Spain cannot be said to be a country of moderation. Most things are done larger than life. Perhaps the level to which the Spanish seem to embrace life itself reflects the extremes of its climate. The summer heat can be unforgiving. The summer is harsh here, even though it’s enjoyed by those escaping the less [...]
The real-estate sector in Spain has one and now the electricity companies want one too. What is it? It’s their very own version of the ‘bad bank’, or banco malo as it is known in Spanish. This idea is not a new one and has already been proposed to the Government as a way of [...]
The state of the real-estate sector is not equal across the country. While some areas are deserted with barely a property purchaser in sight, in others prospective buyers are clamouring to get a look in at what’s on offer. Some areas have thousands of empty properties for sale, and finding an empty house or apartment [...]
According to an announcement from Spain’s minister for Industry, Energy and Tourism, José Manuel Soria, last week, the price of electricity will ‘most probably’ reduce by more than 3.7% this year. This figure, he says, is the same amount by which the cost of electricity fell last year. “In 2013, the price of electricity in [...]
If you own any type of property in Mallorca and want to rent it out to tourists and holidaymakers at any period during the year, it’s going to be tough from now on. The regional government has prepared a draft law on the subject which forms part of the Tourist Law, which governs this type [...]
Whenever you go on holiday abroad, it’s always best to keep your wits about you and try to ensure that you don’t fall for any of the common ways in which tourists are often ‘taken for a ride’. Getting caught out by one canny opportunist could be an incredibly costly mistake, and could even end [...]
Did you know that the cost of electricity in Spain went up by a further 8% in July? Personally, I can’t keep up with its meanderings, but what I do know is that the Government’s energy reform has not really been a success. Despite reassurances from the government team that after the reform, electricity prices [...]
The average price of renting a property in Spain rose by 1.5% during the second quarter of this year, according to a study carried out by Fotocasa and the IESE Business School. This is the first time that the cost to rent a home has gone up in the last 12 quarters, or 3 years. [...]
Property investors, and investors of all kinds, in fact, have had their eye on Spanish real estate for some time now. So much so that during the first 6 months of this year, they have invested a total of 6 billion euro into distressed properties in this country. According to the report by Cushman & [...]
We thought that with the regulation of the energy sector and a new system being put in place after the Government stepped in that, that would be the end of our electricity bill increase nightmares and the service would resume some kind of normality. That’s what we were led to believe, but that quite possibly [...]
