By Euro Weekly News Media • Published: 04 Feb 2016 • 9:27
Do you rent property to tourists in the Costa del Sol? If so you have three months to register with the Andalucian Government or face devastating consequences, following a decree approved on Tuesday (February 2).
Pressure from the hotel industry has sparked a draconian response, as authorities bulldoze through the legal loophole that has protected seasonal renting until now.
New regulations call for the creation of a census of touristic residences, and demand the identification of all travellers who use these lodgings.
Using the controversial Citizen Security law, dubbed the ‘Gag Law’ and originally intended to combat terrorism, the government will insist on full disclosure of previously private information.
The severe diktats unleash a series of stringent demands on landowners to ensure their properties comply with the new regime, which will make liberal use of inspections to carry out its mandate. Transgressions, whether intentional or otherwise, carry a heavy penalty with fines ranging from €18,000 to €150,000.
To ensure full compliance, owners who let their properties to tourists must be on the Tourism Register of Andalucia by May, with all the relevant documentation complete and approved.
At this point owners will have one year to ensure their properties fully meet the extensive requirements to register as a tourist property.
The move has been widely condemned by landlords, who condemn the excessive bureaucracy involved in treating apartments in the same manner as hotels.
In its defence, the government claims to be clamping down on unfair competition and re-establishing control over a clandestine economy.
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No worries, good luck with it all 😉
I really despair at Spanish politicians for doing this, I don’t rent property but there are a lot of people that come here because they can rent a property rather than go to a hotel, these regulations will probably take a lot of property off the market. I fear they only damage the tourist industry even more than they are already but then it keeps hotels happy as I am sure they will benefit from this… which is the reason it is being brought in of course and to hell with everyone else.
At long last. In our peaceful and tranquil community, summer becomes a nightmare when up-to 18 loutish people invade our privacy as one errant owner let’s his house out. It’s a 3 bedroom property, but the basement has been developed to a dormitory. Thank goodness there is now going to be some control. Also at last the local authority will get some income from these freeloader landlords.
Well to be honest Solobella if you have a problem with the noise then you call the police! If these people register their property then you may not be able to have your tranquillity as registered or not it will not change your issues.
The authorities already have a fixed charge every year for property owners here, even if they don’t rent out their property they still need to pay it… this is the reason that charge was brought in. The authorities will probably loose more than they gain with this, most of the money earned by these property owners is spent locally in various different ways so it goes back into the economy anyway.
Spain has gained a lot of its economy from many people purchasing property here so they can let those properties, it is a shame people living here including the Spanish simply don’t understand that, the economy takes their money then kicks them between the legs! I fear Spain has a lot to learn and as we all know it is a very slow learner, one of the things that is and has been holding it back.
The Spanish politicians national and local are so short sighted it does their economy and country so much harm, using their heads a little would help take this disparate government into this century.
Many people are sold property in Spain based on the assumption that renting it out will help cover their mortgage costs. The outcome could well be that the over supply of property in Spain will have less chance of selling which would have a negative effect on Spain’s economy. Politicians don’t think things through sufficiently. Additionally, those that rely on rental income to service their existing mortgage may default.
The problem I sadly feel is the brutality of the Spanish system with fines FROM 18k to 150k. It seems less interested in tourist safety and well being with a moderate degree of control over apartments and MORE interested in collecting huge fines. Spain always seems to omit the common sense factor and clearly this is in that vain. No reasonable person objects to sensible legislation with regard to safety and tax control in any sector but again ridiculous and heavy handed. Certainly this is more terrible PR for Spain and tourist industry and can only have overall negative consequences. Why don’t the Spanish government look at and emulate successful economies; UK, Germany, etc. instead further bad decisions for an already crumbling economy….wake up Spain and join the REAL world, please.
Are you joking…. 😉 They are too busy making up ways of making sure politicians who have been stealing huge amounts of money from the system and dragging Spain into a massive black hole get off real punishment so they just get their wrists slapped, come one, these people putting huge money into the economy of Spain have to be punished 😉 😉
The politicians of this country are in a different time and it is definitely not the future.
I recoil at the antics of Spanish politicians, do they not have any ability to foresee the outcome of their dubious actions.It is on a parallel with penalising family owned, small, corner grocery stores, to boost the profits of Supermarkets.
