Hot Property News Letter – August 2009

 

 

Welcome to this issue of the Hot Property news letter which we hope you find informative and helpful. If you have any suggestions for future issues, comments or questions, which we can address in future issues, you can contact us at info @hotpropertyspain.net  

 

 

1: HOT PROPERTY – RENTALS

 

 

Hot Property, are now offering a long term rental service and if you check our website, www.hotpropertyspain.net you will see that there is a search option for long term rentals.

 

 

This list will be increasing over the next few weeks, so if you are considering a long term rental, but cannot see a suitable property at this time, then let us know either at info @hotpropertyspain.net or telephone 0034 965 745 816, and we will automatically send you new suitable properties as they become available.  

 

 

2: HOT PROPERTY – PROPERTY FINDING SERVICE

 

 

 

 

As well as being the best and most helpful of Estate Agents, Hot Property, uniquely specialize in, and offer a Property Finding Service. So, even if we ourselves don't have the property you like, we will go out and find it for you.

 

 

One of our team is completely dedicated to finding the property which is exactly what you are looking for and will contact over 20 other local agents that we both trust and respect, as well as working closely with. 

 

 

This not only saves you a lot of valuable time, frustration and stress, it will also avoid properties being viewed twice. This is because numerous Estate Agents can have the same property, but with the external photograph taken from a different angle, and with different quality equipment, the property can end up looking completely different.

 

 

Hot Property will therefore find a suitable property for you and introduce you to the agent, whilst still looking out for your interests. 

 

 

This is a free service, without obligation, so just let us know if you would like us to help you in this way.

 

3: IMPORTING A VEHICLE INTO SPAIN

 

 

We have been asked by a reader if it is possible to import a vehicle from Abu Dhabi, namely a Harley Davidson Motorbike and 4 wheel drive vehicle.

 

In our Newsletter of October 2007, we covered driving in Spain, which included the following:-

 

 

"Many none Spanish registered vehicles are driven in Spain & the onus is on the owner to prove when it was brought into the Country. However if the vehicle has been, or intended to be kept in the Country for longer than 3 months, it should, by law, be re- registered. Many owners do not do this due to the import tax and paperwork. However, it is possible to import a vehicle free of IVA provided it has been registered in the owners name for at least 6 months before taking up Spanish residence. You must also prove that VAT was paid in the original Country of registration. You will be liable to pay the registration tax of 12%. This is reduced for a vehicle over 5 years to 50% of its new value. There is a condition that it is not sold or transferred within 1 year. It is possible to insure a foreign registered vehicle, but any vehicle not reregistered after 3 months is an illegal vehicle. One other point is that it will be necessary to be registered on the Padron when importing a car. If the Padron is under 30 days old the import tax can be avoided, if over then tax must be paid. It is not possible to renew registration of the padron to show a later date”

 

 

Therefore, legally, it is possible to import any vehicle.   In this article we will try to cover additional points specific to this situation.

 

The first point is, is it actually worth going through the necessary bureaucracy and form filling?   Although there are companies that will do this for you and take away some of the problems and issues, this will add to the overall cost.

 

It will also be necessary for right hand drive vehicles, to change the headlamps, which can be expensive, although this does depend on the make of vehicle.   However, 300€ plus would not be unusual.

 

It can be said that the Spanish authorities were not exactly encouraging the importation of vehicles.   However, due to EU rules it can be done, with payment of importation tax, as stated in our previous news letter, and with the possession of a certificate of non-residency from the country that is being left.

 

This however can be rather difficult to obtain from many countries, including the UK, simply because the concept does not exist. One way around this is to apply to the commissaries in either Denia, Benidorm or Alicante, by contacting the Spanish embassy before departing the country of residence and declaring the intention to relocate to Spain. It may also be possible to obtain a certificate at the consulate on arrival in Spain.

 

As the original question involves a vehicle being imported from a non EU country, namely  Abu Dhabi, the vehicle must also undergo validity and be certified by the manufacturer, or an officially recognized laboratory, and undergo tests before it can be registered. Costs are unknown and the process may be lengthy.

