RETIREMENT

HI WE ARE THINKING TO RENT ALL YEAR ROUND IN ALICANTE,DENIA,TORREVIEJA? WE LIKE THE BEACH & CLOSE TO ALL AMENITIES. CAN YOU GIVE SOME ADVICE PLS?

If you are a couple you will need approximately €1,500 per month just to get by...rent is around €500 per month for a 2 bed app + electric+water+Ibi +food ....alcohol and cigarettes and council tax (ibi) are cheaper ...the supermarkets in Spain are more expensive for food .than the UK.second hand cars cost more than double what you would pay for one in the UK. good luck enjoy Spain.

Wonderful idea. Just remember that if you stay more than 182/3 days then you ARE OBLIGED to became a tax resident.

Other major financial considerations are health insurance and whether to buy or rent a car.

Long term rents currently are remarkably cheap.  A lot of landlords cannot be bothered with the hassle of short stays.  The cost of living is well below UK too if you shop wisely and become familiar with local produce and markets.  As you might expect, top quality fruit and veg is very well priced and good wine from the local bodega is less than half the UK cost.

An item to beware of is the cost electricity - particularly if that is the source of heating, yes you do need heating from December to March.  In fact for a longer period if the flat is not well insulated.  But if you are in a south facing block, with neighbours either side, it can make a difference.  But not a massive problem.

The only other item to raise is your prosepective landlord and tenancy agreement - beware they don't have the UK AST and deposit protection legislation.  Not by a long way!  Spanish landlords  can be greedy and problematical, as can letting agents - you need to be very careful and choosy, with everything in writing.  

But there are lots of good private lettings if you look around.  You can use a Spanish solicitor but they tend to be lightweight.  But don't be put off - just take a bit more time to have everything clear and your responsibilities written down, including a clear list of furniture etc and condition of the flat - backed up by photos.

Many British people are considering retirement early to Spain and Porugal before it becomes more difficult after Brexit, Blevins Franks reports a surge in enquiries however they also sound a note of caution. Basically dont burn your bridges in the UK you may need to return sooner than you anticipate 

John Springfield, a migration expert and director of research at the Centre for European Reform, has also warned potential British retirees thinking of moving to Europe

“The golden age of British retirees heading to the Costas is probably over.

“The thing about retirees is they are expensive. There is no way Spain would allow lots of Brits to retire there and use their health system unless young Spanish people could come and work in the UK.

“If we don’t have free movement, it is very unlikely we would have retirement rights.”

Some financial advisers have cautioned that anyone wanting to retire to Europe should wait until the Brexit negotiations have concluded to see what the rules will be governing the transfer of pensions abroad and healthcare arrangements.

If you want a good long letting portal use this. They are bank owned properties on 3 year contracts unfurnished.

http://www.alquilovers.com/es/app/Home

Mickyfinn just to correct you the British government currently pay Spain £3,000 for every retired Brit in Spain for medical treatment....

As far as don't burn you bridges is concerned ....the worse case scenario would be the same as every other none EU country ...and that is a maximum stay of 3 months ...all this adds up to is you will have to leave the country then return with a new 3 month Visa....this is what I have to do when I visit my place in Turkey.

windtalker - Mickyfinn just to correct you the British government currently pay Spain £3,000 for every retired Brit in Spain for medical treatment....

Yes a bi-lateral agreement based on the UK's status as a full EU member. There is no guarantee that will continue if freedom of movement to UK for Spanish citizens ends. Any future restrictions the UK negotiates will be reciprocal. 

In truth no one has any idea what the situation will be post Brexit. Hence the best advice is wait and see before making life changing choices..

Mickyfinn I totally agree with you....I have had a place in Spain for 10 year's ...and still don't understand why people sell up in the UK and move to Spain ....over the last 10 years I have lost count of the retired /families dog aswell  from the UK ....that have moved over to Spain  and cant speak a word of Spanish/  put the place up for sale and moved back to the UK all within 6 month's.

“The thing about retirees is they are expensive. There is no way Spain would allow lots of Brits to retire there and use their health system..."

Assuming he meant "for free", it's a Statement of the Bleedin' Obvious from a so-called "migration expert". They don't allow it now, so why would they after Brexit? Hopefully (but doubtfully) anyone considering retiring to any foreign country (EU or otherwise) will do their research and understand the situation regarding healthcare before making the leap. As you get older, healthcare becomes one of the most important issues - so if you want to have any guarantees, you'd be wise to factor in the cost of private cover. 

