying to get my head round it 

Pacoboy.......

Your statement.

."Don't forget most brits in spain are illegal and don't pay tax etc"

What an absolutely ridiculous statement!!!

How do you know that for a fact?? 

Where I live the majority of expat brits are retirees and legal residents, pay their taxes and have residency cards and on the Spanish healthcare.  You get the odd one and not 'most' that are under the radar for now at least. 

Don't class every brit the same as people that you know 😞

Steve 

Really why do most brit or foreign tradesmen  never give a factura ,I know brits that have been  living there 16 years and accessing the Spanish healthcare and not paid a penny in tax and when asked why there answer is always WHY DO YOU WANT TO PAY TAX. the amount of English plated cars that people had there year after year ,no insurance ,no mot ,no summa, ,it goes on and on I was offered a MOT for 50 Euro when we first got there ,let's hope after Dec that the Spanish get more strict.

My experience exactly I don't know if will change after December but anybody relocating there needs to have there wits about them .the brits in particular are some of the worst ,they moan about illegal immigration in uk but do the same themselfs.

Hey, be encouraged enough to make the first step!! I‘m aswell an old lady, retieering in Spring and I‘m looking for a new home in Spain already. If these  Corona days are getting better, I‘ll have first a few weeks in an area at Costa Blanca, I think I could live for the rest of my life, before I‘m going to buy. I was always living abroad until my husband died, 21years ago. Meanwhile I was working without a single Holiday. Now it‘s time to start a new life. Do not be afraid of to start all over, even in our old days!! All the best for you!!

Living or holidaying in Spain are two different things. You say that you would like to be within walking distance to shops, banks and all amenities. You will find this in many of the nearly built places but you won’t find good bus services. The main reason that Torrevieja is so popular is that it’s a working town which means you will never be in an abandoned area when all the second home owners leave for home. You will be living in a very nice town/ city on the coast with an excellent bus service to the airport , Alicante city and all the areas in it around the town. There are superb walkways along the coast, a lengthy pier which many of us enjoy exercising on, coffee shops/ restaurants everywhere for you to sit in the sun and enjoy watching the world go by. You can have 2 cafe con leche for less than the price of 2 at home. ( coffee with milk) 

Recently, my husband and I met up with another member of the forum who rent in the town centre and are so settled and love living there. It’s important that you don’t go somewhere that’s quite dead off season. The off season period is the nicest time because the weather is bearable and the crowds have gone home .  Yes, once the sun sets, the sky is still clear do no cloud cover and no heat either. You will need warm woollen sweaters , a coat, scarf, gloves snd you’ll be ready for your evening walk. Certainly not as cold as it would be at home. People forget how expensive heating a house is in the U.K. during winter and using the tumble drier to dry your washing. The clothes dry beautifully if you have a good clothes line( vital) 

Don’t be in a rush to buy yet. You will come across man made towns everywhere that have popped up in the middle of nowhere. They are everywhere. You will need to buy a car to start with. Stick with a place on the coast and you will love it   La Mata is perfect as it has a natural Sandy beach, a beautiful boardwalk , as it is an older Spanish village , it has character. Naturally, it has grown over the years as more and more Scandinavian, British, Irish have bought there. Many live there as retirees and love it. Bus goes into  Torrevieja every  20 minutes. We bought a house nearby many years ago and still love  it. We would be there  now  if we we were allowed but life at present is on hold. 

Make a list of what you would like and include outside parking space, storage, no signs of damp on the walls, air con, clothes drying area, a sunny patio, possibly a fireplace/ gas fire. Definitely no stairs from living room or you’ll have difficulty heating your room in the winter.  Good luck.