My name's Alex and this is my website all about San Pedro del Pinatar in Spain. Register now for free to talk about Introduce yourselves in San Pedro del Pinatar and much more!
ann75 wrote on Fri Jan 22, 2021 1:02am:
Hi Brendan, There is lots of good advice from other forum members here but one thing you may not understand is the term IVA (referred to by Rich T) - it means VAT. He provided very good information.
Maybe I missed it but did you say you are planning to retire here or just own a holiday property? Be aware that if you plan to become a resident here the Spanish taxes are higher than what you will pay in your own country and you will be liable for all assets worldwide including pensions, s...
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...avings, property etc. etc. If you are not planning to live here permanently the advice we were given was to remain a non resident for that reason.
However, if you are not planning on residency do check out the 90 day Schengen regulation. I won't even begin to get into it as it is quite complicated but until Brexit happened the Spanish authorities turned a blind eye to pretty much everyone like ourselves who owned second properties here and basically you could come and go as you pleased. The situation is a bit murky now because of Brexit. They may or may not start checking how long your are here but if you stay longer (even a day longer apparently) than 90 days in any 183 days and they find out you are still here you will be regarded as a resident and will have to pay Tax. and probably fines as well, hefty fines too. That's the worst case scenario and as an EU citizen you will have freedom of movement anyway. It's a wait and see situation. Nobody seems to know for sure what the authorities may do. My own humble opinion is that they will allow people like us snowbirds come and go like before, after all they spend plenty of money locally and local business owners would be none too pleased but that's only my opinion. Best to check it out if it affects you and there is loads of information available about this on the Net and elsewhere.
Having said all that, life here is wonderful on so many fronts so don't be put off by any negativity. The people are really nice and friendly and very helpful and English is widely understood.
Obviously the climate is wonderful but bear in mind it does get cold in the evenings even on the sunniest days. I understand the rainfall here is only 12" annually but I think the whole of that fell in just three days this month! Climate change manifesting itself. That said, it really doesn't rain much at all and yes, another member on the forum referred to some very bad storms in recent years with many properties flooded so do ask the question about that when you find a house/property you might like to buy - insurance companies are good sources of information on that front. July is the hottest month and August wouldn't be far behind but Spring, autumn and winter are really pleasant. As an aside, when it does rain there are two things to be aware of. One, it doesn't rain, it pours, really really heavy but it doesn't usually last long. Two, its a very dirty rain, quite mucky in fact. Your car will be destroyed but the good news is you can wash it for 3/4Euro. Not always, the recent rain was clean but we have had the mucky rain experience. Don't know what causes it, sand from Africa maybe but you will spend time cleaning up outside furniture etc. when it happens.
We bought a house with no heating or air con so we had to put that in and we are very happy we did that - you may not need it often but when you do you really must have it. You may be lucky and find a place with it installed and modern air con systems run more efficiently than before on the heating setting. We also put in a pellet burner and find it both efficient and economical. Around 2K will get you a good one for a house of the value you mentioned.
You mentioned walking - there are many areas you can avail of here and many cycle routes as well. |We are in San Pedro del Pinatar and currently the whole promenade is being upgraded. It was really lovely before they undertook this work so I can't wait to see what it will be like when they finish. You can walk by the sea all the way to Santiago de la Ribera and further to Los Alcazares, lovely wide promenade too.
There are many cities of interest, Murcia, Cartagena, Lorca - all within an easy drive. We are only here less than a year and because of Covid we haven't had many opportunities to explore other areas so I can't help much with that.
Typically you will get more bang for your buck if you locate outside the coastal areas. One town that comes to mind is Sucina, about a 15/20 min. drive from San Pedro - it's nice, small but tcompactly so and there is a good ex pat community there and English wouldn't be a problem. You may want the sea though and I only mention it in case you find it difficult to get a place that suits you near the coast. I don't know what the story is with mosquitos in the rural towns either but I didn't find them a problem so far in San Pedro. There are many pig processing plants in Spain and check for smells from them as well just in case. Flies are another problem in rural areas and there is a huge agriculture industry here so put that one on your list. I only mention Sucina because I've been there but there are many other really nice rural towns and villages not too far from the coast that you could think about.
