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Moving to Quesada from GB

Moving to Quesada from GB

Postby Strawberry » Thu May 31, 2018 10:35 pm

Hi
I'm looking for as much information as I can for my move to Quesada later this year.
I have two cats and a dog to bring with me on my adventure.. What's the best and cheapest way to transport them ?
I'm currently selling my property in the UK to buy a property in Spain and perhaps bye a buy to let in the uk to fund my time in Spain... Any info on cost implications would be great.
I'm a woman on my own ...is it safe ?
Is it easy to make friends.. Are their opportunities to socialise?
How much money will I need per month to get by...?
Which areas are safer for a woman on her own?


I would be so grateful for any information to make this dream happen


Thanks
Strawberry





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Re: Moving to Quesada from GB

Postby daz » Fri Jun 01, 2018 12:01 am

some of your questions seem a bit daft, like is it easy t socialise, it all depends how friendly and out going you are.

just my opinion,.......
don't part with any 'cash' to any agent regardless of their excuses to do so, find a 'lawyer' on the GOV.UK website to do your legal work, NOT a solicitor, its approx 20 to 25% cheaper to get by on, for meals and drinks, but if you are like us, it just means you go out more so may end up spending more.

many people speak English so it should be easy enough to get by without feeling lonely.

there seems to be loads of wild cats in my area, so not sure if brining two more would give you more concern than pleasure, but you should be ok with a dog. get rabies vac and passport for the dog as well, only to find out you can get the same from Spains end at a fraction of the cost!

by the tine you have found someone and paid their fee for the animals, you may as well bring them in your car, and use the money to book a stop for the night, that way you can look after them like you would want to. enjoy the adventure.

country is no more unsafe than driving through parts of the uk, depends on how big an issue you want to make of it.

I could write tons on here but it would take me forever, don't give anyone large lumps of cash, enjoy the adventure and keep your wits about you, good luck.
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Re: Moving to Quesada from GB

Postby Strawberry » Fri Jun 01, 2018 6:39 am

Thanks Daz for your information
Would be glad to hear from other people too please.
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Re: Moving to Quesada from GB

Postby Justjan » Fri Jun 01, 2018 6:58 am

Hi. I live in quesada, and have a loving pet cat. I dont understand why you should leave your cat in Uk but bring your dog. Perhaps Daz just doesnt like cats....
We have found quesada to be a very social, friendly safe place to live. Lots of different nationalities living together in harmony, plenty of sports facilities, cafes, shops, entertainment, and beautiful beaches close by. Welcome to Quesada. A great place to live.
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Re: Moving to Quesada from GB

Postby Jan » Fri Jun 01, 2018 7:08 am

Strawberry wrote:Hi
I'm looking for as much information as I can for my move to Quesada later this year.
I have two cats and a dog to bring with me on my adventure.. What's the best and cheapest way to transport them ?
I'm currently selling my property in the UK to buy a property in Spain and perhaps bye a buy to let in the uk to fund my time in Spain... Any info on cost implications would be great.
I'm a woman on my own ...is it safe ?
Is it easy to make friends.. Are their opportunities to socialise?
How much money will I need per month to get by...?
Which areas are safer for a woman on her own?


I would be so grateful for any information to make this dream happen


Thanks
Strawberry


Why not rent a property first and then you can find out all these things before you commit to buy?

Everyone is different and until you experience living anywhere personally you won't really know if it suits you.

Also by renting you will have more time to look around different areas yourself to hopefully find the perfect area and property for you.
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Re: Moving to Quesada from GB

Postby Paulr » Fri Jun 01, 2018 12:40 pm

Hi Strawberry,

I agree with Jan, it would make sense for you to rent for a period first. Quesada is very "British" compared to many urbanisations in this area, so you'd probably find it quite easy to fit into life here. Renting through a reputable estate agent should ensure that the property is correctly licensed and that you are provided with a bona fide rental agreement.

The cost of living here is not as cheap as it used to be, in some part due to the weak £ exchange rate. Difficult to say what your costs will be, as it will vary depending on the type of property you want, but probably the big difference is Council Tax (called "IBI" in Spain and often incorrectly referred to as "SUMA", which is actually the name of agency in this area that collects taxes on behalf of the Government). To give you an idea for comparison, the Council Tax charge for my 4 bed detached house in Surrey in 2015 was £2,600. The IBI charge this year for my 3 bed detached house with private pool in Formentera is Eu 360.