What are the probable consequences of this Law to victimise owners of apartments, to better the opportunities of Hotels.?Apartment owners fall into several categories…a – Some buy an apartment, relocate to Spain and remain there for the rest of their lives. Enjoying occasional guests from home.b – Others buy an apartment but choose not to live permanently in Spain. But still have occasional guests, even in their own absence.c – There is the category that buy in Spain but soon find that the economics of their impromptu investment does not pay the bills. They therefore tend to rent to family, friends and colleagues. Some even advertise and welcome strangers into their apartments.Their investment often becomes very tenuous. Making ends meet is difficult.d – Then there are those that are fully commercialised and run on a full business footing.
Davy
To continueâ¦..There are many thousands that find extreem financial difficulty, even when benefiting from an occasional letting.Their inevitable option will be to put their property on the market and hope for an eventual sale.This flood of properties, will no doubt significantly effect the emerging new builds, after years in the doldrums.Do the politicians consider that the loss of all of these avenues of accommodation will have no effect.?Have they consulted local businesses, Restraurants, Shops, Markets, Entertainments, Adventure parks., Boating, Golfing, Horse riding?Do they imaginge that all of these extra visitors will flock to the hotels? Didn’t the Costa del Sol just enjoy the busiest season on record.? Hotels also provide their own food and entertainment and bigger ones have their own shops. Depriving the local traders of some of their income.Before the politicians try to crack this nut with a sledge jammer, shouldn’t they first define a ‘Tourist’. Or is that the clasification for all visitors, be they Family, Friends or Colleagues.?The object of this law, is to make hotels more profitable. WHY..? we wonder do they need this special consideration.?My sympathies are with Spain, as it has far more serious and pressing problems, than lining the pockets of Hoteliers and their supporters.SincerelyDavy
I rent out a flat in north London and as a landlord I have to be registered and ensure that the property fully meets legal requirements, this protects both myself and my tenant. All income has to be declared to HMRC.Why should it be any different here? It is about time they clamped down.
If such stupid illogical persecution by the Junta de Andalucia spreads further it could affect us all – not just seasonal renters on the Costa Del Sol. Time to get our act together and write to them en masse in an attempt to get this decision reversed. I’m composing my letter right now.
It doesn’t impact on me personally yet, but I can’t help being reminded of the similarities between the way certain sections of the public are treated in Spain and the way some were treated in Germany not too long ago.
“First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Socialist.Then they came for the Trade Unionists, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Trade Unionist.Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out – because I was not a Jew.Then they came for me.”
Pastor Martin Niemöller (1892-1984)
Seriously.
Hi Leonardo, I don’t think it is the fact that properties have to be registered, have you seen what is needed?
Most of what is in the * draft * is fairly normal, but:1) Air con & heating are needed, what is wrong with fans, I for example can’t handle air con as it does my throat in! Heating, most people I know that come here in winter don’t use heating, these things can add a lot of cost but should be up to the property owner if they are available or not, ppl can should up their own minds if they want to rent without these as they do now!
2) Every property must have WIFI, more expense to property owners. I think it is a good thing for people to offer this but so what if they don’t, the people who rent can make up their own minds?
3) Health & safety inspection, well anyone who has opened a local in Andalucia in the last 3 years knows what that means, probably more expense for stupid petty things. Will this mean a disabled toilet? If it does it will take most apts off the market, many won’t have the room for this. How are they going to inspect all the properties… they haven’t even started yet?
4) If you run any business here in Spain then you know about the time useless bureaucracy takes up and the Spanish will make it as difficult as possible… which probably means bringing a lawyer into the process.
If the process was going to be as simple as it probably is the UK then it probably wouldn’t be an issue but I can assure you, it won’t be, this is Spain 😉
Just to add to my last comment:
Regulation was supposed to be brought in Aug 2014 as far as I can see, then it appeared to go to November, it was passed for Feb 2016 but a post by a property management company in Marbella states they can’t find out any further information at the moment!
As I mentioned, until they know what they are doing the property owners can’t move forward. Mijas town hall where issuing IBI on new builds 3 years after they where finished and ppl moving in, will love to see how they are going to handle inspections 😉 No disrespect to them but the Spanish as so short sighted it’s unbelievable, but then this chaos opens up the door to town hall fines and that is right up their street!
I too am a private landlord back in the UK Leonardo, and fully registered like you. I rent out my former home and live in a rented villa here. It works well for me. The income completely pays for the rent. Win-win.
This situation in the Costa Del Sol however is utterly different from the UK. Registration in the UK is easy, inexpensive and well controlled. In Spain – self evidentlyÃÂ and in common with many similar government initiatives – it is not.