Agreed Roberto, isn't the purposes of forums such as these to do just that. Point out the risks the negatives if you like. The positives are all too obvious and attractive. People constantly get themselves in a pickle by only seeing one view point.

Another negative factor in retirement to Europe is the exchange rate. Brexit caused the weakening of Sterling, fairly permanently in my opinion or at the very least until the UK economy can satisfy the ForeX markets that it can perform well post Brexit. That may take some time.

Calculate costs at parity with the Euro or less then ask yourself if you can still survive.

The exchange rate today is 1.7euro to £1 sterling ...When i bought 10 year's back it was 1.45 euro to £1.00        They are predicting parity before the end of the year ..I was in Spain 3 weeks back and found that it was getting expensive to eat out 

Most cuurency experts think the future is very bleak for Sterling and are pricing in a cliff edge Brexit. The only factor that would give Sterling a lift is if interest rates were to rise. That seems unlikely given Carney's statements.

At the moment the Eurozone is growing twice as fast as the UK and they have strong and stable government in the form of Merkel and Macron. The ECB (European Central Bank) is looking to withdraw its economic stimulus and even Greece has been paying back its debts! There is an Italian election in 2018 but the coming months seem likely to support a strong Euro.

European inflation is bound to rise given the recovery so Brits living on a Sterling income in Europe face a double whammy of future costs.

The only problem countries  that trade in the.euro will have ...is that no other country in the world will want to buy over priced goods from them ... the UK factories are booming/House's are selling like hot cakes we have more new cars on the road than any part of the EUROPE ... our unemployment is extremely low and yet all you hear is doom and gloom from the EU...I don't think so....what the EU will have to do is what the UK did and that is to de value it's currency .

LONDON — Unemployment in Britain is now just 4.5%. There are only 1.49 million unemployed people in the UK, versus 32 million people with jobs.

This is almost unheard of. Unemployment was most recently this low in December 1973, when the UK set an unrepeated record of just 3.4%.

The problem with this record is that the statistical definition of "unemployment" relies on a fiction that economists tell themselves about the nature of work. As the rate gets lower and lower, it tests that lie. Because — as anyone who has studied basic economics knows — the official definition of unemployment disguises the true rate. In reality, about 21.5% of all working-age people (defined as ages 16 to 64) are without jobs, or 8.83 million people, according to the Office for National Statistics.

That's more than four times the official number.

Suppose its down to what system, or newspapers, or who tells you what to believe.

Many house's do sell like hot cakes, then come back on the market 4 weeks later, one Daughter own's an Estate Agents and Letting Agency in a more then very decent area, her lettings are up due to house repossessions, her true genuine  house sales are down for this time last year.

We do have more new cars on the road...Not paid for....With either on lease plans or finance, people now are getting conditioned to thinking its better to get into debt by leasing a New Car because the old car failed the MOT for £500.00's worth of work, yet cant work out the upfront payment, plus 12 monthly lease cost, plus possible balloon payment at the term end, against a one of payment, which keeps your money in the bank, and your car on the road.

More than a grain of truth there Baz.  

But I have just bought a new car and the manufacturer has an incentive contribution to anyone buying on lease by offering money off as a 'contribution to finance'.   If you want to buy cash it will cost you around a thousand pounds more because this contribution isn't available.

so the best way is to buy on a PCP and get the discount, then settle the finance without penalty inside the 14 day finance cooling period, and get the car free of finance and get the discount.

I reckon lots of savvy people do this now, much to the dealers distaste.   

so the best way is to buy on a PCP and get the discount, then settle the finance without penalty inside the 14 day finance cooling period, and get the car free of finance and get the discount.

I reckon lots of savvy people do this now, much to the dealers distaste. 

Have the finance company got a clause in the agreement that if you do pay it of very quick, like in under the 14 days you also give back the discount, would have thought they covered everything.