That said, my wife and I are in our late 50s, so we don't qualify for Spanish state health care and currently have to pay Eu 1,700 for our private health care. Once we reach UK pensionable age, we will be able to obtain an S1 from DWP Newcastle and transfer our healthcare benefits from the UK.

So that's the two major cost differentials. After that, electricity is as expensive as the UK; there's no mains gas network in Spain, although some urbanisations have gas installations supplied by large stored deposits. It's also possible to run things like heating and cooking on gas appliances run on bottled gas, which is much cheaper. For an area of the country that seems to have a constant drought, I think our water bills are very reasonable. Both electricity and water useage are metred.

If you live in Spain less than 183 days per tax year (the Spanish tax year runs from 1st January to 31st December), you will have to pay Non-resident tax; as property owners, the 5 months of our first year here amounted to only Eu 114. After 183 days, you're deemed as a fiscal resident of Spain and will pay tax based on your worldwide income in Spain.

Eating out here can be very cheap, as well as drinking. Buying fruit and vegetables in the markets is much cheaper than in the supermarkets. Convenience foods are not as wide-spread in Spain as they are in the UK, and so can seem relatively expensive.

Fuel is cheaper, but cars, even second-hand ones, are expensive. Vets are cheaper.

Like Daz, I could go on, but I think you need to do more research, narrow down your choice of location and then come back to the forum to ask more specific questions.

Good luck!
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Re: Moving to Quesada from GB

Postby Quesadasteve » Fri Jun 01, 2018 4:09 pm

As above ....do not sell your uk house straight away ....rent out here for a year ...rent out your uk house ....if after a while spain is not for you ..you can easily go back ....if you sell in uk you will soon find uk house prices have gone up and you become financially trapped here ....that's if you can sell your Spanish house if you need too without taking a big loss on it !!!
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Re: Moving to Quesada from GB

Postby Paulr » Fri Jun 01, 2018 4:45 pm

Quesadasteve wrote:As above ....do not sell your uk house straight away ....rent out here for a year ...rent out your uk house ....if after a while spain is not for you ..you can easily go back ....if you sell in uk you will soon find uk house prices have gone up and you become financially trapped here ....that's if you can sell your Spanish house if you need too without taking a big loss on it !!!


On the face of it, this advice is very sound. However, capital gains tax in Spain is much higher than the UK, so if you keep your UK property and buy in Spain as well, then subsequently decide to sell your UK property, you could incur a hefty tax bill in Spain. We've kept a property in the UK to "stay on the ladder", as sensibly suggested by Quesadasteve. When we were discussing this with our tax advisor, she said, "Don't sell it!"
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Re: Moving to Quesada from GB

Postby TonTri » Fri Jun 01, 2018 5:10 pm

Paulr wrote:
Quesadasteve wrote:As above ....do not sell your uk house straight away ....rent out here for a year ...rent out your uk house ....if after a while spain is not for you ..you can easily go back ....if you sell in uk you will soon find uk house prices have gone up and you become financially trapped here ....that's if you can sell your Spanish house if you need too without taking a big loss on it !!!


On the face of it, this advice is very sound. However, capital gains tax in Spain is much higher than the UK, so if you keep your UK property and buy in Spain as well, then subsequently decide to sell your UK property, you could incur a hefty tax bill in Spain. We've kept a property in the UK to "stay on the ladder", as sensibly suggested by Quesadasteve. When we were discussing this with our tax advisor, she said, "Don't sell it!"



That is fine provided you don't need the money from the sale of the UK property to fund one in Spain. In this case then it makes sense to do as the OP says in her original post, to buy a buy-to-let in the UK as well as a place in Spain. This way she has a safety net if things don't work out in Spain AND avoids Capital Gains Tax.
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Re: Moving to Quesada from GB

Postby Strawberry » Sat Jun 02, 2018 2:40 pm

Thank you for all your information it has been a great help. Planning on buying a buy to let here in the uk.
Any advice on removals I have been quoted £2-3,000 by one company ! Anybody tried the man and van that advertises on here ?
Strawberry x
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