Stress Free Holiday Rentals Part Two

Stress Free Holiday Rentals Part Two

If you’re planning on renting out your property in the Costa del Sol or other parts of Spain then here is part two of our top 12 tips for holiday rentals. Don’t forget to bookmark the page so that you can find it the next time you need it!

1.      Put Together an Information Pack About Your Property

The demand for rental properties in the Costa del Sol is outstripping supply

Holiday renters need to know the community rules and so you should put together an information pack that contains this information. They should know the rules about leaving towels on balconies, playing loud music, having late night parties, and using the pool incorrectly. If your renters cause trouble it could get you in trouble with the community. The information pack should also include information on how they can use your appliances, the security alarm, etc. It should also have information on emergency telephone numbers for you or your agent, doctor, chemist, hospital and repair services.

2.      Set Ground Rules

When you advertise your property you need to include information on things like the maximum number of people that can occupy your property and if you allow pets and smoking.

3.      Charge Proper Rental Prices

An important decision is how much you’re going to charge in rental prices. If you’re managing the property booking and advertising yourself you should look at what people are charging for properties similar to yours. If you’re working with an agent then your agent should be able to give you a good rental price that allows you to still make a profit. Remember that this rental income isn’t 100% profit. You still have to take out the costs of the agent’s fee, the advertising costs, maintenance costs, cleaning and laundry costs, Spanish rental tax, insurance, and any other expenses.

4.      Prepare Your Property To Remove Stress

It’s important to make sure your property is in top condition so that it can stand up to the wear and tear of being rented all through the summer. Ensure that your appliances and plumbing are working perfectly. It’s a good idea to have your appliances serviced before renting your property. Have the air conditioner and filters, power supply, kitchen appliances, gas supply and gas bottles, automatic gates, garage doors, pool equipment, fuse boxes and TV channels all checked in advance. Don’t forget about health and safety regulations. Make sure your smoke detectors and fire alarms are working properly. Call in a plumber to check your toilets, baths, showers, and the kitchen sink and boiler are all working well and the water pressure is right. If your property has a pool then check the pump and other equipment to make sure it works great.

5.      Don’t Be Late With Utility Bill Payments

Ensure that you pay all your utilities such as water, gas, electricity and community fees are paid on time. It’s a good idea to pay them by standing order and check that the bank is paying the bills on time. You’d be surprised how many properties lose power and water because the bill wasn’t paid on time.

6.      Remove the Risk of Renting

A great way to take away the risks of renting is to take out a property insurance that covers holiday rentals. These policies are well worth the money and give you important peace of mind. Some of the more common problems and claims with holiday rentals are bath overflows that damage lower apartments and community property damage.

Stress Free Holidays Part One

Stress Free Holiday Rentals Part One

If you’re thinking about renting out your Costa del Sol property or any other property in Spain then keep the following 12 tips in mind to make your holiday rentals stress free. You might want to bookmark this page so it’s never too far away!

1.      The Community Rules

The demand in the Costa del Sol for rental property

is amazing and the demand is

out stripping the supply.

If you’re thinking about renting out your property over the summer then you need to make sure that the community rules allow it. If your community rules don’t allow you to rent out your property then you should consider teaming up with other owners who want to rent out their property and attempting to change the rules at your next AGM. There shouldn’t be any issues if you’re renting out a villa but it’s always a good idea to take a look at the community rules first. Better to be safe than sorry.

2.      Legally Register your Property

After making sure you can legally rent your property you need to register your property with the town hall or have your lawyer take care of it for you.

3.      Holiday Rental Agreement

Put together a standard holiday rental agreement or consult your lawyer and ask them to put one together for you. If you’re planning on renting using an agent they will have their own rental agreement.

4.      Handling Rental Bookings On Your Own

If you’re planning to handle the bookings then you also need to arrange everything else including cleaning, laundry, maintenance, repairs, meet and greet, taking bookings, collecting money, advertising, dealing with problematic renters, repairing damage to your property, and everything else.

5.      You’re Going to Compete with Other Rental Properties

The holiday rental industry is a very competitive one. Put together a list of all the appealing things about your property that the agent or you can use to sell your property to holiday renters. It could be something as simple as the view. The location, the condition of the property, the kitchen, if the property is accessible, the pool and garden, etc. Take some photos of the interior and exterior as well as nearby attractions such as the beach or golf course. These are great for advertising your property.