Baz1946 I move it to a new 4 bed house just 3 months back ...I had to wait 8 months for the builder to get round to finishing it ..it was worth the wait ...the site of 120 houses will be completed by xmass ..the average wait for a new house on this development is 6 months I wanted a particular plot so had to wait longer ..all the properties  will be completed by Xmas and have  reserved on the fence....and as far as cars go.. I change my car ever 3 years ...average miles on the clock of 20,000 when i px it ...the new car i have at the moment cost me £46 pw this includes 3 year parts /labour/ servicing RAC all in   we have some great deal's on new cars in the UK  you do not see any old bangers on the road ...like you do in Spain.

No Baz.   No penalty if you leave it longer either but you will pay a little interest after a month.  

I did it with Mercedes and my brother did it with Volkswagen.  

Anyone wanting a quote for a new car in uk, best price guaranteed!  

Ask me😀 

Baz1946 I move it to a new 4 bed house just 3 months back ...I had to wait 8 months for the builder to get round to finishing it ..it was worth the wait ...the site of 120 houses will be completed by xmass ..the average wait for a new house on this development is 6 months I wanted a particular plot so had to wait longer ..all the properties  will be completed by Xmas and have  reserved on the fence....and as far as cars go.. I change my car ever 3 years ...average miles on the clock of 20,000 when i px it ...the new car i have at the moment cost me £46 pw this includes 3 year parts /labour/ servicing RAC all in   we have some great deal's on new cars in the UK  you do not see any old bangers on the road ...like you do in Spain.

Windtalker I have no doubt that these new houses are selling like hot cakes, but the overall house sales picture is very much larger then a few new builds being bought by people who have sold at a good price and want a new home as life for them gets better, this is not the case for many thousands trying to sell their house in this uncertain housing market, unemployment, rising costs, higher taxes, the threat of interest rates rising, rising Electricty / Gas and so on.

Your one of the lucky one's who has a car deal that you can afford, for the many they cant afford them and cannot see they cant,  leasing has now become the new sub-prime car finance and even the top boys in the finance world have now started to realise the danger of these,  it has been in the media for months now, as for old cars on the UK roads I really do think you should take a better look around you to actually see how many older cars are about, you mention your car which costs you £2,400.00 approx a year all in, so are you telling us that for 'Only' £7,200 you get a new car every 3 years, and thats it, no upfront payment, no limited yearly miles, no balloon payment at the end, no car damage costs on the final day....Even a new base model Dacia is about £6,000, and you don't drive one of those.

I also think that I drive around a different section of Spain then you do because everyone keeps telling me how broke the people are in Spain but all I see are plenty of new cars.

You made mention that eating out has now become dearer, but forgot to say we get many less €€€'s to the £££'s then months back...Doesn't that make many items more pricy then, including eating out.

But Baz, surely you realise that it was the UK that devalued the pound as windtalker asserts. Oh, hang on, no they haven't. Well, not since 1967 anyway. There's a difference between devaluing and having it devalued because it's worth naff all. Good for exports, though, as they are up. Shame that imports into UK have risen by more than the rise in exports, though. Probably why UK has double the inflation rate of any other EU country. 

And, of course, everyone is driving around in nice, shiny new cars and there are no old ones on the road in UK at all. Not at all (I won't link it but the average age of a car on the road in UK has risen from 7.5 years to 7.8 years in the last year). That the over 30 billion quid UK borrowed in 2016 alone to finance cars will be the next financial crisis to hit the UK. Totally unsustainable. 

No idea what any of this has to do with the poor chap who wants to retire to Spain, though. He's probably wandered off into the ether wondering what the hell is going on. 

A quick question for help and car finance, Brexit, factory output and other things jump up. Anything for windtalker to complain about the cost of baked beans and Patak's curry paste, I suppose. 

And, windtalker, no, the cost of eating out has not gone up. The cost is exactly the same as it was 6 months ago, or a year ago, or 18 months ago (give or take 20 cents for low inflation). It has gone up in your mind because the pound has dropped some 15% against the euro. Nobody else in Europe has seen any difference and, you may want to sit down when you read this, but UK is not the centre of the universe. The whole of the world does not revolve around it and nobody else in the EU has even noticed any rise in prices. Just because those from the UK convert prices into their (non-goverrnent) devalued currency does not mean prices have risen. A €100,000 flat still costs €100,000. Just because a Brit will now pay £90,000 instead of £70,000 does not mean the price of the flat has risen.

Unless, of course, you are one of those people who reckon Spain should reduce its prices to accommodate a country that no longer wants anything to do with them? Again, stay seated and take the BP tablets, it ain't gonna happen.