relocating
 

Hi very newbie...so easy does it, my husband and i are wanting to relocate to spain and are interested in property management (key holder of property airport runs, cleaning etc) either setting up a business or buying one. If anybody knows of any such like going or information on how to start up out there all information would be a bonus. Thank you Nikki:)

Re: relocating
 

As Concierge for the Spanish section of BE I would like to say hello and welcome.

BE is a very large expat website, so if you have problems finding your way around we have concierges who will try to direct you. The moderators for the Spanish forums are Mitzyboy and Fred James, moderators are there to ensure that the site runs smoothly within the rules of BE. Problems and complaints should always be addressed to a moderador who will look into the matter and deal with it efficiently and fairly. Our members who post in the Spain Forums are friendly and helpful with a wealth of knowledge of the issues of living in Spain. At the top of the page you will find a quirkily named thread called Free Beer which is full of important and useful information. Hope you enjoy your time participating in the forums.

Please let me know if you need any further help.

Rosemary

Re: relocating
 

Hi and welcome. Thousands of them and probably thousands less since the crisis hits Spain. Buying one hmmmm never heard of any for sale, many won't be/are not legal so doubt you would find them for sale. You would need to be self employed as earning in Spain means autonomo which costs roughly 250 euros a month.

There stories of bad ones all over expats sites and few stories of good ones.

No idea if that indicates anything at all and have had no dealings with any.

Re: relocating
 

Hi and Welcome,

In actual fact, in theory, you have hit on one area where you could find work as many builders etc., have returned leaving a possible opportunity. BUT the fly in the ointment is that the Hotels don't want people to be able to rent out their houses for short holidays, and are asking for the law to be changed.

I personally would not buy any such business, but simply advertise. But you need to be able to do or get over winter jobs done to maintain the house, and be able, at the drop of a hat, to replace that machine etc., that has just broken down during the season.

Further you may want to think about having a website advertising the houses for rent. All do-able, but it takes a lot of "get up and go" to get a new business off the ground, especially if unlike most, you intend to be legal.

Davexf

Re: relocating
 

Big Thank you for your comments...most helpful, interesting advice that you all give maybe we'll buy a cattery instead lol

Re: relocating
 

You would, of course, need all the licences as well, and forget airport runs, unless you are a registered taxi company, then that will be illegal, and there are police crackdowns on such things with local taxi firms reporting any vehicle doing them that isn't licenced as a taxi. People doing airport runs unlicenced run the, not inconsiderable, risk of being stopped, having their vehicle impounded and being left stranded at the roadside, with visitors, luggage etc.

Re: relocating
 

Hi

I knew an estate agent that registered to do airport runs to collect and return clients. They were always at the airport in the boom years so I assume it was all legal and above board.

Davexf

Re: relocating
 

Yes. but that would be a legal business with all licences, and they would only pick up clients of the estate agents, usually those coming in on house hunting trips.

Re: relocating
 

So even if some one is hiring a car from me and i choose to pick them up and take them back to the airport...thats classed as illegal...or i need a licence for it?

Re: relocating
 

if you had a hire car business you'd need licences & insurances - you'd have to include the airport pick-up side of things in those licences & insurances if you were offering that service

Re: relocating
 

you must be philanthropic multi-millionaires who want to down size your wallets.

catteries like most of the things out here are a money pit, there is no profit in it. Thats why people "volunteer" to work there.

as to the house maintenance etc - theoretically a good idea but remember it is up to the property owner to keep it up to date and maintained (unless you will do all that for free). You could be taking people to some very grotty rentals when they have spent oodles on the rent.

most things have been tried out here - just remember the old joke
If you wish to leave Spain a millionaire
come out with 2 millions.

Re: relocating
 

Buy a property management business and you will find that the clients disappear with the seller:( Many failed estate agents have turned to management and the market is saturated.

Re: relocating
 

I agree totally with point one but on point two, then if you are a "doer" rather than managing, (cleaning pools, cutting grass, pruning trees and painting) and are reliable and properly priced, then I believe there is a small window of opportunity for work over the winter period.

But you must be reliable and willing to work long hours to survive (exist). And in the summer, you must be able to cope with everything a disgruntled renter throws at you.

Davexf

Re: relocating
 

al sounds very depressing lol....so a business in spain is the same as the uk but with better weather!!!! is there a good business to be in???