Cost of living is cheaper. If you drive fuel is typically less than a Euro per litre. There are hardly any parking charges unless you use an official car park. One thing I was blown away with was the fact that they don't charge for siesta time in places where there are fees - can you imagine that happening in Ireland? But, in any case, there is ample car parking apart from the tourist season and you might prefer to leave the car at home then anyway.
There is a good bus service connecting the nearby towns as well but everything you need can be found within walking distance in San P. Food is probably a little less than supermarkets in Ireland but there wouldn't be a huge difference. Electricity is reputed to be the most expensive in Europe I've been told and on this Forum I see many people referring to it. I'd say its about the same as Ireland which, as you know, is very expensive too. Eating out is definitely cheaper. There is no piped gas supply - its gas tanks here. Water charges are very low too and it includes refuse.
We found plenty of eateries but not that many upmarket restaurants, just three that I've been to but the other eateries are quite good and there are a few gems worth going back to, smaller places with maybe two people but great imagination and flair. I don't know your culinary tastes but there are plenty of options nearby, in Santiago de la Ribera (you can walk to there on the sea front from San P.), also in Pilar de la Horadado, it's a lovely town less than 15 minutes drive away in the opposite direction along the coast or you could cycle either.
If you feel like something more urban, Torrevieja is not too far and again there would be a bus service. They have the La Zenia Boulevard, a pretty large shopping centre and there are some really good Irish pubs there - Paddy's Point is very nice and the food there is very good fare. Beside it there are one or two others I haven't been to. It's a bit too big for our taste though but it might suit you.
There is another Irish pub in San Pedro, McLoughlins but it hasn't been open since we got here. It used to be called Fitzgeralds but I noticed it has changed name so not sure if it's the same owners or what the story is. Beside it is a really nice pub called Estrella (the daughter's name not the beer!)). It is Spanish owned (mother and daughter, lovely people) and the mother cooks really lovely food. Inside you would think you were in a nice Irish/English pub with a very attractive bar, Tiffany lamps over it and really nicely finished - it's a good bit back from the sea front and I think it's mainly Spanish or ex pats that frequent it. Enough about pubs. But before I finish, the hotel just up from Estralla, The Trañia has a lovely roof top bar area with dancing and music in the summer months. It tends to attract an older cohort and there are magnificant views from there as well.
Now that I've entertained you with food and drink lets get back to basics. You will have to pay Property Tax like at home but it's not that high, depends on the value of your property. I can't remember what I paid last year but it was a lot cheaper than where we used to be previously in North East Spain. Also there is a non resident tax if you are not planning to become a resident & again, it's not a fortune (many believe this to be an illegal tax but you still must pay it and defaults incur hefty penalties).
We use MAM solicitors in San Xavier, not far either, and they will fill you in on everything you need to know and they don't charge a fortune. Make a list of all your questions before you go and make the most use of your time there. Ask about Health insurance while you're at it - we are not residents so I don't know the ins and outs of that. I'm sure there are other very good solicitors in San Pedro as well. We used Zafiro for our house purchase and found him very honest and very helpful. Again, I am sure there are other very good ones as well.
I'd better stop or this will become a book but if you need any further information and if I can help don't hesitate to get back to me. I do hope I haven't said anything to put you off because it really is a wonderful place to live, a stress free easy going environment with the all important great weather that we all miss at home. Best of luck, you are doing the right thing - ask plenty of questions and get a good feel of the area before making any final decision. The forum members on here are great with providing help always. Cheers for now.
Thanks for your great post and all the information in it. We'll be signing for our new house in San Pedro next week (fingers crossed!) and look forward to searching out all those places that you mention.
