brise

Hi everyone, looking to pick the collective brain once more (it's been a while since I last posted!) hubby and I live in France and have done so for 12yrs and we are fully integrated. We are looking for a change of scenery and can't decide whether to take the plunge completely and move fully to Spain, or have a foot in both camps....France and Spain. We are toying with the idea of a pied a terre in France and buying a mobile home on the coast somewhere in Spain. Our thoughts are we could rent the mobile home for the spring/summer/autumn, then we would use it late autumn/winter/early spring. We think this will enable us to keep our benefits of being in the French system for healthcare/tax etc until all is sorted with Brexit and give us the opportunity to sample life in Spain before we make a definitve move. We will learn the language as we did when we moved to France. Our question is would this be possible, does anyone else do this?? Any advice/thoughts, info on taxes/costs, possible sites etc would be very much appreciated. Many thanks in advance, we are thinking of later this yr for the move!!!

Eric S

Make sure to stay in Spain less than 183 days each calendar year. Otherwise, you'll automatically become a tax resident and have to pay taxes to Spain.

- Eric S.

brise

Hi Eric S, many thanks for your reply, I think we will definitely be within the 183 days, unless of course we make a permanent move!

deadshoppingmalls

Not to burst your bubble...but Spain...even the costas get pretty cold and bleak and miserable in the winter - not to mention deserted. Sure...it'd be slightly warmer than say Cornwall in winter.

brise

Hi deadshoppingmalls, many thanks for your reply. We can get up to minus 15 in winter where we live now, so anything above that would be a bonus and living in rural France, we are used to things being quiet in winter. I doubt we would be too far inland as we like the coast, but looking to have the flexibility of a foot on both camps!

pwwm

We live on the Costa Tropical (Costa Granadina) our winters never go below zero, would say it is cold at plus 9 ish, bear in mind we are close to the coast, but if you go up into the Alpujarra then you get the snow etc. we just use a wood burner for the chillier evenings in winter and I find that is sufficient. currently we are around 20dg daily with the odd drop in temp. This was why we chose around here and not further north. Had Christmas with family in UK and Belgium, couldn't wait to get back to the sun

MikeJ

We were going to have a property in France as well as one in Spain (this was before the crash) and spend six months in each.
The OH would spend the summer in Spain and I would be in France and we would swap over mid year

brise

Many thanks pwwm, that is most helpful Will get onto good old google maps and have a look!

brise

HAHAHAHA MikeJ, that is soooo funny, other half has just said that is not a bad idea lol!

Bridie55

We winter here and it is lovely much warmer than you think the odd day is cool as are the nights but we have not had heaters on for a month and I even went in the pool last week it was so warm.

brise

Many thanks for your reply Bridie55, can I ask, do you have a holiday house or a mobile home and how do you get on with taxes (version council tax etc). We are trying to find out the average costs to have one foot in each country so to speak, so just looking for 'approximate' costs, not individual costs, cheers

Bridie55

We rent just over 11 weeks in winter but less than 90 days and 6 weeks in sept/oct. We never stay out of the UK for more than 180 days a year with our other motoring trips around Europe. So all taxes paid in UK.

brise

Hi Bridie55 many thanks for your prompt reply, more or less what we will be doing regarding timescales but from France and we will be touring as well in our trusted motorhome lol!