I presume that it is a permanent rent in London Leonardo. In which case it is quite in order to expect to pay taxes. However if it was used by family and friends and colleagues on an ad hoc basis for a few weeks per year. It would be a very expensive investment.There are owners who rent on a business footing and most, I assume would have accountants to deal correctly with the authorities. SincerelyDavy
Totally side by side with you on this issue Mike! Spanish officialdom (in general) is greedy, corrupt and incompetent. They’ll stop at nothing to make us part company with our well earned cash and jump at the chance of issuing heavy fines to top up their coffers. I could cite several examples that I have encountered personally in only 4 years of living here.
Clowns mostly, still living in Franco’s time.
Phew relief….
Don’t get me started on Franco, I don’t think there is a lot of difference between modern day politicians and Franco, modern day politicians just do things in a way that makes us think they are different and better than him 😉
I will probably will get a lot of flack for that one as well 😉
We run two large villas and to be fair we already comply and furthe more we declare all income. This is the biggest area which will affect owners.. Haveing said that I think all apartments villas should be run to a certain standard and registered … This would certainly helped with the various scams that happened last year which I turn is bad for everyone.. The standards have to be raised. Like wise in hotels as well .. The CDS needs to raise the standards..
i have a small studio appartment but i dont rent it, its just for my personal use as i lived in spain til 2010 but came home with my daughter, so we are only out once a year in summer, a waste i know. Anyone know what do i fill out as i wont need a licence but dont want to get caught up in this mess, and there’s not much info out about it all.
Theresa, If you don’t rent it out then you don’t need to worry about this although you do need to present a Modelo 210 for the apartment and another for the car park if you have one.
You should talk to a Gestor to do this for you, for a normal apartment which has a resale value of about 240,000, My sister pays about 400⬠per year including Gestor fee, you will need to present your IBI for the gestor to do this, you have up to December to present for the year previous.
HTH
The law of unintended consequences probably means more homeowners will default, property prices only just beginning to show signs of stabilisation will wobble further, quality of hotels will continue to decline, less tourists will visit Spain due to less choice, and the extra money injected into the “real” econonomy by the sharing economy will disappear. Greed, corruption, nepotism, fiscal and governmental incompetence continue to abound in Spain. Exactly why we have moved just about everything out of including assets, cash and any potential tax revenue by deregistering from the hacienda to name a few. They don’t deserve our hard earned tax money as far as we’re concerned. Good ridden’s and so very thankful we have the option extricate ourselves from such a screw up of a country. Such a shame, we love the culture but Madrid can never be trusted. Just ask a local……
ok thanks mike, my IBI docs are in my paperwork box in the appartment,i am there in april, but i will need to pay 5 years i think, im sure they can advise me, my appartment is only worth about 40k if that so would be a small amount, so as long as i am paying my yearly tax the government will see i am not renting, and hopefully i wont get anything re needing a touristic licence. i did go to the tax website but it wouldnt let me download the 210 form.thanks for your help.
Sorry the character count for posts is not very long and so makes things restrictive, on the Modelo 210. You can search for ‘Formulario del modelo 210 para la presentación en papel’ and the first result will take you to a ‘agencia tributaria’ web page about the form, there is a link near the star with a little ‘his form, just for inter EU data sharing between governments! I guess to let the British government know you have a property here… just in case people haven’t told them!
You definitely need to consult a Gestor because if you present for the previous years not yet presented then they * probably will fine you * but if you don’t and they catch on they might fine you more… you should really consult with a Gestor, best one that shows an interest… if you know what I mean!
You have up to December of this year to pay for 2015, up to December of next year to pay for 2016 etc. unless they change things at some stage.
Unless you have your property advertised for rent or on a rental web site I don’t think you will need to worry about having to prove you don’t. I read somewhere that they have paid to have a internet spider to crawl websites to list properties for rent in Spain and chase them up that way so they are not going to be light handed about this but as I say, if you don’t advertise it for rent and clearly don’t then you shouldn’t need to worry.
I do agree Robert, politicians here in Spain of local and national level have no real idea about what they are doing nor how to do it! In fact I am wrong, they do know how to line their pockets and keep themselves comfortable financially and that is where it ends. My cut on the root of their incapabilities is they are selfish people at heart, I need a lot of text to explain that properly so best for another day, anyway…
Another big part of the problem is their mindset is just way out of date, in fact if you look at south American countries such as Argentina, Cuba, Venezuela and mediterranean countries like Spain, Italy, Greece and they are all similar with similar backward thinking politicians and they are all countries in dark holes economically to one extent or another, all have major problems with greed, corruption and cumbersome bureaucracy. These countries are not going to go forward much because the mindset of the people and their politicians don’t lend to running a country, in fact they don’t lend to running fairly much anything and that is not going to change in the near future.
