Six months here six months there
 

Just wondering if anyone does this, spending half the year in UK and half the year in Spain. Do you drive over? What months do you choose? How does it work out shutting two homes down for months at a time? Thank you.:starsmile:

Re: Six months here six months there
 

How does health care and paying taxes work ?

Re: Six months here six months there
 

No idea, would be thinking of staying mainly in UK so resident of UK staying just short of six months in Spain, driving I suppose could stay over in France for a few days.

Re: Six months here six months there
 

We don't do a full 6 months but getting closer by the year. This year we are just coming to the end of a 78 days stay and will be back for a 47 day stay in Sept. Next year 84 day from Jan and 50 ish in Sept. We rent in Spain and UK. Just lock up the UK flat with a key at out very good neighbour. Pack the car and take the boat to Santander. It works well for us. We miss out the worst of the UK winter, miss the excessive heat of the Costa Tropical in the summer then enjoy their lovely autumn sunshine. Brexit won't make us do any different.

Re: Six months here six months there
 

We choose a mix of months, spending at least a bit of the summer and winter in both. Have to say though, we found the management of two homes to be a pain in the ****. The Spanish home is an apartment and the UK one is a detached house, and that's the one that caused issues. There's maintenance, insurance validity when left empty, security concerns, etc.

We've taken the decision to settle on one location for almost all of the time, and it's Spain. We're going to visit the UK for a month in the summer and rent a holiday home, and a couple of weeks at Christmas when we will stay with relatives.

And health care and taxes are easily handled. Are you looking for advice on that olivefarmer?

Re: Six months here six months there
 

Yes i agree it is not the ideal situation that many think. Especially as you say arranging maintainance etc at both ends. Also as one gets older arranging and fitting in medical needs appointments prescriptions etc. Sorting out things that crop up while away. I also find when you do get your break in Spain then all! In sundry think they should pop over, so your couple of month break turns into being a hotelier come travel agent and chauffeur. I would like to simply now be in one or the other preferably Spain but other half has differing ideas and with all the unknowns that gets more difficult to change her view.Nearly forgot not cost effective either running two homes.

Re: Six months here six months there
 

I think that could be the problem, unless you have family that live there living looking after the place for you, otherwise two small easily manageable places would be preferable, I don't think it has to be expensive having two places to stay, it can work out to be far cheaper. Perhaps the biggest obstacles preventing people is time and health, many jobs are seasonal or contract or with many now are able to work on-line from anywhere....lives can be more flexible nowadays, fewer jobs for life, 9 to five, 25 days holiday......brexit will not make any difference imo, life goes on.:fingerscrossed:

Re: Six months here six months there
 

We used to leave the U.K. when the leaves had finished falling and return when the lawns needed cutting. The U.K. house became one awful liability and a worry, we breathed one huge sigh of relief when it eventually sold.

Life is much easier now residing permanently here in the Canary islands and rarely visiting the U.K.

Re: Six months here six months there
 

We spend just under 6 months in spain (ish). We have an apartment in Spain and a house in the UK. Our son still lives at home, which keeps the UK house insurance valid and helps with security. We have one UK registered car in Spain and one in the UK and tax/SORN the cars depending which country we're in. We drive back to the UK at the end of July (too hot for us) and get the car MOT'd and serviced, returning at the beginning of September. We fly back to the UK just before christmas & return in January....Fly to UK in March, back to Spain in May. All this toing & froing sounds expensive but we usually spend less than €100 for the two of us, including all transfers. :cool: (The car ferry is expensive though!).

The E111 card and annual travel insurance takes care of the health arrangements. One of the cars is insured with a Spanish insurance company, which includes breakdown cover and appears on MID database in the UK. This means you can still tax online.

The apartment in Spain in very much a lock-up and leave. Top floor (1st), 2 security gates on stairs, IP cameras in apartment, stairwell and on solarium, shutters, window locks, secure underground garage......I would really hate to lock my self out! :(

Re: Six months here six months there
 

Thanks interesting, that arrangement works out well for you and as you say it doesn't have to be expensive, have driven down a number of times both ferry to Calais and Caen, agree the ferry to Spain is expensive but going the longer route have to factor in any tolls, petrol and overnight stays so don't do it that often, only when planning to stay a length of time or taking stuff over and back. The travel over can be made to be a holiday in itself. Funny how the day return on the ferry is really cheap, but if you want to stay longer very expensive compared to flying when only hand luggage taken and to keep costs down never purchase the extras, always got a seat.:p

Re: Six months here six months there
 

We do much the same as you, but we're the other way round ie. house in Spain and flat in the UK. We've got oldish cars in both locations, something we might review if we get round to it! We spend just over half the time in the UK.

BTW I thought your last sentence was excellent!

Re: Six months here six months there
 

No wasn't looking for advice just wondering how people manage.

A few things spring to mind. How do you get repeat prescriptions? How do you get around the 90 days in Spain have to register rule. Not issues for ourselves.

We have an elderly relative who spends long "holidays" with us and it is a concern especially as their house has just been burglared. B******s. Sentimental stuff taken and the agro not covered by insurance. Insurance company have been great but I dare say there will be a repeat break in not covered.

Re: Six months here six months there
 

Repeat prescriptions can be an issue as by the letter of the law you should inform your UK GP if out of UK for over 3 months i believe it is then up to them if they decide register you or not. I have never had any issues on that if going for 3 months i simply inform them and ask for medication to cover me which i have always been given. The medication i am prescribed is available without prescription in Spain from the pharmacy at quite low cost should i run out. As for 90 day rule so far i have only gone over that once and that was only by 4 days so no way was i bothering with the rigmarole for 4 days, i doubt many bother for much longer in reality if between UK and Spain. I actually split mine into 3x2 month stays as i have ongoing annual travel insurance that covers me for that so 90 day rule not an issue for me these days.

Re: Six months here six months there
 

I think if you have no mortgage debt the cost of running two homes is worth it. Whilst my Uk property is significantly more expensive to run, that is compensated by its increasing value. On the other hand whilst Spain is cheaper to run property values remain static or are only growing slowly.
This also means if you sell up in the UK it is much harder to return to a property of an equal value to that you have sold.
Of course if you cannot afford to run more than one run home (asset rich/cash poor) then that is a different matter.

Re: Six months here six months there
 

Sorry to sound naive, but I hadn't thought of insurance issues when considering the pros and cons of leaving property empty.

Does anyone know if the period for which a UK property may be left empty varies from one insurance company to another, or is there a set period applying to all insurance companies?

I would imagine Spanish insurance companies are more used to insuring properties occupied for only part of a year, but is there usually a time limit on how long a Spanish property may be left empty before the insurance becomes invalid?