How to ..... ?

When The Crazy Guy was nearing completion of the reforma of an old house in a mountain village 690 metres above sea level, he realised how cold it was in the house. He had people staying there at the time, so what to do?

I bought an old village house in Montejaque (Malaga) in October 2020. 12 months later it was ready for a trial rental. Good friends from the UK tested the house and gave very useful feedback.

In February and March 2022, friends from Germany stayed in the house free of charge in exchange for their labour, mainly joinery jobs.

However, this period of time coincided with the coldest start to a year for a long while in this part of Andalucía and they were cold in this draughty house dating from the 19^th century. All they had for heating was a gas fire in the living area and electric radiators in the bedrooms.

So, what did I do?

Firstly I installed a pellet stove in the living area. We took the flue up through the ceiling and through one of the bedrooms, before exiting at eaves level.

Secondly I ordered new double glazed windows with built-in shutters for the front of the house, and a new entrance door.

Thirdly I installed a wall heater in each of the bathrooms. It is no longer an ordeal to go to the loo or take a bath or shower.

What a difference!

The downstairs (open plan lounge, dining room and kitchen) is now as warm as toast.

The second bedroom is nicely warmed by the stove pipe passing through it, and the main bedroom is easily kept warm with the existing electric radiator.

The thick stone walls of the house ensure that the heat stays in. And in the summer, these same walls will ensure that the heat stays out.

What a great result!

The Crazy Guy recently completed the process of importing a UK vehicle to Spain and re-registering it onto Spanish number plates.

Much to his surprise he found it extremely straightforward.

When I decided to buy a UK vehicle here in Spain, I knew I needed to re-register it as soon as possible. I asked some friends who’d already done this and they referred me to companies on the coast that do it for you for a pretty hefty fee.

I decided that I probably didn’t need to waste money I didn’t have so I decided to do it myself with the help of a gestor.

Irene, the gestora, told me what I needed to do and how much each stage of the process would cost. Once I’d completed the process, I just needed to bring all the paperwork in and she would deal with tráfico in Málaga. All for a fee of just 80 euros!

This is what I had to do:

Get an independent engineer’s report (una ficha técnica reducida). She gave me the phone number of a local engineer, Natale, and told me it would cost 110€.

It cost…110€.

I had to get the headlights changed, as it is a right-hand-drive vehicle. My neighbour Antonio, a car mechanic, did that for 380€.

Next, I had to go to the ITV station to request an inspección técnica de vehículos, like a super strict MOT. A few days later I was contacted with an appointment. They did the test. It passed. 150€.

I returned to Irene, my gestora, and gave her all the paperwork. A week later I was contacted to be told everything was in order with tráfico in Málaga. I just needed to pop into the office to pay some tax and the gestora’s fee.

A few days later I was summoned again to collect my new placas, number plates. Bob’s your uncle! My car was now Spanish and legal.

Here’s my final bill:

• Ficha técnica reducida €110
• Change of headlights €380
• ITV €150
• Import tax €600
• Gestora fee €80

TOTAL €1,320

Please note:

My vehicle was imported to Spain before the UK left the EU. From 1 January 2021 onwards, you have to pay import duty on top.

Tags:

car registration, change of headlights, ficha técnica reducida, gestor, import a foreign vehicle, import tax, independent engineer’s report, inspección técnica de vehículos, ITV, re-register a foreign vehicle, van, VW Transporter

It used to be standard practice when buying and selling property in Spain to under-declare the value in the escritura (deed), in order to avoid tax. Everybody was complicit, vendor and purchaser obviously, but also estate agents, lawyers and even notaries turned a blind eye. In recent years the authorities have tried to clamp down, however. The Crazy Guy who has transacted a few houses in Spain in his time, has had a look at the current situation.

The practice of under-declaring a property’s value to avoid taxes has to some extent disappeared. Once upon a time everybody was at it and it seemed to be condoned. All part of the long-accepted tradition of low-level corruption in Spain.

In the last few years things have tightened up, however. Most estate agents and lawyers are no longer prepared to get involved, as fines can be heavy.

Every property has a valor catastral, a value for tax purposes. This may have nothing whatsoever to do with the real value, as valuations in many areas are well out of date, and certainly does not relate to market value, although, as house prices have dropped markedly since la crisis (the 2008 recession, not the Covid-19 one!) they can be uncannily accurate.

To counteract the fact that valuations are out of date each town/village has a coefficient by which the valor catastral is multiplied to arrive at a more accurate valuation for tax purposes. Hacienda use this to try and prevent loss of revenue through under-declaring the price when properties change hands.