It’s no big deal.
Has any of you read the new law? It’s very simple and straight forward: The purpose of this law is that properties BEING OFFERED THROUGH THE INTERNET or through travel agencies meet a minimum level of comfort, this being: having windows, having a/c, being enough furnished to be liveable, and having a first-aid kit. 99% of you will comply.
Meaning that if you are not using a website to promote your apartment, and are only renting it friends or relatives, you DON’T need to do anything.
It looks like it’s ALWAYS the fault of the Spanish, whatever we do. Do you remember those tv-shows “Holiday nightmare” where people would come to Spain to enjoy a holiday and they were ripped-off and landed in a sh*thole, or the villa would just not exist? Then people were saying what a horrible country we are, but when we put measures in place in order to avoid these situations, it’s not good either. Give us a break, tourism is our main source of income and the government is only taking steps in order to promote excellency, so that no one becomes sick because of a dirty restaurant and that everyone can enjoy their holiday with a minimum level of comfort.
Most of the criticism is related to undeclared rental income. Note that rental income is taxed in Spain, as in any other European country and you should have been declaring your rental income all along regardless this new law.
Sorry Daniel I disagree.
I don’t see anyone blaming the Spanish people. What we are doing, is criticising the Spanish Government. Yes, tourism is a major source of income but this law is not about protecting tourists although that is the thin guise being wheeled out to justify it. The general public are more than intelligent enough to choose their own accommodation based on other visitors reviews, be it Trip Advisor or AirBnB to name a few. All these websites are very clear about what is being offered and the quality and number of reviews from other visitors are enough to tell you whether or not it it is worth staying there. A new law is not required for that. It’s already on offer.
Because of these web sites and individuals are renting their properties as short term accommodation the competition has increased, quality has gone up and the prices are more affordable, hence the numbers of tourists visiting the Costa’s and other areas of Spain grew to record numbers last year. Where do you think they were all staying? Only corporate hotels? I think not. Whats more they spent millions, if not tens of millions with local business rather than a big hotel. In short, the money benefited the real local economy, not just the corporates.
This law is only about protecting big business interests of the hoteliers and the financial benefits to the politicians who support them. The same ones that let standards drop and prices climb before the days of any alternative I’ve mentioned above.
I live in a nice tranquil community, till summer comes then my two neighbours rent out their properties,between may – September then we are blessed with up to 20 of their clients with screaming kids in the pools from dawn till to dusk,then it’s barbecue time followed by let’s see who can sing loudest and who can be most inconsiderate to the moaning residents because they are paying in excess of 150 pounds p/w that the owners can put in their back pockets.
Keep your electricity bills to prove it is not occupied
Not at all Mike. You’re absolutely right. On top of that, many congrats for all the info you’ve been providing to help people. Well done.
Sorry,should read 1250p/wvo
I don’t think so. An example of a law made to protect hotels is the one in Barcelona, where they only issued a limited number of licenses, that were bought by two or three families, and basically screwed everybody else.In Andalusia, this registry is made to keep track of accomodations, warrantee a minimum service level, and avoid tax evasion.And I do not agree with many of the comments I’m reading below. No country is perfect, but life here can be quite easy, if you bother to learn the language and get good advice. Remember that we can change our laws and our politicians, but you guys can’t change the position of Earth to make the sun shine more on the UK. So, unless you can find another sunny place, which is safe, where they speak an understandable language, 2 hours from home with several connections per day, and where you can still get access to the same goods you have at home, you will have to cope with the Spanish laws and regulations.Jesus Christ, some comments are so bitter. As if you came from the land of milk and honey!
You wouldn’t happen to be involved in politics Daniel would you?
Well there you have it folks, a great example of one of the reasons Spain is going nowhere!
No, I’m not involved in politics whatsoever. I work 50 hours per week, speak four languages and go the extra mile for my clients, so if the country is not going anywhere, it won’t be my fault.
Having said that, I have reacted to this article because I could predict the sort of reactions that would follow.
I’m not impressed with your last reply.
Well I can see that every one wants to blame junta or government ..!! Do you know think some regulations are good ? Rather than free for all! Everyone soon moans when there is a problem.. Personally I think it good and positive for the business. Certainly for health and safety. And to encourage quality in the rentals.