 

Our advice would be that, unless the vehicle is a real classic, worth a great deal of money, or adapted in some way for special needs, the best option may be to sell it and buy a replacement.

 

However, if it is a classic or worth the inconvenience, then the process should be commenced before the padron is 30 days old, so avoiding the import tax.

 

Happy motoring.

 

 

 

 

 

4: WHAT IS A NOTA SIMPLE & COPIA SIMPLE AND THE PLUSVALIA?

 

 

Continuing our articles on Spanish paperwork, we today cover the "Nota simple” the "Copia Simple” and the "Plusvalia”.

 

 

The first document, the "nota simple" (pronounced no-ta sim-play) is a certificate provided by the notary, from the property register, recording who are the present owners of the property and, most importantly, if there are any encumbrances existing on it, such as a mortgage or other debts.

 

 

Before making a private contract the purchaser’s solicitor should ask the vendor to provide a "nota simple" from the registry so that it can be checked out, or for a copy of the title deed, so that the solicitor can go to the property register and ask for a "nota simple".

 

 

As the "nota simple" must not be older than 48 hours before the signing of the deed, and even if it has been obtained previously, it is very important that the purchaser should ask the notary to include the current certificate in the escritura, as it ensures that no charges etc can be placed against the property within this 48 hour period.

 

 

To put it simply, it stops the seller from taking out a mortgage or any other debt against the property before selling it to the purchaser, thus leaving the purchaser liable for the mortgage and other debts. The purchaser and their solicitor must ask that the notary complies with this obligation.

 

 

The second document the, "Copia Simple”, (pronounced co-p-a sim-play) is a document that is given to the purchaser by the notary as soon as the deed is signed. It is simply, as the name infers, a photocopy of the contract, which has been stamped by the notary, but will not have any signatures on it. It can therefore be described as a shorter copy of the property deeds or "Escritura” and, by its virtue, is an instantly up to date record that the notary will give to the purchaser of a property once the property deeds have been signed.

 

 

The full property deeds will be supplied later on, and t he notary normally asks the purchaser if he wants the deed sent by fax the same day it is signed to the property register. The purchaser should insist that he does so!

 

The purchaser also needs the "copia simple” in order to pay the third item that we cover today, the plusvalía. This is a tax set by the local authorities and based on the increase of the value of the land from the date the owner acquired the property to the time of the present sale.

 

The local authorities determine the amount of plusvalía to be paid for each house purchase in Spain, depending on the area where the property is located. The market value or sales price of the property does not have an effect on the plusvalía tax.

 

Normally, but not necessarily, the seller pays the "plusvalía” tax. However, this will depend on the sales agreement. The tax is calculated according to the ratable value of the property and the number of years it has been in the ownership of the vendor.

 

The "copia simple” is also needed to transfer or register for contribuciones (these are payments towards the local rates, the IBI), electricity, water, telephone or other services, change the address on his bank account etc.

 

5: PETS IN SPAIN – A GOOD OUTCOME 

 

 

Following our series on animal care, we were contacted by a resident of Sardinia, who is looking to move to the Costa Blanca and is a regular reader of the news letter.

 

 

She told us that the family had rescued a puppy and were very concerned when its health and condition deteriorated so badly that the local vet was unable to find the cause and was recommending that the animal was put to sleep.

 

 

However, on reading our article on Mange, the family suspected that the problem was mange, and informed the vet of their suspicions. The correct treatment followed and the puppy was successfully treated.

 

 

We were concerned that the vet in question had not identified the problem as Mange is highly contagious, so it maybe that this particular person will be now able to recognise the symptoms in others animals and act accordingly.

 

 

As all of us at Hot Property have pets, we are happy to report that the veterinary care in our area is second to none. So anyone bringing their family pet to Spain can rest assured of excellent treatment.

 

This newsletter is intended as a guide and to be informative and helpful in the process of searching for and purchasing a property in Spain. Total accuracy cannot be guaranteed and in all legal, fiscal and other matters a fully qualified professional should be consulted. Reproduction of any part of this newsletter is not permitted without written permission.