So, for example, I used to have an apartment in Ronda (Málaga) with a valor catastral of just over 17,300€. The coefficient for Ronda is a massive 4.2 because property values have not been re-assessed since 1998. That makes the valuation of my apartment for tax purposes 72,660€. In the mid-80s, ie before the worldwide recession in 2008, the market value was much higher, at around 120,000€. So the system is by no means perfect, because if we had sold the flat then, we could have under-declared massively and presumably got away with it! I eventually sold it three years ago for about 10,000€ more than the valor catastral. Got my timing wrong there, didn’t I?

In nearby Montejaque, also Málaga, the situation is very different. Here the coefficient is just 1.8 because properties were re-valued as recently as 2007. A friend of ours owns a house there with a valor catastral of nearly 92,800€ which makes its value for tax purposes 167,040€. Its market value is probably around 150,000€ in the current economic climate, so, if she were to sell the house at that price, she’d pay more tax than she should!

If the authorities think you’ve under-declared to avoid paying tax, you could be in for a shock. You could be hit by a big tax bill for the shortfall and a fine to boot. So, you have been warned!

Being enchufado oils the wheels if you live in Spain. If you want to keep abreast of what's going on, if you need to get things done with the minimum of stress and if you want to generally feel good about life here, you need to get “plugged in”.

Enchufado literally means “plugged in”. It´s similar to being a member of the Old Boys´ Network or being a Mason, except you don´t have to have attended a public school or have a funny handshake.

How to get enchufado

1. Put yourself about by going to local bars or cafés regularly and getting to know the owners and the staff.

Go for early morning coffee and chat to the locals. Check out my article on this subject. The link is at the end of this article.

Find out who the influencers are in your town, village or locality and try to befriend them.

2. Introduce yourself to the local mayor/mayoress and other local politicians. I know the alcadesa de Ronda, María de la Paz Fernández, whom I met back in 2011 when we were campaigning against the proposed high speed rail line through the valley where we live.

I know the alcalde de Montejaque, Diego Sánchez Sánchez, very well, as a result of my various inputs into the village, in terms of tourism, writing for the village magazine, organising activities and general promotion of the village.

I also know the alcaldesas of Benaojan, Fuente de la Higuera and La Indiana. The alcaldesa de Fuente de la Higuera, Alicia López, is also the president of the Asociación de Vecinos and a near neighbour. Not only that she is the Ronda councillor responsible for Culture.

3. Join your local neighbourhood association, Asociación de Vecinos, if there is one. The week we moved to Fuente de la Higuera in 2011, our new neighbours urged us to attend the AGM of the local asociación later that week. It was the quickest way to meet the 50 or so locals who live in that pedanía.

4. Get to know the local police. Easier said than done with three forces to contend with and tricky in a large town like Ronda.

However, in a small village such as Montejaque (pop. ca. 980), it´s quite straightforward, although the outcome might not be what you wanted. In a small village you only come across the policía local and the guardia civil, because they are part of the community.

I know two municipales (policia local) very well. They fined me three times in 2021 for parking offences! That amounted to 400€ towards the Police Christmas Ball! Not what was planned!

On the other hand I know a few of the local guardia civil officers based in next-door village Benaoján, as I´ve had to go there a few times regarding registration for tourism lets and a couple of denuncias.

I find them respectful and pleasant.

5. Get to know the editors of local publications. You never know when they might come in useful.

I know the former editor of SUR in English, Liz Parry, the current incumbent, Rachel Haynes, and the new Deputy Editor, Karl Smallman.  

I worked for a time some years ago for the editor and proprietor of The Olive Press, Jon Clarke. I know him very well!

I´ve known Juan de Castro, editor of El Hacho magazine (Montejaque) for many years.

6. Similarly, get to know people in local radio and TV. I´m still working on this, but I have made good contacts at Charry TV.

7. Make yourself known at the local notaries. You never know when you might need them or they might need you. There are two in Ronda: Isabel Colomina Ribas and Gloria Maria Ramos Lizana. I know doña Isabel and doña Gloria and members of their staff well.

8. Do simple things like be friendly, greet people on the street and in shops and bars, and above all SMILE.

9. And finally, and perhaps most important of all, if you don´t have Spanish, make an effort to learn some.

There are free courses paid for by the Junta de Andalucía or the Diputación de Málaga or your local town hall. There are, for example, courses in Ronda and Montejaque, and, no doubt, in other municipios.

There are also a number of commercial language schools.

***

Getting enchufado brings lots of benefits. Some might say it´s unfair on those who aren't, but, hey, when in Rome …..

Good luck!

Further reading:

Early Morning Coffee

Nota(ry) bene

Being on the box

Police Check

Spain's Three Police Forces Explained and Who Does What

Top 10 tips for learning Spanish