Thank u
No one is accusing you of being the problem Daniel 😉 And just so you know there are many self employed people actually work a lot more hours than you, mostly because the system in this country is counter productive… one of the reasons unemployment is so high here.
I have many Spanish friends who agree with a lot of what I say, in fact they are as disgusted with their politicians as any normal person would expect but one thing many actually don’t understand is the money that moved their economy actually mostly came from tourism & foreign investment! Many seem to be under some belief that tourism should be milked as much as it can because they need or want more money, that is also the impression I get from Spanish politicians, when in actual fact treating them with a little more respect and not for granted could bring more and that = more money for the economy rather than try and think up any reason they can to take more money off them. If they spent more time sorting out corruption and unemployment and their own tax evasion than looking for petty ways to beat to death the goose that laid the golden egg the country might start to move forward a lot quicker.
Funny, I think it is exactly this arrogant opinion that puts some ppl from coming to Spain, they seem to be able to find the sun in other places!
I wasn’t impressed with yours either to be honest 😉
I’ve been letting private turist accomodation for 35 years, and am sick of the doubts as to whether it’s legal or not. This legislation is well overdue, I would love to have licenses of approval hanging on the walls of my apartments in the knowledge that advertise in whatever media, promote my business like any other. I’ve always declared the income, so it’s good news for me.
Exactly Geoff.
i did live there from 2004 until 2008 and have all my social security papers from my work contracts and i pay electric by direct debit, and the water, through my bank which i have books for also.I am there in april so will ask my friend to recomend a gestoria for me to take my ibi and papers. i tried to download the form but the java link is broken, and i do not want to chance doing it myself incase i get it all wrong.
from looking at the andalusian website which is quite helpful, they fine you a percentage i believe on top of what your charge would be, it said 25% instead of the 19%.. with my castoral valor looking at about 60 euros a year. i was told not to worry about it years ago when i bought the appartment and that when i sold it they would hold money back for taxes unpaid!!!! and that was an estate agent and my solicitor because it was such a small amount, so thats part of the problem.
That’s why we have double-digit growth in real estate transactions. Turkey, Morocco or Tunis are no longer an option, even Greece seems not to be as appealing due refugees and economic crisis. Spain and Portugal offer safe, sunny and economical holidays.I agree to a certain extent with what you’re saying, there are many things to improve, but look where we were 30 years ago and where we are now. Who would have thought we’d get so far in terms of roads, high speed train, equal rights (Spain is the most lgbt-friendly country in the world), we have great healthcare and pension system, and a long etcetera.We are probably the most visited country in the world and 85% of the tourists, return at some point. With this I want to say that whilst there are things to improve, we do really well in comparison to other places.Perhaps some of the 25% of the tourists that don’t return, is because they happened to book an accomodation that didn’t meet their expectations.Anyway, I’m sorry if you’ve been treated so badly in Spain, that you have such a bitter opinion of us.
Teresa, how many years ago was that! Things have changed considerably here in Spain in recent years, it is of course up to you but if it where me I would try and get the 210 sorted, at least from now on in, as your property is not of an extremely high value it can’t take a lot of money to sort out. I think your costs would certainly a lot less if you get things into order now than keep leaving it as laws here change as do the fines.
I am not saying lawyers here don’t know what they are doing 😉 but from personal experience over many years and several layers I have found they cannot be relied on and the only thing they have actually managed to do properly for me is send me their invoice! 😉 I use an economist for my fiscal declarations personally but there are some good Gestors out there too, maybe ask people you know who they use and if they are happy with them, that is if you don’t intend to do it yourself.
BTW, I think I found the same page on the Andalucia web site page for the 210 as you, seems quite informative and the comments from some people are also informative.
I went to the TownHall to register for my own digital signature several months back, to be honest I really cannot understand why the government would make it so difficult to present a form, does it really matter who presents it as long as it’s paid! Sorry in advance for those who won’t like it 😉 but another example of backward political thinking here 😉
I am going to answer your post in two posts because of character limitations:
The real estate is growing because it is very cheap to buy property for Scandinavians… just as it was for the British and Irish 8 to 20 years ago. There was a recent surge in British purchasing because of the exchange rate over the last year but that is changing, possibly for more reasons than exchange rate as discussed, but believe me I don’t think the Scandinavians will be as tolerant as the British. 😉
About 6 years ago when the exchange rate was poor for GBP the British started to sell here, some are still heading off as Spanish tax laws started coming down on them and possibly other reasons, A removal company I work with told me only a few of their clients where going back to UK, a lot to France, a few went to SA and a few went to UK, maybe they do not reflect an average but the point is people will find sun or what they want where it is comfortable for them to.
