HELP! BUYING....NEED ADVICE.

I am going to Tenerife in a couple of weeks to buy a property with cash. I want to get the best exchange rate possible if I buy in Euros. Is it better to open a Spanish bank account with partnerships in England e.g put all my money in say the Abbey & open a Santander account In Spain? Do they give the interbank rate? Or is it better to do currency exchange, in which case who gives the best rates? I will also need to transfer money for community charges/electricity etc, so which is the best bank to join?

Regards Pollye

Hi there,

You say you are going to Tenerife to buy with cash in a couple of weeks.

Please be very carefull what your are doing, if you have not already done so, get a good english speaking solicitor in Tenerife who is experienced in property sales, the solicitor will make sure the property is owned by the people selling and that not charges or infraction apply to the property, you may also need a building survey, you will certainly.

If you are buying from a developer or builder you have to be very suspicious, don't hand over any money until you are given all the relevent paperwork checked by your solicitor and don't accept any promise of the papers will come after.

You should already have a account with a Spanish bank in the area where you intend to buy.

Do you have a NIE number, you cannot buy a property without a NIE.

Utilities like electricity in Spain is paid for direct from your bank account, now every month. I am not sure about community charges as we have none.

Transfering you money to pay for property purchases is usually best done with a exchange company like MoneyCorp, most of these type of exchange companies will give you just below the business rate, MoneyCorp charge only £15 for the service.

Be carefull your Spanish bank does not charge you for receiving your money from the UK.