Oddsocks
Ryder Cup Winner
Sounds like they’re pushing the brits out ..
Long term house rental Spain
- Thread starter Bassfisher
- Start date
400,000+ pensioners spending a minimum of €100 per week… and then there’s the Brits that have opened businesses. Those of us here, and established, are ok-ish but it isn’t as comfortable as it was.
Depreston
Club Champion
Where are these areas?
PhilTheFragger
Provider of Entertainment for the Golfing Gods 🙄
Posts referring to politics & Brexit have been removed
Please give the OP the info he is after without political bias or comment
Please give the OP the info he is after without political bias or comment
Crazyface
Tour Winner
Sounds dreadful
Mel Smooth
Hacker
We left on Monday, got back to the UK late last night. In the three years we lived there, it became increasingly obvious that we couldn’t enjoy life there, plus we’ve got a granddaughter here, and ageing parents that deserve more of our attention than we could give them from Spain.
There were plenty more where we lived that were considering returning as well.
Covid obviously didn’t help, but those were 3 of the hardest and most frustrating years of my life.
Bobthesock
Active member
Agree with all what's been said. The weather is great in the Spain, the golf courses are great(if very overpriced) but everything else you may as well be in Belarus
KenL
Tour Rookie
To the OP, would Portugal be a more welcoming proposition?
I believe they are actively encouraging people to live there with their D7 visa program.
I believe they are actively encouraging people to live there with their D7 visa program.
Ricardo1969
New member
If you're considering early retirement in Spain and looking for a golf community, you might want to check out the Costa del Sol region.
In terms of renting, it's recommended to research the different areas and properties to find what suits your needs and budget. As for retiring in Spain, you may want to look into the non-lucrative visa program, which allows non-EU citizens to retire in Spain provided they meet certain financial and other requirements.
(Link removed, spam-like)
Good luck with your plans!
Last edited by a moderator:
sunshine
Well-known member
Er surely it's the opposite
sunshine
Well-known member
Ha - I've fallen victim to a classic case of thread resurrection by a spammer.
But reading the thread was a bit of an eye opener.
1. I think it's fair to say that as you get older you start to rely on the health service more. It's no surprise that the Spanish government doesn't look favourably at Brits wanting to retire in Spain. People who have spent their whole working life paying UK taxes and NIC, have never paid the Spanish government a penny in tax, but will now potentially cost the state thousands.
2. Brits on the piss have given the UK a terrible reputation in Spain and other tourist destinations. From what I've seen we are the worst behaved. Especially when football is involved: other countries seem to keep their hooligans at home, we transport ours around Europe to proudly embarrass themselves, and us.
3. How many Brits speak Spanish? Speaking louder and slower is hardly going to endear yourself to the locals. If you're fluent in Spanish you'll have no problems, it's easy to get by in one of the friendliest countries in Europe.
But reading the thread was a bit of an eye opener.
1. I think it's fair to say that as you get older you start to rely on the health service more. It's no surprise that the Spanish government doesn't look favourably at Brits wanting to retire in Spain. People who have spent their whole working life paying UK taxes and NIC, have never paid the Spanish government a penny in tax, but will now potentially cost the state thousands.
2. Brits on the piss have given the UK a terrible reputation in Spain and other tourist destinations. From what I've seen we are the worst behaved. Especially when football is involved: other countries seem to keep their hooligans at home, we transport ours around Europe to proudly embarrass themselves, and us.
3. How many Brits speak Spanish? Speaking louder and slower is hardly going to endear yourself to the locals. If you're fluent in Spanish you'll have no problems, it's easy to get by in one of the friendliest countries in Europe.
My (limited) view as an immigrant here in Spain…
1. Healthcare is an issue, but I’d say the Spanish are far better at health tourism than the U.K. And if someone is really serious about coming to Spain, sort out private healthcare. It’s expensive, especially for those of us who retired early and aren’t eligible to sign on for state funded healthcare. However, even modest pensions are taxed… we do pay our way.
2. The fact many Brits go to a bar to find friends can’t be hidden but the % who get smashed isn’t that great. They just make way too much noise. We spent Sunday afternoon in one of the busiest bars locally but didn’t see a single drunk Brit - don’t always believe all the press. But get away from the Benidorms and you’ll meet far more sensible Brits, myself excluded of course.
