It’s The Latte Latte Delta Tea Break 2018

[GORDON STREETER]

I found this in our local rag down here in Spain, Hmm

As most of you will know, Schengen visas enable non-EU citizens to enter the Schengen area on a single or multi-entry basis for a maximum of 90 days in any period of 180 days. The airport machines will be used to automatically calculate the total days spent in Spain by recording the day of entry and departure. Here’s an example. Mr & Mrs Jones are UK residents with an apartment in Spain, In 2019 they come over to Benidorm to spend the summer from 1 June to 28 August. Under the new system that would be no problem. Their entry and departure will be recorded, but the inconvenience arises in the fact that they cannot return to the Schengen area (including Benidorm) for at least another 90 days: at the end of November. So if they planned a short break to Cyprus in October, forget it, the readers at the airport will not open the gates and they will be returned (at their expense) on the next flight to the UK. All of this means is that any property owners or regular visitors to Benidorm without residencia will need to carefully manage their diaries in future to ensure they abide by the 90 day rule. We are not going to have the flexibility we currently have to come and go as we please, but I suppose it's all part of "controlling our borders".

[Mike Bell]

So is that example based on a particular ‘brexit’ outcome?

[Peter Mallett]

Yes that would be the case, but isn't it different if you own a property in the particular country? In some countries, if you buy a house/flat etc. you get a conditional residency. With the UAE the only stipulation is that you must enter the country within any six month period to retain the residency. With Portugal if you invest 500,000 Euros you get to stay.

[Mike Harte]

Originally Posted by Peter Mallett

Yes that would be the case, but isn't it different if you own a property in the particular country?

In Spain, it is totally dependant on time spent in the country. The theory is that if you spend 183 days or more, you need to apply for residency and become a fiscal resident.

However, in some towns/villages you are able to sign on to the padron (which entitles you to certain local services including being able to vote in local elections and to receive state paid medical care) although in many other towns you can only apply to go on the padron once you have applied for residency.

The major problem in Spain is that that each village/town/district/region seems to make up the rules to suit their own purposes. When I lived there, my local mayor told me that he made the laws for his town, not Alicante, Valencia, Madrid or even Brussels. 'I am the law' he said, until the day that Brussels sent him a notification that if he didn't comply with European laws then they would fine him personally and the Town Hall €20 million. He capitulated within hours!

[Mike Bell]

Nice to know it’s all simple and straightforward! Not......

[GORDON STREETER]

It's always been the same in Spain, I have only been coming here for 45 years and most of the towns Mayors are as bent as a nine bob note ! I can't think of a local (to me) town in the AndalucÃ*a region that where the Mayor hasn't been put in prison for taking backhanders !!! In this weeks local rag two more are up before the beak for "giving favours" and one of them "allegedly" siphoned off 2 million euros !
The Mayor of one town down the road is a convicted drug dealer from Columbia who was only let out of prison a couple of years back after serving a long sentence !
http://www.theolivepress.es/spain-ne...tical-history/

[Gerard C]

But at least you know the guy you have to make a deal with…*In France it can take a while before finding the right pocket!

[Mike Bell]

Gordon, you’re not doing a very good job of ‘selling’ Spain......

[Gerard C]

Good one, Mike! By the way, how could Spain make without English residents? Not mentioning places like Hardelot or Le Touquet in France for instance.

And to please mon Ami Robert, can you imagine some continental events without any English cars? Having a look to last GP de France Historique grids could give you an answer. Almost impossible IMHO.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

Gordon, you’re not doing a very good job of ‘selling’ Spain......

I don't need to try and sell it as it sells itself with the weather and TV programs like "Place in the Sun", incidentally the main agents (The Garners) in this series is within walking distance of us and Sue went past there the other day and said that she had never seen such a queue in an estate agents in her life ! I honestly think a lot of people watch these programs and go into buying whilst still in holiday mode without seeing the "big picture". OK you can buy a place for not a lot of money in comparison to silly prices in London and some southern counties, but do they really look at running cost and tax ? water and electric is dear and they seem to put it up as and when they feel like it. If people can only get a limited time to go on holiday per year it would be better for them to rent and not have any problems. OK they could rent their place out but if they are not hands on they have no idea what is going on with whoever is running it for them (and taking their cut as well) with plenty of horror stories !!
However it is possible to live frugally once you know the ropes as food and drink is cheap and fuel (if you go to the right places) compared to the UK. As we brought our place years ago the housing market has gone up and down like a yoyo and it has probably doubled in value in the current market if we decided to sell

[Mike Bell]

That’s better.....

We used to hear scary stories a few years ago about brits in newbuilds being kicked out and their properties demolished. Was that to do with local government officials ignoring planning rules, or something else?

