# Is this possible?



## Ducati lassy (Jun 11, 2013)

Evening all

I'm new to the forum and am really hoping to pick your collective brains as Internet searches so far haven't given me any answers

So the idea is.....

My hubby and I currently live In Scotland

I work full time and hubby works offshore without a regular schedule and can be sent pretty much anywhere 

We've had a few holidays in mainland Spain and would love to explore a thought of living here full time somewhere down the line. It's a huge country and we've only looked a one wee corner so far. we aren't anywhere near ready commit to buying a new full time home which would also mean me having to seek another line of work.

So finally getting to the question.... Is it possible to rent a property long term in Spain but not actually live in it full time? We are thinking that we could come and go on a fairly regular basis when we wanted a break and could explorer the possibilities of something more permanent.

Are landlords ok about their property being empty for any length of time so long as they get their rent? Or is this idea a non starter.

Ok ramble over.. Hope you get the idea .. Look forward to hearing your thoughts 

Cheers


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## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Hi, I don't see why landlords would bother whether you are there 12 months or 6 or 3 as long as they get there rent money! in fact you don't really even need to tell them..


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## Ducati lassy (Jun 11, 2013)

Thanks that's what I was hoping to hear, are there any implications for insurance of the property/ contents like there is in uk if you aren't living it for 30 or more days at a time?


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## biffysplace (May 2, 2013)

u tend to rent for 6 to 11 months for some reason (im new so dont know why lol) but my landlord has not been to my flat to check what I am upto as of yet so as far as he knows it could be empty. As long as you are paying the rent I am sure you will be fine. As for insurance, I have not thought about building insurance as the property is not mine and I dont really care if it burns down, contents.... I dont have enough to worry about to be honest. Depends on what you are thinking about keeping in an empty property.............. rent a furnished flat and it aint your problem is my thought


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## Ducati lassy (Jun 11, 2013)

*Buying a Spanish vehicle?*

I don't think we d really keep much there of ours other than some clothes and a few home comforts, nothing that would be tragic to lose, however there's a possibility of buying a cheap car or a couple of bikes/ scooters to use when we re out there and that raises another question if we are uk citizens can we buy a Spanish registered vehicle and will our uk licence be legal?


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## biffysplace (May 2, 2013)

I think the insurance for the vehicles may be an issue (not just to ensure they are ok, but insurance to use them legally on the road) , but as a new expat I may not be the best to answer.................


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## Ducati lassy (Jun 11, 2013)

Ok thanks biffysplace , I ll check out the forum to see if I can find any answers on the vehicle front
Thanks for your help on the renting thing and I hope you are loving your new way of life


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## mickbcn (Feb 4, 2013)

Ducati lassy said:


> Evening all
> 
> I'm new to the forum and am really hoping to pick your collective brains as Internet searches so far haven't given me any answers
> 
> ...


If you pay the rent each month lanlord don't have problems if you live here one or 12 month.but in some places landlords hire the apartment in 3 month sommer for the same price than one year.


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Cannot see why a landlord would have an issue, in fact you would be very good tenants as you would never be there.  (as others have said)

Vehicles would though be an issue & the route is to rent what you need for the time you are here, mind you it may not be a ducati ?


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## Jumar (Mar 14, 2012)

Insuring vehicles shouldn´t be a problem. You get an NIE number to buy the vehicles and then insure them in the normal way. When you drive the vehicle is up to you. We leave our van and motorbike in Spain during the summer and travel in a motorhome. All are insured for the full year and we have not had any problems in 12 years.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Ducati lassy said:


> I don't think we d really keep much there of ours other than some clothes and a few home comforts, nothing that would be tragic to lose, however there's a possibility of buying a cheap car or a couple of bikes/ scooters to use when we re out there and that raises another question if we are uk citizens can we buy a Spanish registered vehicle and will our uk licence be legal?


I can't see much problem with what you propose except that buying a cheap car might not be easy - second hand cars are expensive in Spain.