Just for your info, I thought Spain as a country was a fantastic place to be 30 years ago, the freedom that ppl had back then is one of the things that made it an attraction for me and how do I miss what it had back then, that priceless freedom it once had… has gone.
Roads and railways, thats about it… if you look at the Electrical infrastructure and telephony they are a total disaster reflecting abuse and political corruption as with the banks.
Don’t get me wrong, Spain is far more advanced in some ways than some other countries but your politicians are your countries biggest enemy and the reason Spain is not going forward as it should be. This country should be booming and it is not, Spaniards saying they think their politicians are not doing good and then voting for them again doesn’t exactly help sort their problems out!
I have seen what lgbt did to Torremolinos and Sitges, once great family friendly resorts, not a touch on what they where for the type of people that turned these towns from little fishing villages to large tourist towns. I know people who have closed their businesses in Torremolinos because the Gay scene is keeping families away, anyone that actually opens their eyes… (Won’t go on in case I am taken up by the PC brigade), if you see that as a positive thing then fair enough!
Your pensions are one of the problems your unemployment is so high, compare a UK pension to a Spanish pension relative to what is paid into it each month & you would see you are being ripped off again by your politicians!
Daniel, there is no bitter opinion of the Spanish people being shown here, because people comment/talk/ discuss something it does not mean anything bitter! I have been here 35 years, I have Spanish family and I know how the Spanish think, I only ask you apply some common sense to some of the things that are being said and you might see what people are actually saying. I am out of space again, have a good weekend 😉
I have found a gestor that actually deals with our appartment block, thought i recognised the name, and they are local and speak english, so i will arrange to meet and present my IBI and docs to get the taxes paid. Its hard as i took the solicitors advice, and then years down the line you could be up poop street. I will ask him to do my current year and then in future im sure i can email him a copy of the IBI and he can do it yearly for me, will ask if he can do back tax or wait for the government to contact me. I will most definetly sort it, i like to be above board and stress free when i go out there, andi do plan to retire there in about 16 years. thanks for your help and advice mike
We will have to agree to disagree 😉I’m not fond of our politicians either, but anything’s better than Podemos.Anyway, I see a country that has multipled by 10 its per capita income, so despite this crisis, there has been some rights in all our wrongs.I leave it here, have a nice Sunday.P.S: I’m from the generation where we believe in equal rights for everyone, so be welcome lgbt in Torremolinos.
Hummm… I won’t give up on hoping the Spanish start to apply some common sense and start to look a bit more to the future in their political thinking, as this country could be doing a lot better. It’s a case of sitting in a stagnant pool with the same old s*** or make the effort to remove the silt and change the water for some that is totally new, it’s a big move but just maybe the fauna can grow again properly and the fish can then have a better life… without making that effort you will never know!
I am from a generation that believes in equal rights for everyone except criminals but within reason… I won’t argue with you but maybe just think about this: You cannot give equal rights to everyone because when you try to, you will end up taking someone else’s rights away… and that is not equal rights!
We have taken this right away from the actual topic which I am sure hasn’t make a lot of people very happy but there you go 😉 Suerte!
We love our place in Spain, we do not rent it out, and we find the Spainish people honourable, helpful, friendly, it’s a shame that my fellow English have not retained this ideal. And I am trying to learn Spainish, we employ a Spainish lady each week to look over our home, our small community of eight apartments employ’s only Spanish which I feel is the right way. We are after all guests in your country and respect should be shown as we English expect from foreign nationals (but do not get) Kind regards
My wife and I were hoping to come to Spain in our retirement which was earlier than planned and set up a little business while also continuing to let out our holiday apartment as we have for many years. It seems as if the Spanish Government just doesn’t want businesses to success or the economy to flourish. They produce ever more taxes and regulations that stifle any means of making an honest income. How on earth can apartments be compared to hotels? What evidence is there that “the industry needs regulating”. The bureaucracy is beyond ridiculous and the information is so confusing with different interpretations being given according to who you speak to. Being given 3 months to get things sorted out is a joke? It will take that just to find out what forms and documents are needed, then another 3 months of queuing in various offices to register, and to levy a fine of 18,000-150,000 Euros is malicious. This is government by “the mob”. Spain is a becoming a very unwelcoming place for Ex Pats and many will not bother to continue renting in this climate of fear. This will have a very damaging effect on the economy at a time when Spain is in financial crisis. It’s a stupid policy.
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