As a few people have asked me to share my experience of our move to Spain so I thought I would start a thread.......

After waiting 3 years for our place to be ready (new build on an urbanisation) we were finally told that our place was ready and we could move in any time after Easter. We accepted a low offer on our house (£10,000 below asking price) for a quick sale (promised to complete in 28 days). Booked a removal van and started packing. We phoned our agents after booking the removal van to confirm the date we would be arriving, all was ok.

It all began to go wrong when we got an e-mail from our solicitor a week before we were due to leave saying that we couldn't have the keys to our place as the deeds were not ready to be signed!! We then had to arrange for somewhere to rent, luckily someone on the urbanisation offered us his holiday home.

The next thing to go wrong was the removal people - Euromovers, I DO NOT recommend them!!! They turned up in a van too small for all our belongings and the first thing said to us was "Now you need to prioritise because it may not all fit in the van"

After the van was loaded to capacity they said goodbye and drove away - we still had furniture and boxes in the house! We then had to find somewhere to store the things we couldn't take and take stuff and furniture to the local charity shop. Lots of stuff had to be left in the house for our daughter to deal with as we had to leave by 6.30pm to get to Folkestone and the channel tunnel, already booked for 10.20pm

The journey was awful, travelling with four cats, sleeping in the car - and we ran out of petrol on the first night in France, we were directed to a petrol staion but it was closed so we slept in the car on the forecourt until a kind person came on to get petrol and used his card at the pump to get us petrol in exchange for the cost in euros. Another couple with two young children were on the forecourt all night too in the same situation as us. Oh - and it was raining and blowing a gale

We arrived at the urbanisation at midnight after two days and were greeted by a lovely couple who I had been in touch with on the urbanisation website and they had offered to put us up when we arrived - our guardian angels! Whatever would we have done without them Complete strangers who guided us through the first three days They even arranged with another couple to store our belongings when they arrived as the place we were renting was furnished and only small.

The next bad thing - the furniture arrived the same day we did, on the Sun day A DAY EARLY!!! Because he needed to get back as his daughter had just had a baby and he needed to get back to England to see her! So then we had to unload our stuff ourselves as he was alone

We finally got the keys to our place after 5 weeks and were able to move in but had to buy light fittings as there are no lights installed, luckily the electricity was on and we had a couple of lamps we could plug in.

Now we are in the process of re-registering the car and getting our padron - another story I won't bore you with as that also has not been straight forward!

Oh, and to cap it all - our house sale in England still hasn't completed after 9 weeks!!! So much for 28 days HUH!!

you poor things.
sounds like you've had a dreadful start!

I hope it has all been worth it????

where have you moved too?

Hi Paul, we are in Castalla, inland Costa Blanca, yes, a bad start but we are the type to bounce back, there is always someone else worse off. We haven't really had a chance to relax and enjoy Spain yet but once the paperwork is all completed we can. Once the car has got it's Spanish plates we are going to Albir to meet up with Sue G and her husband, looking forward to that, and then hopefully soon we will be able to travel further afield to meet up with Martha and her husband soon. I'm just glad the worse bit is over

well not a good start at all to your new life in Spain... as the song goes "things can only get better" - sometimes its better to have a rough start to bring it home what you are doing, in the long run it makes it all worth it (same for us, really pants 1st year or so, but we got through it and so will you)

so keep your chin up, Im sure it will all sort it self out

I bet it feels good too, writing about it and getting it out of your system.

Oh yes, it certainly does - I needed to let it all out!

The removal people sound nightmarish, incompetent and unprofessional. Surely they knew how much stuff you were taking when they came to give you an estimate and sorted out what size van you needed.

The trials and tribulations of relocating are similar whereever you are moving to and is not because you had decided on Spain.

Your journey here, the problems with the houses will become a blur shortly and you will start to enjoy yourselves. There is no problem driving around in your UK registered vehicle for a while so get out and about whilst you are metriculating it. Each piece of paperwork that you deal with will make you feel more involved with your chosen country.

We have been here almost a year and have had loads of different problems but it has made us more determined not to let others get us down.

Winners never quit
Quitters never win

So 'the only way is up' by Yaz comes to mind.

You are strong and determined and this will get you through the trials of relocating.

Good Luck

Rosemary

Well I'm glad you got through it with a sense of humour ... mine may have failed!!

The move itself I found incredibly stressful, even though not too much went wrong. Had I had the nightmare that you did I'm not sure how I would have got through.

It has been tough at times, but if a stresshead like me can get through it I'm sure you will win through

Oh I've been stressing big time not least over the stuff we had to leave behind. But as Rosemary says - The only way is UP

Oh - forgot to say, we had a really bad storm a couple of weeks after we arrived and I slipped on the wet kitchen floor bringing in the cat litter and fell badly twisting my knee and bruising my arm. I'm only limping slightly now though so that's good news

have you ever thought of hosting motivation seminars

By quoting YAZ!

Hi Lionda,
Oh dear it has not been very good for you,I should think that when you are moving to Spain you have already gone through everything with a fine tooth comb and decided what to take or not,the removal people sound like a right set of cowboys,to say the least,it must of been awful for you to have to leave belongings behind,and I dont suppose there is any chance of retrieving them.
Im sorry to hear that you had a horrible trip over,but looking on the bright side ,its all behind you now.
It is however good to hear that you are at last in your own Villa that is good news after everything you have been through to get there.
There is a lot of people who have problems with solicitors,my O/H,s aunty has recently been pulling her hair out because she could not move in a house she bought here,one mess after another,it happens no matter where you are moving to.
Well now your are in your villa and getting settled in ,I would take time to enjoy it now and put everything behind you,Im sure you are OK to drive in Spain for awhile,Id check it out,I think you are covered for three months on UK insurance.I think you can drive about for six months without having to register it.some one get the shot gun if Im wrong
You will have to let us know how you like living there,once you are settled.
I hope everything sorts it self out with your house in the UK soon,at least then you will be able to draw a final line under the whole experience.
Lionda I really hope that from here on in you enjoy your new life in Spain and everything starts to fall into place for you,at least you will be enjoying better weather than we have here.........Good Luck and take care

I feel a you tube moment coming on

What a nightmare you have had, but at least you are here now, and as the song goes "Things can only get better",

Good luck for the future

Any more comments like that and I'll be round to motivate you!!!!!!!


Rosemary