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by Mike Bell

That’s better.....

We used to hear scary stories a few years ago about brits in newbuilds being kicked out and their properties demolished. Was that to do with local government officials ignoring planning rules, or something else?

Basically it was Mayors or "officials" taking backhanders off of builders/developers allowing building on what we would deem "green belt land". After a while the houses are declared "illegal" and some are knocked down although the owners have official paperwork from the town halls.
It is a mess as there have been whole complexes built like this that are empty and gathering overgrowth whist others have had to be declared "legal after a long battle with the authorities.
If anyone is seriously thinking about buying in Spain they should have a good read of this. The Prior's case happened just up the road to us.http://www.moraira-info.com/Articles...l-Building.htm

[Gerard C]

The article starts with things like this: "According to press reports there are hundreds of thousands of illegal homes in Spain, many of them owned by foreigners"… Not really funny. They'd better take care of hundreds of miles of the nice sea shore totally wrecked by unfinished projects as Gordon says.
By the way, we had a guy swearing on the French Constitution, supposed faithful prime minister who decided to go back to Spain to become Barcelona mayor.
Please, Gordon, take care of him and no, no, no, dont send him back. We have so many dick heads involved in policy that we should send them abroad in overloaded planes! For each rotten politician bought, get two free. This kind of bargain could last, the stock we have is so huuuuge! I assume that rotten politician can be a pleonasm.

[E.B]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

The Prior's case happened just up the road to us.http://www.moraira-info.com/Articles...l-Building.htm

My Mother and Father (until he passed a few months ago) moved to and lived in Calpe, pretty much bang in the zone you speak of Gordon. They were aware of many fellow Brits who were affected in ways mentioned in the doc. by local greed and fraud in pursuing their dreams, but fortunately Mum and Dad escaped suffering themselves, favouring due diligence and paying lawyers/notaries to thoroughly investigate prior to purchase.

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by E.B

but fortunately Mum and Dad escaped suffering themselves, favouring due diligence and paying lawyers/notaries to thoroughly investigate prior to purchase.

Exactly, I doubt if any sane person would buy a property in the UK without doing a fair bit of delving into whether it was legal or not before committing themselves to spending a huge amount of money let alone in a foreign country that they don't know anything about ! I know that people received legal papers but there are ways of finding things out if they are not what they seem.
Fortunately my wife was a legal secretary before she retired and is no dumb blonde who can see a scam from a mile away

[bauble]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

Exactly, I doubt if any sane person would buy a property in the UK without doing a fair bit of delving into whether it was legal or not before committing themselves to spending a huge amount of money let alone in a foreign country that they don't know anything about ! I know that people received legal papers but there are ways of finding things out if they are not what they seem.
Fortunately my wife was a legal secretary before she retired and is no dumb blonde who can see a scam from a mile away

But she married you Gordon ……………………...

[gary396]

Originally Posted by bauble

But she married you Gordon ……………………...

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by bauble

But she married you Gordon ……………………...

True, but it was for my charm and devastatingly good looks

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by GORDON STREETER

True, but it was for my charm and devastatingly good looks

We can see that Gordon...

[bauble]

[QUOTE=GORDON STREETER;3852058]True, but it was for my charm and devastatingly good looks [/QUOTE

Yes! What happened to them?

[delta]

My Daughter has just sent me a photo of where they are on a holiday . Lake Como. All this talk of Spain and 28 degrees sure does sound attractive .,This while I am on my second cup of tea looking out at a very wet Brands Hatch paddock . Portugal in a couple of weeks so not all doom and gloom .

[GORDON STREETER]

Originally Posted by delta

My Daughter has just sent me a photo of where they are on a holiday . Lake Como. All this talk of Spain and 28 degrees sure does sound attractive .,This while I am on my second cup of tea looking out at a very wet Brands Hatch paddock . Portugal in a couple of weeks so not all doom and gloom .

I might just pop down my local beach and have a cool beer !

[grantp]

The clouds have just rolled away up here but there was rain first thing and much of yesterday afternoon.

Quite cold as well - 9C - and more rain coming for around midday according to my weather app.

British GT and F3 meeting at Donington so I would guess they may get a further mix of wet and dry as they perform during the day.

Meanwhile I see a "Brown" benefit in Escort qualifying at Brands. What's that all about?

[Gerard C]

It could be Sean Brown, a very fast guy, young and nice person. He entered several times in HTC by PA, good cars too.

[Mike Bell]

Originally Posted by grantp

Meanwhile I see a "Brown" benefit in Escort qualifying at Brands. What's that all about?

Just as I predicted. I’ll just comment that the period spec ex Broadspeed car raced regularly in PA managed 5th and 7th in the 2 races......