6.      Target the Holidaymakers You Want To Rent Out Your Property

Make sure you’re clear about the people you want renting your property; advertise clearly that you want families or couples and cater to those groups with things like baby cots, a fold down sofa for the children, board games and books, and things like that.

Spain Expects 74 Million Tourists in 2016

Spain Expects 74 Million Tourists in 2016

The Madrid-based tourism agency Exceltur has claimed they expect Spain will see 74 million tourists in all through 2016, which would decimate the record of 68 million visitors set last year.

The Costa del Sol is Booming and goes from strength to strength.

As the summer season truly kicks in the leading agency for tourism in Spain believes that Spain will end up being the most popular tourist destination of 2016 following the terror attacks in tourism rival France and the continued safety concerns of other formerly popular tourist destinations along the Mediterranean.

Portugal is also expected to see a rise in tourism of about 30% as tourists are choosing the safer areas on the Iberian peninsula.

While it’s true that nowhere is truly safe from terrorism Spain hasn’t seen a terror attack in around 12 years and their intelligence department is one of the best in Europe. Overall Spain is definitely the place to be for the more nervous holidaymakers that are looking for a safe space in the sun.

The amount of money visitors are spending in Spain has already gone up 7.8% per head in 2016 which is suggesting that the improved European economy is having a positive effect on tourism itself. It looks like tourists are more willing to open their wallets and spend their money.

The bulk of Spanish visitors continue to come from the UK, Germany and Scandinavia. Even so Exceltur is expecting the country will see a rise in French tourists as people are leaving the country for their holiday for the first time in a long time; having been driven away from their own French resorts by the shadow of terrorism. It’s also expected there will be a rise in tourists from the Eastern end of Europe including Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic.

Most people come to spain due to it being one of the safest places in Europe and having fantastic beaches  low cost of living, world class Mediterranean lifestyle and a temperature that averages over 20c, no wonder Spain and the Costa del Sol is so popular with tourists and property buyers. 

Spanish Education; How to Choose the Right School

Spanish Education; How to Choose the Right School

Spanish schools system is excellent

Finding the right education in Spain for your child is perhaps the most important decision involved in moving abroad. It’s also still just as important if you’re already living in Spain.

All parents do what they feel is best for their child but what are the best choices when it comes to Spanish education?

Education is handled a little differently in Spain. Spain doesn’t have an education league table that informs parents about which schools are the best ones. There are still regulatory bodies that you can contact to learn more about a school you’re interested in though.

One of the most concerning parts about moving to another country, including Spain, is that you lose the network of family and friends that can give you guidance and advice.

No matter which part of Spain you are moving to or you’re living in there are some things you need to consider including:

·        Would your child be better in a small or large school?

·        Would you like them to change schools as they move up or stay in the same school? I.E. do you want them to go to senior school or change when they reach sixth form?

·        How long is too long for your child to travel to school?

·        Are there any transport options; especially transport provided by the school?

·        Which timetable works best for you?

·        Will your children have school meals or do you want them to come home for their meals?

·        Do you want your child to do extracurricular activities?

·        Do you want your child to be taught in English or Spanish?

·        Do you have a particular curriculum or teaching syllabus preference?

Different Education Options in Spain

When you move to Spain you need to think about which Spanish education option is the right choice for your child. There’s a little more to the decision than choosing between private or public education. There is also another option known as concertado and homeschooling is also an option in Spain.

Even though homeschooling is an option it’s not a very good one and you should dismiss the idea. It’s actually illegal to homeschool in Spain unless you get special permission and are considered a diplomat.

Next comes the choice of Spanish State school education. State education in Spain is a good choice because your child gets used to socialising and they immerse themselves in the language and can learn a lot. Unfortunately the state of Spanish state education isn’t as good as it once was because there have been government cuts to staff and facilities including books.

The next option after this is the concertado system. It’s basically a halfway point between state and pivate education. Concertado schools were originally religious but these days you can find non-religious concertado schools. You need to pay to send children to a concertado school but it is less than the cost of private education.

The final option would be to send your child to a private school. There are international private schools in Spain as well as fully private Spanish schools.

