Sold your home in UK before moving to Spain ? CGT on it in Spain?

I read a puzzling thread on another forum which seemed to state that if you sold your principle residence in UK moved to Spain, bought a house here,( having signed the contract in Spain before  you sold your UK house),you would be liable for CGT.

Is this true-what if you  put a deposit on your house in 2000, sold your UK house in 2001, moved to Spain, became resident in 2002, then paid the last instalment on your Spanish house in 2002.

Johnx will know!

You MIGHT be liable....MIGHT being the operative word in the eyes of the Tax Man.

Look on the HM Revenue & Customs website for the correct information about this, i would think that one forum is confusing enough without looking on another one.

It is the same in the UK , as in Spain. For example if you own a UK house& purchase a holiday home here, legally when you sell it then CGT is payable in the UK. If though you move to spain& purchase , register as a resident , then sell the Uk one then CGT would be payable in Spain. The only difference between UK & Spain is that in spain CGT is payable on the main residence, subject to regional allowances.

The UK tax office stated last month that they were going to investigate ALL house sales over the last 20 years with aview to finding undeclared  CGT !

The thread you read over the road was about someone selling there house in the UK now, moving to Spain immediately, which would then make them liable for a tax declaration in Spain next year when they would have to declare the housesale which in turn could leadto the possibility of having to pay CGT here in Spain.

The advice was to ensure that they are not resident in Spain before the 2nd July , day 183 thereby making them not liable to declare next year & the following year they would not be declaring a house sale !