OLDER SPANISH PROPERTY - 6 REASONS TO USE A BUILDING SURVEYOR

Despite what is often said to buyers by unscrupulous agents, you should always employ a properly qualified building surveyor to survey your intended property in Spain (whether it is new or old).

Below are some of problems that can relate to older Spanish properties...

Subsidence
Just as for new Spanish properties, older Spanish housing can be affected by subsidence. Whilst a Spanish property may show few signs of movement in its early years, long term ground erosion, seasonal shrinkage or heave (often amplified in a rare very wet or very dry year) can reveal problems suddenly. The attempted cover up of such issues is quite common. However, often it will take an experienced building surveyor in Spain to identify any tell tale signs of past or ongoing structural movement.

Retaining wall movement and failure.
Many older Spanish properties are as reliant on the stability of sound retaining walls as new builds, particularly if the slope into which the property is situated was ‘cut’ out of a hillside. Certainly, the very attractive cut stone walls seen in many coastal areas are not normally proper retaining walls but simply a method of ‘decorative’ facing. This may be despite the fact that a hillside is highly prone to movement.

Rot and insect attack
Advanced attack is common in older Spanish properties. The most common oversight made by buyers investing in older Spanish town houses and Spanish country properties is the fact that the timbers are of softwood (and not the oak we commonly expect in very old UK properties). These are often infested with woodworm, termite and other wood boring insects.

Reinforced concrete steel decay risk
The process of steel reinforcement decay can be slow and is therefore always more prevalent and advanced in older Spanish properties. Steel decay can result eventually in structural failure in elements such as floors and even whole Spanish apartment blocks have been known to fail. Normally, professional inspection will identify initial signs of an issue such that repairs can be made. However, these repairs are invariably expensive and complicated and advanced decay can mean that substantial rebuilding is required. In some cases the concrete itself may be sub standard or even mixed up with salt water and beach sand in coastal locations (observed in very rare cases).

Swimming pool defects
Older pools can, on occasion, be very well built and are sometimes based on converted water deposits. Nonetheless, many suffer structural issues in the long term, which can be expensive to resolve. A typical problem is often time expired, galvanized iron pipe work. This eventually decays and leaks which can, in turn, cause erosion of the supporting substrates.

Defective services
Old drains can be broken and septic tanks insufficient for all-year round use. Equally, iron pipe work can be corroded and even some apparently re-plumbed properties are connected sometimes to hidden iron elements. Re-wiring is sometimes needed and some gas installations can be very dangerous.

Note that legally if you find any significant defects that have been deliberately hidden by your seller within 6 months of purchase then you may have a case for compensation against your seller. However, this can be very difficult to prove and it is always better to try and identify any issues by consulting a building surveyor in Spain prior to purchase.1

SIESTA TO FIESTA!

No Blog on Spain in August would be ‘worth its salt’ if it did not mention fiestas - because the summer in Spain is replete with them. Seemingly, every village and town is alive with partying, shows, bands and religious processions that dazzle with colour and charm as ancient traditions and modern activities are gloriously intermixed.

Village and town fiestas are something that the holiday tourist visiting Spain rarely sees and yet they are, for me, a constant and reassuring affirmation of Spain’s individuality and the depth of its culture. They are also a demonstration, if ever one was needed, of a nuclear society that is still functioning.

So what is a fiesta? This seems a silly question to ask but few Britons seem to know and some equate a fiesta, wrongly, to a UK village fair.

In fact, strictly speaking the word ‘fiesta’ just means ‘party’. However, when it comes to town and village fiestas that is where the resemblance ends. Perhaps this is best illustrated by looking at the (current) annual fiesta of my beloved pueblo, Barx in Valencia province. However, its fiesta, in one form or another, is replicated everywhere else in Spain mainly (but not exclusively) during the summer months.

The fiesta lasts a full week, to all intents and purposes is free and is fully inclusive of the whole village. Our program, this year, is as follows:

Day 1 Children’s day. Activities of various sorts for children: animation group, children’s theatre, decoration of the streets, aquatic fun etc.
Day 2 General. Swimming championship, bonzai exhibition, festival of traditional dance from Ukrainian band, Brotherhood suppper etc.
Day 3 Young people’s day. Breakfast at an appointed cafe, card games, lunch and disco, fancy dress parade, further disco (starts at midnight!)
Day 4 Pensioner’s day. Band parade through village with pensioners and authorities, Solumn procession, Variety show (12.30 am), Disco (02.00 hrs!)
Day 5 Day of Lady of Carmel and Sacred Heart. Band, village and authorities parade, Holy Mass, Mascaleta (special fireworks), lunch at nominated restaurant, solumn procession, fireworks, big band (13.00 hrs!)
Day 6 Day of Sam Miguel (village patron saint). Band, village and authorities parade, Holy Mass, mascaleta, solumn procession, fireworks, big band (midnight!)
Day 7 Day of the Divine Shepherdess. Wake up call (07.00 hrs!), bell ringling, parade of the authorities, solumn Mass, mascaleta, inaugauration of new building, parade with band and village, floral tributes, solumn procession, fireworks, big band (13.00 hrs).
Day 8 Andalusian show at the open air theatre.

