Should I come back ??
Feb 7th 2015, 3:00 pm
#16
Started off with nothing
Joined: Feb 2009
Posts: 4,946
Re: Should I come back ??
Great minds think alike, or is it ........ ?
Feb 7th 2015, 3:06 pm
#17
Ex Expat
Joined: Oct 2006
Location: West Midlands, ex Granada province
Posts: 2,140
Re: Should I come back ??
From someone who has lived in Spain and returned to the UK ........ when you're sitting here in the midst of winter, it IS easy to think that life would be a lot better in a warmer climate. My comments to many people though, in the opast, has been "same sh!t, different place".
And to some extent that is true. I remember all the hassle I had with the authorities in Spain over such stupid things. The politicians who only took notice of you when there was an election due, the hoops you had to jump though to get things done sometimes. Yep ... the same as the UK, but with a different climate and a slightly better cost of living and dont have to worry about the tax implications.
If I were to do it again today I'd probably just rent for 6 months of the year and spend the rest of the year either in the UK or travelling. As you get older, health becomes a more important factor to take into consideration and although the health system in Spain is fine, we often approached it with trepidation
So although only you know what is right for you, my advice would be to split it and with rental prices so low in Spain I would rent .... when last I looked a 6 month rental would be around €3000 as opposed to putting all your finances into a house and taking the associated risks with that. You won't become a tax resident under those circumstances either.
And to some extent that is true. I remember all the hassle I had with the authorities in Spain over such stupid things. The politicians who only took notice of you when there was an election due, the hoops you had to jump though to get things done sometimes. Yep ... the same as the UK, but with a different climate and a slightly better cost of living and dont have to worry about the tax implications.
If I were to do it again today I'd probably just rent for 6 months of the year and spend the rest of the year either in the UK or travelling. As you get older, health becomes a more important factor to take into consideration and although the health system in Spain is fine, we often approached it with trepidation
So although only you know what is right for you, my advice would be to split it and with rental prices so low in Spain I would rent .... when last I looked a 6 month rental would be around €3000 as opposed to putting all your finances into a house and taking the associated risks with that. You won't become a tax resident under those circumstances either.
In fact the last three of the eight years we were in Spain, we spent about five months in the UK, coming back permanently (to a dark and cold December ) at the end of 2011.
Although we remember our time in Spain, and certain people, with fondness, we have never even been back for a holiday, despite having free accommodation available.
We were going to book for this year, but my American cousin is visiting, so we are going to Wales, with her and her husband, and another cousin and her husband, renting a large four-bedroomed house.
So we thought we would go next year (2016) but have more or less decided to go to Cornwall to our friends' retreat centre with another set of friends, instead.
So we thought maybe that for us it is better just to keep the memories.
However, were we to go for any length of time, we would definitely rent.