These fully private Spanish schools use the same curriculum as Spanish state schools but they have a much lower teacher-pupil ratio and often have better facilities. Both fully private Spanish schools and international schools charge roughly the same fees. You should also keep in mind that many of these fully private Spanish schools are religious.

International schools in Spain use the same curriculum as a particular country or the international baccalaureate. If you look around you can find schools that follow the British, American, German, French and Scandinavian curriculum. Spanish families will often send their children to one of the British schools because they believe learning English in a European country is a better option. There are also some American schools that have good reputations and the French and German schools are also recommended.

The English language has become the worldwide language of business and commerce. This is the main reason that Spanish families are eager to send their children to English-speaking schools and there’s such a demand for English school education in Spain. As such your school of choice could have a waiting list or it might be impossible to send your child there.

Take a page out of your kids’ book and do your homework and you can’t make the wrong decision. You also need to time your move to Spain just right to improve your child’s educational success.

Urban Plan of Marbella’s PGOU

Urban plan of Marbella’s PGOU

Marbella may be bouncing back but it’s important that buyers understand that the legality of thousands of homes in the region has been cast into doubt following a court ruling. That is why Costa Del Sol Property Group would like to fill you in on the situation.

Marbella Property will always be in demand

Looking at the Marbella beachfront and the Costa del Sol will tell you that it appears to be business as usual in the region. Some people are enjoying drinks in the “Chiringuitos”(beach bar) or on the boardwalk (Paseo) and others are enjoying sunbathing on the sand or, for the very rich, their superyachts. Boutiques and restaurants are opening up throughout the Marbella Old Town and new properties are being built on the beachfront. Even San Pedro, a village near Marbella, is coming to life. Local agents are saying that the demand for property, as well as the prices for that property, are on the up now that the main artery of the town has been re-landscaped and traffic is being directed through a tunnel instead.

The problems arose after a shock announcement made in November last year by the Madrid Supreme Court. They ruled that the 2010 PGOU of Marbella, the urban plan created six years ago to decide who could build what in Marbella for the next decade, was illegal. The 2010 plan was originally designed to fix the planning issues that were left behind following the decade of corruption from 1991 under Jesus Gil, the previous mayor of Marbella. The courts decided that it had been drawn together too hastily and that it ignored environmental and economic issues. The courts added that the plan didn’t take into account providing basic utilities to the rapidly growing Marbella. The PGOU was thrown out overnight and the old PGOU from 1986 was reinstated instead.

This has left many buyers, owners, and people interested in Marbella property unsure what happens next. One of the major concerns with throwing out the 2010 PGOU is that it was to legalised 16,500 properties built illegally under Gil on what is basically greenbelt land. Whether these properties are still legal or not has been cast into doubt once again and the owners of these properties will likely not know for sure what will happen until the new plans are put in place which could take another 4 or 5 years.

Another problem is whether the banks will lend on those properties while they have questionable legal status. Some bank managers will assess each property on a case by case basis for now.

One thing is for sure is that the demand to buy property in Marbella and the Costa del Sol will always be there and illegal properties will carry on being sold in Marbella and the surrounding areas.

Renters Returning to Spain

Renters Returning to Spain

The Demand for rentals is so high which properties being snapped up

Rents are on the rise in Spain had have increased by around 4.5% over the past year according to data from the property website Fotocasa.

Both supply and demand for and from renters is on the up to create a phenomenon that is affecting the whole country, although certain areas such as Madrid, Barcelona and the Costa del Sol are seeing major rises of up to 20%. The Fotocasa experts also believe that part of this increase in renting demand is because many Spaniards are currently unable to purchase property right now.

The average rent for Spanish property is equal to €7.29 per square metre, with prices rising to up to and over €10 in Cataluña, the Basque Country and Madrid. Ibiza is the area with the highest rent levels with prices exceeding €15. While these rental prices are also increasing they remain much lower than during the 2007 peak; as much as 28% lower. This news is still a reflection of how the property market as a whole is doing on top of all the other key indicators and developments in recent months.

It’s expected that the rental sector will continue to improve over time with high returns on offer for current and prospective landlords. Already rental prices are becoming controversial in places like Barcelona as working class families are being priced out of the city neighbourhoods.

Costa de sol has seen an amazing increase in demand  of rental properties and the trend looks to continue despite Brexit