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## agua642 (May 24, 2009)

Surely that depends on the Individual budget and what they call cheap, you can pick up a reasonable decent 2nd hand car for around 1.500€


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

agua642 said:


> Surely that depends on the Individual budget and what they call cheap, you can pick up a reasonable decent 2nd hand car for around 1.500€


Sorry - yes - it's different in other parts of Spain and it's of course down to what you call cheap.

Around here (southern Andalucia) it's actually quite difficult to find second hand cars at all - let alone cheap ones.

Whenever I'm in England I am amazed at a) the number of second hand cars for sale and b) how cheap they are.


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## Chris c (Jun 10, 2013)

I have a thought, many properties have an under build containing an apartment etc. the owners live in the main house/villa and usually only use the apartment for friends and family visiting.

If you could rent something like this then I'm sure they would be able to look after your vehicle/bikes while your away?


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## Pesky Wesky (May 10, 2009)

jimenato said:


> Sorry - yes - it's different in other parts of Spain and it's of course down to what you call cheap.
> 
> Around here (southern Andalucia) it's actually quite difficult to find second hand cars at all - let alone cheap ones.
> 
> Whenever I'm in England I am amazed at a) the number of second hand cars for sale and b) how cheap they are.


As a recent purchaser of a car (picked up the Kia Rio on Friday) I can say that in the Madrid area, if you've got the money to pay for a new car there's no advantage to getting second hand, nor to negotiate a monthly pay plan. What I mean is that yes, you can find second hand cars, but they are priced proportionately - hope you understand what I mean. It's certainly not the same market as in the UK.
Second hand goods in general do not come down a lot on price.


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## DaveC70 (Nov 8, 2012)

I am renting an Apartment which is empty every other month as I work Offshore, the Letting agent knew this when I started the Rental contract and this is not a problem as long as the Rent is paid each month.

Buying a cheap car is possible but after looking around them I decided they was not for me and had to spend €4000 to get something worth having.

The insurance is not a problem with a British Driving License you do however need an NIE before you can buy or insure the car, also you need to have a Spanish Bank account for the insurance.


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## Ducati lassy (Jun 11, 2013)

Thanks everyone for your replies 
Certainly some food for thought. The long term renting seems to be a no brainer really which is great news.
Had another thought re a car, if I were to buy a second hand left hand drive car in the uk , which I'm told are pretty cheap, and drive it over with uk plates can I inure it tax it for Spain and bring it back once a yr to get it mot ed or am I over complicating things


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Pesky Wesky said:


> As a recent purchaser of a car (picked up the Kia Rio on Friday) I can say that in the Madrid area, if you've got the money to pay for a new car there's no advantage to getting second hand, nor to negotiate a monthly pay plan. What I mean is that yes, you can find second hand cars, but they are priced proportionately - hope you understand what I mean. It's certainly not the same market as in the UK.
> Second hand goods in general do not come down a lot on price.


Well there you go - looking at coches.net I thought that Madrid was one of the places where you could actually get cheaper cars. Never mind.

The point really is that - OK - you might find a car you would call cheap, but it ain't like the UK.


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## jimenato (Nov 21, 2009)

Ducati lassy said:


> Thanks everyone for your replies
> Certainly some food for thought. The long term renting seems to be a no brainer really which is great news.
> Had another thought re a car, if I were to buy a second hand left hand drive car in the uk , which I'm told are pretty cheap, and drive it over with uk plates can I inure it tax it for Spain and bring it back once a yr to get it mot ed or am I over complicating things


It sounds a bit complicated. Also someone will correct me if I'm wrong here but I think that you are supposed to change the registration to Spanish after 6 months - and that can cost.


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Ducati lassy said:


> Thanks everyone for your replies
> Certainly some food for thought. The long term renting seems to be a no brainer really which is great news.
> Had another thought re a car, if I were to buy a second hand left hand drive car in the uk , which I'm told are pretty cheap, and drive it over with uk plates can I inure it tax it for Spain and bring it back once a yr to get it mot ed or am I over complicating things


Once you are resident (within 90 days) you must change any vehicles with a foreign registration to a Spanish one within 90 days. It is illegal for a resident to keep and use a foreign registered vehicle but you are given 90 days grace in which to re-register it (homolgation) In addition to what may be needed mechanically to comply with Spanish law, assuming it is a vehicle model that was available here (more complicated/impossible if it wasn't) you may be faced with importation tax depending on how long you have owned it and its value. With all the hassle, it often makes more sense to buy one in Spain.