3. How many Brits speak Spanish; not that many. Even in our quiet corner of Spain it isn’t needed. And there’s plenty of Spaniards who’ve set themselves up as translators. My Spanish gets me by in most scenarios, even going to the local farm supplier for materials for the bowling club, but if it’s too technical or it’s a visit to hospital/docs I’ll take a translator for safety’s sake.
Things are loosening up, post-withdrawal agreement, including an easy driving licence exchange for those that haven’t had the chance yet. There’s more legislation in the pipeline to make things even easier but things here go at snail’s pace.
1. Healthcare is an issue, but I’d say the Spanish are far better at health tourism than the U.K. And if someone is really serious about coming to Spain, sort out private healthcare. It’s expensive, especially for those of us who retired early and aren’t eligible to sign on for state funded healthcare. However, even modest pensions are taxed… we do pay our way.
2. The fact many Brits go to a bar to find friends can’t be hidden but the % who get smashed isn’t that great. They just make way too much noise. We spent Sunday afternoon in one of the busiest bars locally but didn’t see a single drunk Brit - don’t always believe all the press. But get away from the Benidorms and you’ll meet far more sensible Brits, myself excluded of course.
3. How many Brits speak Spanish; not that many. Even in our quiet corner of Spain it isn’t needed. And there’s plenty of Spaniards who’ve set themselves up as translators. My Spanish gets me by in most scenarios, even going to the local farm supplier for materials for the bowling club, but if it’s too technical or it’s a visit to hospital/docs I’ll take a translator for safety’s sake.
Things are loosening up, post-withdrawal agreement, including an easy driving licence exchange for those that haven’t had the chance yet. There’s more legislation in the pipeline to make things even easier but things here go at snail’s pace.
Missed your post saying you’d gone back Mel, and sorry it didn’t work out for you. We waited till our parents were gone, which bearing in mind how frail they were in their latter years was definitely the right thing to do for us. Missing g’ kids, especially with the travel restrictions around the pandemic, is an ongoing issue. But bearing in mind how much we saw them when we lived in the U.K., they’re dotted around from London to Newcastle, we see them and FaceTime them more than we used to.
But the bureaucracy here is mind numbingly frustrating to the point of screaming sometimes. And for that we just pass any issues to a Gestor.
sunshine
Well-known member
Good post!
Don’t underestimate the impact of a few drunken idiots. They leave a lasting impression and tar us all with the same brush. When I lived in Barcelona many people had stories of the disgusting antics of Man U “fans”, even though they were only there for one day.
Secondly, I can’t emphasise enough how much difference it makes if you speak the language. Even if the locals speak English, they will resent you if they have to make the effort to speak in your language in their country.
D-S
Well-known member
I agree, it is the sheer arrogance of some Brits abroad, even those that live there, that assume the locals will automatically be able to understand them and even get upset when they don't fully comprehend every word. At the very least you can try even with a few opening words in the language of the country you are in with some attempt at pronouncing them roughly right.
Imagine the horror and outrage over here if the roles were reversed.
SwingsitlikeHogan
Major Champion
Unfortunately we don’t have to imagine that hard as many working in the health and care sectors can testify
Mel Smooth
Hacker
There really isn't much I miss about Spain - bizarre as when we holidayed there prior to moving I loved the place. If we'd been retired I'm sure it would have been different, but trying to work through the heat of summer, coupled with the bureaucracy you mention was not doing me any good at all.
We’ve just done a supermarket run. All the ordering was done in Spanish, even though they all speak very good Ingles. And whilst the cashier was ‘pinging’ our purchases through we had a conversation about the current weather(36*) and the possibility of water rationing. I then spoke of the potential of having to shut one of the two bowling greens(clube de bolos) if they decide to ration.
They love it when you try, and love it even more if you ask what a word is in Spanish, como se dici en espanyol. Some of it is downright ignorance- a good mate has been here 19 yrs and refuses to even try.
howbow88
Hacker
Genuine question: Isn't it impossible to answer queries about Brits moving to Spain without talking about Brexit?
howbow88
Hacker
It is very much an arrogance from us.
We've been to France a few times and my wife can speak very limited French. When we go to a restaurant, she will talk to the staff in French and after a few minutes, they just start talking to us in English. As a result, we've never encountered the apparent rudeness that others have from them.
It really is a case of just making a bit of an effort.