Re: relocating
 

Legally yes he is right, in principal it goes on all the time, they have crackdowns but it does not stop it, not at all,

Re: relocating
 

There is two very big advantages, but they are UK advantages, and that is the free NHS, and a welfare system, neither of which exist in Spain, certainly not for people over there working without a legal contract or being self employed and paying the dues. Even then the Spanish NHS isn't free, and welfare is extremely limited.

Re: relocating
 

I realise that the OP has to start asking questions somewhere, but I'm amazed at the naivety of some of the posters on these forums, they would appear to have done zilch research about life in Spain. I'm sure many will have had a few weeks holiday in the sun, and thought "I'll have some of this!" It's general knowledge Spain is on the bone's of it's arse, it's skint, unemployment almost the highest in the EU, the Spanish leaving in droves to try and find a job, any job, anywhere. There is no financial help for Brits like there is in UK, if you've got plenty of money to retire on, fine, if you need to work and have no special skills to offer, forget it! The situation in UK is so much better, but even so I have just been reading of Spanish working in London in their forum, and people are asking about moving to London and the Spanish are telling them, it's full of Spanish, forget it! ;) Try somewhere else!
Por cierto, para el nuevo forero, los spaniards somos una plaga en Londres. (it's that word "plaga" again!:rofl:)
Cuantos inmigrantes puede absorber UK? Yo creo que por lo menos Londres ya está llegando a sus límites, quizás otras zonas estén mejor.

Re: relocating
 

I don't know how they can afford to live in London as I would choose London over Spain but we can not afford too, and trust me I have tried.

I guess as some ex pats love Spain, some españoles love Londres, the music, the culture and the 9-5, we all different, some prefer REM to David Bisbal !!!

Other areas ??

not for me

Re: relocating
 

I suspect a lot are hotel workers etc, and most will live in bedsits in the less salubrious parts of London. There are also thousands of Spanish working in hotels in Bournemouth, according to our local news at the start of summer, amny of these will be university students earing a bit of holiday money.

Re: relocating
 

A report, written by the EU states there are 600,000 unemployed migrants living in the UK. Many of them seem to manage to live in London:blink:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worl...migration.html

Re: relocating
 

IDS with the support of other Northern nations with similar issues and the tacit support or Merkel is trying too introduce a 6 month qualifying period before benefits can be claimed.
He faces opposition from the EU commisioner for employment.
The EU is also trying to take the UK to court over current pre conditions such as having a permanent address before qualifying for benefits.
It is not just a UK problem.

Re: relocating
 

And flat sharing, sleeping on friend's sofas etc

All the Spaniards I knew in London 6-7 years had very good professional jobs, but things are very different now. 10,000s have come to London in the hope of getting any job, improving their English and then once their English is better, to try and find something related to their degree. Almost all are 25-34 who have spent a couple of years in Spain after university and havent found any work at all.

The Spaniards in London are way better qualified than the Brits who tend to come to Spain. The only way for a non-qualified, non-fluent Spanish speaker to make money in Spain, is to clean the toilets of other Brits, to con other Brits, or to pick up any crumbs they may throw at you

The best thing to do is to run an online business or work remotely in a job/business that is already doing well in the UK. Then simply get an internet connection in Spain.

Re: relocating
 

ok..so i started this link and now i have a completely different view on starting a business up in spain...not all its made out to be then!!! thats where these forums come in useful i guess, though i'm sure some brits have been lucky and made it. One other question i have is, someone i know is selling her house and business. she works from home teaching english..she says she's inundated with work as people are desperate to learn english, she has run it for 9 yerars and is selling it as a going concern..is this something that is thriving in spain...or not...thanks for reading nikki

Re: relocating
 

You have to ask yourself why someone would be selling a successful business if it's "indunated" with work:confused: Most going concerns in Spain turn out to be pie in the sky. People don't walk away from good businesses, they put in a manager.

Re: relocating
 

You've hit it spot on!

Re: relocating
 

I think shes coming back to the uk for personal reasons

Re: relocating
 

it might be true - but that's what they always say

the 'personal reasons' are more often than not that they can't afford to stay here any more :(

Re: relocating
 

or if they are retired its usually one of the grandchildren needs them at home
or one of them has to go home for medical reasons

although one retired couple I know are just selling up to move from 1700m asl to the coast for medical reasons - but are staying in Spain