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## Ducati lassy (Jun 11, 2013)

Ok this raises another question then, I take it that the 90 days for residence is a continuous stay? As this would be nothing more than a holiday place all be it must more regular there really wouldn't be. Stay as long as 90 days for the foreseeable future, unless of course I win the lottery and pack in work .
So are there any problem coming out every few weeks for less than the 90 days before you become resident I don't really know what being resident intails. as far as uk status as we have to keep that for both our work/pension/ tax etc purposes


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Ducati lassy said:


> Ok this raises another question then, I take it that the 90 days for residence is a continuous stay? As this would be nothing more than a holiday place all be it must more regular there really wouldn't be. Stay as long as 90 days for the foreseeable future, unless of course I win the lottery and pack in work .
> So are there any problem coming out every few weeks for less than the 90 days before you become resident I don't really know what being resident intails. as far as uk status as we have to keep that for both our work/pension/ tax etc purposes


In theory the 90 days is continuous, but there is nothing stopping them saying that, if you come for regular periods of less than 90 days, they want you to register and that opens up another "can of worms", since you would have to show a regular income into a Spanish bank account and/or capital also in a Spanish bank account plus healthcare provision. The healthcare side is important since if you depend on the EHIC and you need to use the medical services on a frequent or regular basis, the UK may refuse to reimburse, since it will appear to them that you are a resident and the EHIC is only for use when travelling, on holiday, or for other temporary stays.

w.r.t. tax and NI, etc. that only comes into effect if you are here for more than 183 days in a financial year (Jan- Dec in Spain) when you become a tax resident and liable to be taxed in Spain on your worldwide income.

Your being classed as a resident is partly for statistical purposes and partly for the ability for Spain to claim you as a liability in negotiations with the EU. Your registering on the Padron, enables the local authority to receive monies from the state in respect of your residence


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## Ducati lassy (Jun 11, 2013)

I think we need to look carefully at the implications of what you say baldilocks. I think a wee trip to the accountant is in order as my hubby usually is off shore enough days to reclaim uk tax and this bolt hole is in part to over any days he s short but mess this up and it could cost us dear


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## baldilocks (Mar 7, 2010)

Ducati lassy said:


> I think we need to look carefully at the implications of what you say baldilocks. I think a wee trip to the accountant is in order as my hubby usually is off shore enough days to reclaim uk tax and this bolt hole is in part to over any days he s short but mess this up and it could cost us dear


Of course, if you are living here while he is offshore, then you would be "resident" and they are progressively tightening up on those who try to cheat the system which means they are starting to watch everybody who doesn't appear to conform.


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## Ducati lassy (Jun 11, 2013)

I wouldn't be living in Spain while he s away as I work full time here in a post that doesn't seem to exist in Spain so I couldn't even consider leaving the uk for more than holidays which would be much more frequent than normal, granted but still not looking at a move just yet. This is really just looking at ways of taking advantage of having a place to nip off to whenever we feel like without the ties of buying yet until we are sure we like it and where we want to buy spain


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## jonmlb748 (Oct 30, 2011)

sounds like a great plan to me ,lucky you! and the Ducati is a?


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## VFR (Dec 23, 2009)

Its a no brainer !
Rent a place to live.
Rent a car for the short time you will be here.
Same goes for the bike.

= quids in, jump in (or on) turn the key & let the owner worry.


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## Ducati lassy (Jun 11, 2013)

jonmlb748 said:


> sounds like a great plan to me ,lucky you! and the Ducati is a?


Mines a wee monster 695


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## Aron (Apr 30, 2013)

Ducati lassy said:


> Thanks that's what I was hoping to hear, are there any implications for insurance of the property/ contents like there is in uk if you aren't living it for 30 or more days at a time?


Yes, that is a possibility, so you should discuss that with the owner before entering into a contract.


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