Moving to Spain

If you have got this far, then you must be pretty keen on the idea of moving to Spain, and joining the thousands of ex-pat Brits, French, Germans, Norwegians, Rumanians, Russians...... that already live here.

There are hundreds of places where you can hear about the good things, this page is not here to deter you, but to try and help make your move as painless as possible, remember the old saying "Buyer Beware".

There are as many dodgy real estate agents here in Spain as there are anywhere else in the world, who are out to make as much money as fast as possible. Make sure that the person you are dealing with has a licence to operate as an agent, if not come and talk to us, we will be able to get the same property for you, and we are a registered Spanish Company.

A few little things to bear in mind when buying a home in Spain.

When you find some land or a property you like, you will usually be required to make a deposit of 6,000€ when reserving a property/plot. This money is only refundable if the seller pulls out. You will lose it if you change your mind.
Make sure that the name and NIF/NIE (National Identity Number) on the escritura (title deed of the property) is the same as the identity document of the seller. This can save you weeks of paperwork as the details must be corrected by the town hall before exchange of property can take place.
Take a tape measure with you, make sure any property you are interested in is the size it says on the escritura, as if the buildings are bigger at the time of exchange, the deal will be delayed or fall through. Lots of building is done illegally here, and the builders hope that the work is not reported for 4 years. If it is not, then the buildings can be added to the escritura. If they are reported before the 4 years, they can be forced to demolish the buildings.
If you intend to buy a plot to build on, make sure that you are allowed to build on the land. There are restrictions on how big a plot must be to be built on, and there are large areas where development is not allowed at all. Make sure the plot is eligible for planning permission.
When you agree to buy, make an inventory of what is in the house, and get a written contract of what will be staying in the purchase price, and what will be paid for as extras, and what will be taken away by the seller. It is not uncommon to have taps, lights, blinds, sinks, built in appliances, air conditioning, shower rails, fireplaces, gates and even doors taken away.
If you are buying in a valley, check that you are not looking at a plot or house in the flood plain. Though Spain is very dry most of the year, there are often flash floods. It is not uncommon to get 2-3 inches of rain in an hour.
Several weeks before your purchase you should get yourself a NIE number. You cannot buy property, cars or many services without one. Town and Town and Country Casas will be able to help you arrange this. It involves 2 visits a couple of weeks apart to the Police-immigration centre in one of the state capitals.
Get a Spanish Bank account, make sure that they do not create a non residents account (Cuenta de no residentes). You will need the account to get telephone services.
If you will need a telephone landline, make sure that the house you are buying is on a made up street, with a full postal address. Telefonica do not provide a service to houses in other areas. (not even for their employees!)
After you purchase, change the locks, even if the property is brand new. It is very common for the old owners/builders to come back and have a "look around" while you are out shopping.
If you are buying on a mortgage, make sure you are going to be able to afford the repayments. Miss three payments and the bank will re-possess.
If you are going to work while out here, you will need to be able to speak Spanish. Except for the tourist resorts, most people do NOT speak English, and you will have to be able to speak Spanish to work.
If you are resident of the EEC, then moving here is very easy. If you are a resident of a country outside the EEC you will need to have a work permit after your 3 month visitor visa expires.
If you move to the smaller towns you will also need to speak Spanish, as very few people will have any words of English at all.
You will find things very different to England, the food, the traditions, the eating times: You will be the stranger in this country, You will have to change and adapt to their way of life, not expect the Spanish to adapt to you.
Very Important: Get a solicitor to act for you.
Don't let the above put you off, the country is great, the people friendly and helpful, the weather fantastic and the way of life much better for your general well being.