Now that is a fiesta!

Every day and throughout each day (except during siesta) there is something going on beyond the on-going private parties and celebrations of the villagers.

It is amazing!

However, the most astonishing thing (for my British eyes) is to see almost every single person in the village participating thoughout the fiesta - whether ancient, middle aged, teenager or baby.

Whatever you do, make sure that you attend a village or small town fiesta if you come to Spain. If you are not enchanted then, without doubt, you are in the wrong country -or you cannot see joie de vivre when it is front of your eyes!

However, be prepared! The constant extent of the partying is incredible with any major bands and shows often not starting until midnight or 1 am. So, have a good sleep in the afternoons, so that you can enjoy yourself to the full. To fiesta - you need to siesta!

Obviously, I will be taking full advantage of our fiesta - so expect me to be out of touch this week - and grumpy with exhaustion next week...1

PETS IN SPAIN

Most pets adapt easily to life in Spain despite the considerable difference in the summer temperature. However, there are some health issues that need your specific attention.

Make sure that both your cats and dogs have specific annual vaccinations (against viruses and bacterial problems). Most specifically, you must protect them against:
· Mosquitoes (mosquitoes) which cause leishmaniasis, a fatal disease. However, the symptoms of this disease can be treated to provide any affected animal with a better and longer life than it would otherwise expect.
o Use a preventative collar and ‘spot-on’.
· Ticks (garrapatas) are a constant problem and can cause diseases such as canine Babesiosis and Ehrlichiosis. You should inspect your animals regularly and remove any ticks as soon as you see them.
o Use a preventative collar and ‘spot-on’.
· Fleas (pulgas) transmit worms and allergies
o Use a preventative collar and ‘spot on’.
· Tapeworms (lombriz) which affect the overall health and well being of an animal
o Treat with pills every three months

For cats beware:
· Feline Leukemia
o Vaccinate your cat
· Immune deficiency
o No cure
· Peritonitis
o No cure

A summary (from an experienced vet in Spain) of general advice to foreigners coming to Spain is:
· When you come to Spain seek the advice of a vet to establish any common problems or peculiarities within your given area. Spain is vast and conditions differ hugely from one region to another and thereby the specific animal health care requirements.
· Keep all animal vaccinations up to date.
· Ensure that your animal is provided with healthy, good quality food (but do not over feed!).
· Make sure you treat all intestinal problems promptly.
· Wherever possible keep your animal inside your Spanish property at night to avoid the worst affects of mosquitoes.
· Avoid taking your animal to areas where there is an obvious mosquito problem such as marshes etc.
· Never leave any animal alone in a car in Spain. Even in winter the sun in Spain can be very hot and quickly overheat and kill an animal.1

DOES ‘PLAN E’ HAVE A PLAN B?

‘Plan E’ is socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero’s master plan to revive the Spanish economy.

Plan E stands for Plan Espanol para el Estimulo de la Economia y el Empleo (Plan to Stimulate the Economy and Employment of Spain). It involves the Spanish government spending prodigious amounts of money primarily on construction and infrastructure (drainage, roads etc.) projects. In fact, there are supposed to be 29,200 projects involving 7, 736 town halls (local governments). 14,000 businesses are allegedly involved and ‘Plan E’ is supposed to provide employment for some 400,000 people.

By anyone’s standards ‘Plan E’ is a brave undertaking and a bold attempt to prevent economic meltdown within Spain.

Certainly, something needs to be done. Most commentators think that unemployment, now standing at almost 18%, will climb to 20% by the end of 2009 with Citibank forecasting that Spain’s unemployment could reach an appalling 22% in 2010.

The question is whether ‘Plan E’ will work - or prove to be a disastrous waste of precious resources.

Obviously, only time will tell - but spending on infrastructure projects tends to be short term and not something that generates continued future employment and wealth. Once a road or new drainage system has been constructed, all employment related to it, obviously, ceases. Generally, the chances of an infrastructure project producing further work (and non-governmental money) over the forseeable future is tiny.

Regeneration projects, therefore, need to be planned, analysed and undertaken with great care and sensitivity. If they are not then their chances of providing a long term solution are probably no better than someone placing a temporary (and extremely expensive) bandage over a deep wound that will continue to bleed dangerously until stitched properly.

Of course Spain, (like the UK), has the present management of their economy in the hands of the very people in government who were negligent in allowing the crisis to occur in the first place.

So, expecting Prime Minister Zapertero to get any solution to the crisis right, on the basis of past performance, is a long shot indeed. Like UK Prime Minister Brown, Zapertero comes from the ‘spend come what may’ philosophy. When times are good, he spends as if there is no tomorrow. However, when ‘tomorrow’ and a predictable crisis arrives his answer is – to spend more. These are hardly the actions of a prudent housewife and are more akin to those of a multiply divorced harlot...

