our initial advice when buying abroad

Finally, work has started in the house. We visited last week and arrived to the sound of chiselling and hammering as years of plaster was starting to be removed from the walls of the rooms on the first floor. The downstairs rooms were filling up with scaffolding and tools. Guys, who we don’t currently know, were in and out of the house, up and down the stairs, carrying equipment. Wires trailed across the floors. The house was filled with the sound of demolition. And all of this made us so happy as it meant one thing – the renovation has started.

As I’ve explained previously, we are working with a family team of builders, and this includes the architect. First recommended to us by the estate agent we bought the house from, because we had to act quickly in getting in a builder before we put in our offer, to assess the house. We knew this could be risky – could the builder and estate agent be in cahoots? Could the builder be a cowboy? But, we had no choice – we were keen to progress if the house was viable, but we were in a new country and knew no-one, so had to take a leap of faith. We definitely would not recommend this approach if you have never renovated before (at home, and especially abroad) or are risk averse. However, we have a little bit of reno experience, and experience in working with builders in another country and we do take calculated risks from time to time, so we went with our gut reactions. Jose agreed to come and see the house and give us his opinion – he asked if we wanted a written report or if we were happy with him visiting the house with us, and talking us through it, as we walked around. We went for the second option as we didn’t want to fork out for a written report when we might have decided that the house wasn’t for us. And actually, walking around with Jose (€80 for his time and expertise), gave us a lot more information than I think we would have been able to garner from a written report. He actually spent over an hour with us, advising us and explaining things which were very particular to this style of house. He specialises in the renovation of traditional Andalucian townhouses – he has completed one across the road, and is about to begin working (or his team is) on the one next door, directly opposite what is now our house. He grew up and lives in the town, so is heavily invested in the restoration of these beautiful buildings. And, without any formal agreement or contract being signed, Jose became a real support to us as we went through the purchasing process, and is now our project manager. (We will be signing an agreement with him, detailing costings and the schedule of works and payments, but we feel in good hands and have been happy for him to begin the initial preparation works in the house).

So, if you are thinking about a renovation abroad, and not sure where to begin, we would suggest that first of all, you try find someone who will be on your side. That could a local builder, it could be the estate agent who will have lots of contacts in the area you are hoping to buy, and may be able to put you in touch with other people who have bought and started out on a similar journey. Choose wisely, and it could be the solicitor you appoint to deal with the purchase – I say “choose wisely” because this is where you do really need to do some due diligence. We searched online for solicitors in the area, who dealt with property purchases, specifically post Brexit. One firm, and the name of the solicitor, kept coming up in searches and reviews were fabulous. We made contact with some initial questions well before we came out to Spain, and these were answered fully and in a timely way, which impressed us. Without knowing we had made contact with the solicitor, the estate agent recommended him to us, and after our first meeting, we decided that he was the legal representation we needed. Through Power of Attorney – a very wise to do, especially if you don’t know the language sufficiently to discuss legalities – Sergio and his team have assisted us with the following, and these are things you would need to consider, if buying abroad :

  • Securing our Spanish NIEs – these are like the UK National Insurance numbers and these are required for any kind of financial / legal situation. They are obtained from the police, but we didn’t have to attend, as we just provided copies of our passports to our solicitor, who sorted them on our behalf.
  • The purchase of the house and the registration of the deeds in our name at the Land Registry. He also advised us on the tax implications, and steered us through the whole process in a very painless way – so much so, that we were very surprised to be handed the keys as everything had been conducted so seamlessly and quickly and almost without us knowing it had been concluded. The lovely round of applause from all present told us we now owned the house.
  • Our residency applications are now in the hands of our solicitor – again, with POA, we only had to present ourselves to the Town Hall to register our digital signatures, and collate all of the documentation required. We now just wait for the system to do its thing, and hopefully we’ll end up with two shiny, new residency cards in the near future,
  • Our solicitor recommended a bank and has assisted with the initial setting up of meetings etc to open new accounts and take out house and medical insurance (the latter definitely needed for residency status).
  • Again, through POA, our solicitor dealt with the transfer of the energy and water accounts into our names, and set up the direct debits.

We feel very comfortable – and confident – with the relationship we have established with our solicitor. It is a small firm, and we deal directly with the owner and his assistant. We are not put through a switchboard, we don’t deal with different people each time. We deal every time with Sergio or Nieves, and already we have very friendly relations with them. Quick questions are answered efficiently and at no extra charge – for instance, we know exactly where to go and how to change the plates on our car from Istrian to Spanish, without having to spend hours searching online, hoping to find the right answer.

With Jose and Sergio having our backs, we feel that we have moved much more quickly in terms of getting to grips with Andalucian bureaucracy and life style. We know that if we need Sergio, he is there for us – and as much as we like him, we hope that we won’t need too many of his services. It’s different with Jose – we now communicate most days. Everything we discuss in person, is followed up by an email, so that any confusions or misunderstandings can be ironed out quickly and smoothly. Most important when sometimes language can present a difficulty. We both keep detailed records and all important information – especially relating to costings, is translated and double checked. We established at a very early stage that we both need to be clear and concise and that good and accurate records of meetings/discussions/decisions be kept. He is also our middle man for dealings with the authorities. In Istria, things were a little looser and our builder would generally just do things. But here, we’re doing it by the book. So, with his help, we have submitted, and paid for, our building licence to the Town Hall and paid for the licence to have a skip on the road outside the house. We’d eventually have worked this out, through research, but it’s so much quicker when you have a native speaker, who knows the rules and regulations, on your side.

So, moving abroad and mad enough to embark on the renovation of a listed townhouse? Get a great builder and a super solicitor and you’re off to a head-start. And, if you do want to pick my brains – within reason – submit a comment below, or drop me an email to helen@wearelife.co.uk…

Published on 20th January 2025

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