Spain Explained

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. Using the weather to generate electricity is nothing new. With the increasing depletion of the traditional energy sources you would imagine that increasing the consumption of weather power would be high on every government agenda. However, it isn’t as simple as building more turbines or offering […]

Last updated on March 17th, 2020 at 05:56 pm. This year there have been some changes for those who have a non-resident company in Spain. The changes took effect from 1st January 2013 and mean that for the tax year 2013 there is no longer a requirement to present the Spanish tax declaration form 213 […]

Last updated on March 17th, 2020 at 05:58 pm. If you own a property in Spain you should be ready for the unexpected. Not everything will run logically or operate in the way that you are used to. If your connection with Spain is more than a few years old, you will know exactly what […]

Last updated on March 17th, 2020 at 06:00 pm. As the deadline for the non-resident tax declarations (December 31st) approaches, many non-residents with property in Spain have been coming to us with their questions. Here, we summarise the answers. Am I a resident or a non-resident? If you live in Spain for more than 183 […]

Last updated on March 19th, 2020 at 09:56 am. Do you ever get thrown by this question? Having lived in Spain for a few years now I find it increasingly difficult to decide how to respond. Of course, the context is all important. If I am in a bar talking to someone new then I […]

Last updated on March 19th, 2020 at 09:57 am. It’s October and already in some countries, there is the tentative onset of Christmas preparations.  The early heralding of the Christmas season is something that some of our native countries are renowned for. In Spain, however, the coming of Christmas is a much more low-key affair. […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. ‘Isn’t it warm for October?’ If you are living on or visiting the Costa Blanca this month you may feel as though you have been dropped into Spain in the middle of August. It is hot. With daytime temperatures up to 30 degrees this year, it […]

Last updated on March 19th, 2020 at 03:14 pm. You may already have heard about the changes to inheritance legislation and Spanish wills in Spain. There are important changes taking place that may affect you if you are an EU citizen and a resident here. New EU inheritance legislation The Regulation (EU) No. 650/2012 states: […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. Cast your mind back to 2004. The boom years in Spain. Property prices were rising, tourists were flocking in and the future seemed rosy with an ever growing market and plenty of land to build on. Lots of Spanish airports were needed to meet the demand. […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. It’s hard to know where to start with a title like ‘museums in Spain’. There are over 1,500 of them and no post on any blog can begin to pay justice to the variety that are available to the interested. Here, I can only touch on […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. The reasons why people buy a house in Spain are varied. Many people would admit that the weather was a significant draw here. However, culture, food, pace of life, fiestas, a rich history are all reasons given for making this financial investment. But how much do […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. Ábaco means abacus in Spanish. There are some very good reasons why Ábaco was named after this nifty piece of calculating apparatus. John Paoli, founder of Ábaco Advisers, explains, ‘Having a company name starting with the letters ab gives you a little bit of an advantage […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. Perhaps they are not the most likely duo, but Sweden and Spain are building links. The country of the north with the limited sunshine is teaming up with the country of the south, siestas and fiestas. It’s perhaps because of rather than in spite of their […]

Last updated on March 19th, 2020 at 03:15 pm. Different countries have different rules about inheritance. For example, Spanish succession law requires that when someone dies two-thirds of the total inheritance must go to the children. They are the ‘legal beneficiaries’. This then only leaves one third of the estate to be disposed of according […]

Last updated on October 28th, 2019 at 04:32 pm. In the anxiety to sell your Spanish home you can neglect to consider how you will transfer the money back to your home country once the sale is complete. It’s understandable that other priorities engage you. Will the sale go through? Has all the correct paper […]

Last updated on March 19th, 2020 at 09:59 am. In the middle of an economic crisis it seems as though European governments are thinking up even more weird and wonderful ways of clawing back money. Of course, taxation is one of the main ways that they can attempt to make the books balance. But who […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. There has always been debate about just how beneficial it is for a country to be part of the European Community. For some countries it has been more controversial than others. There is continuing stress on relationships due to countries’ individual economies and perceptions held about […]

Last updated on October 28th, 2019 at 04:33 pm. Many people buying a Spanish property have relied on obtaining a mortgage in Spain to help them. At one time, this was incredibly easy to do leading to some of the difficulties people now find themselves in.  Negative equity, unaffordable payments that are not matched by […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. We all hope that the need will never arise, but it is important to be prepared for an emergency in Spain – just in case. In many respects the Spanish emergency services work in a very similar way to most other countries. The European emergency number […]

Last updated on October 28th, 2019 at 04:33 pm. Once you have found the property you’d like to buy in Spain, you want it to proceed as quickly as possible. The buying process requires a number of signatures and appearances at the Spanish notary. Depending on where you are living, this can present problems and […]

Last updated on October 28th, 2019 at 05:07 pm. The vast majority of lettings in Spain work well. The tenant pays on time and the landlord is earning money on his investment. However, on occasions, problems do develop and tenants in Spain can default on their rent or even damage property. Previously, there was limited […]

Last updated on October 28th, 2019 at 05:07 pm. Letting property in Spain can be a safe option.  However, our lawyers at Ábaco are well aware of the issues to do with paper work and legal regulations that can appear so obstructive to the course of justice. Systems in any country can be slow to […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. I remember learning at school about the window tax of the 17th and 18th century. A property tax based on the number of windows in the house, it led to people taking all kinds of measures in order to avoid it. Now in the 21st century […]

Last updated on October 28th, 2019 at 05:08 pm. The economic crisis in Spain has caused hardship for many people. There has been recent press coverage of the difficulties that mortgage holders and tenants in Spain have found themselves in when they have suffered a drop in income. It’s not just tenants who have found […]

Last updated on September 13th, 2019 at 09:10 am. In another blog I have written about the sport of pelota/ pilota – a ball game traditionally linked to Spain. Not unlike pelota, Spanish padel tennis has strong associations with Spanish-speaking countries. However,  it is not as old a sport and was developed in the late […]