Does this matter to North Europeans coming to Spain? To some extent it does.

Naturally, the majority of foreigners coming to Spain have their own incomes (pensions etc.) so any Spanish economic troubles are largely academic. There are others, though, who have come to Spain to work who will suffer should ‘Plan E’ not function as intended. However, importantly, few people enjoy living in any country when economic hardship occurs and brings with it sustained pain and depression to the daily lives of its people.

Finally, there are ‘Plan E’ signs everywhere! These are impressive in size and design and anecdotally are said to cost around 2,000 Euros by the time they are erected and in place. With some projects supposedly costing less than that figure (and yet evidentally still accompanied by their signs!), it is hard not to suspect that, at heart, ‘Plan E’ is probably flawed.1

COAST TO COAST

Over the past few weeks a further controversy over the safety of buying property in Spain has erupted into the press. This time it revolves around the illegality of properties situated too close to the seashore. Earlier this year Hollywood actor Antonio Banderas was reportedly advised that part of his luxury villa in Marbella would be demolished. This has been followed by recent warnings that around a thousand homes on the northern Costa Blanca may be equally at risk.

So, what is this all about? Will it affect you if you are thinking of buying in Spain – or if you are already a property owner with a home on the coast?

In reality, everything revolves around a law passed in 1988 called the Ley de Costas (Coastal Law). This law sought to protect the integrity of the Spanish coastline whilst also providing an absolute right of access to the public to the beach and shoreline itself. It is therefore, in essence, not a ‘bad’ law. The coastline of Spain has a fragile ecology and its conservation is important. Most particularly there has always been a danger (due to the heavy demand for ‘front line’ beach properties) that the coastline would be damaged by invasive construction projects.

The law ‘divides’ the coastline into two areas of protection. The first is the public domain which is crudely the area between the sea and the furthest point which the sea has touched in the worst known storm. This includes all areas of sand, shale and pebbles

The second area of protection is divided into:
- The Protection Zone. This is the first hundred metres inland from the public domain (although this area can be extended a further hundred metres by the Spanish state, autonomous region or local town hall). No building of any nature whatsover is allowed within this area.
- The Zone of Influence. This area extends for 400 metres inland from the Protection Zone. Building is allowed - however restrictions are applied on a reducing scale of severity as you move inland from the sea.

Obviously, some properties in Spain were built within 100 metres of the sea prior to the Ley de Costas being passed. These can be subject to a ‘concession’ meaning that they can avoid demolision. However, any ‘concession’ must be treated with the very greatest possible care and should be subject to expert, independent advice from a Spanish land law specialist.

Of course, in typically Spanish fashion, the Ley de Costas has been erratically enforced since it was passed. As a consequence, properties have been built along the Spanish coasts that clearly breach the Coastal Law. In some cases, despite the transgression being blatantly obvious, no action by the relevant authorities has been taken. It is these dangerous properties that lie waiting for the unwary buyer.

Certainly, it would be an error to think that just because no action has been taken so far on a given property subject to the Coastal Law that no action will be ever taken. If this argument is put forward by a seller or agent (or lawyer!) then it should be treated with dismissive contempt before you move onto a property that is undeniably legal in every respect.

The answer, of course, is to be extremely wary of any property located very close to the sea shore. If you want to buy a front line property make sure that your conveyancing lawyer specifically checks its legality with regard to the Coastal Law. Importantly, get any advice provided placed in writing and, if you have any lingering doubts - obtain a second opinion.1

WORK IN SPAIN – LIFESTYLE

The routine of Spanish working life varies depending upon where you live in Spain. Certainly, what happens in the big cities such as Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia is quite different from that in provincial towns and villages. The siesta, for example, whilst hardly apparent in the major cities tends to be de rigueur elsewhere. This is particularly true of Mediterranean areas.

Siesta has a profound effect upon working life in Spain and will influence your working day irrespective of what you do. Siesta lasts all year and is roughly between 14.00 hrs and 16.00 hrs daily. It is a time during which no work is undertaken with shops and offices closing and many Spanish workers returning home to their families. The major meal of the day will be consumed at this time and a rest of some kind taken.

The impact of siesta upon Spanish life is considerable as it significantly lengthens the working day. Indeed, depending upon local custom, you may find that the working day in your area is as follows:
· 08.00 Work starts. Bars/cafes open.
· 09.30 Breakfast.
· 10.00 Work recommences. Shops open.
· 14.00 Siesta starts. The bars and restaurants remain open
· 16.30 Siesta ends. Work starts again. Shops reopen.
· 20.00 Work finishes. Shops close.
· 24.00 Bars/cafes close

There will be variations on the above but it provides a reasonable picture of daily working life and the long working day of the Spanish. Of course, it may also become your ‘long working day’ as well! So, appreciate that the timings you may be used to in the UK could be very different - despite any desire or efforts to the contrary. Certainly, few people who end up running Spanish bars and cafes fully recognise the devastating working hours that exist within their industry.1