26 Apr 2014 11:28 AM:
I think a lot of the people returning to their original country had an unrealistic view of what they could get out of Spain. With the way things are in the UK, are they any better off going back. Most Brits I know here spend a lot of time socialising in the village bars on a regular almost daily basis but I am happy to go out one or two times a week if that. They simply could not afford the same lifestyle in the UK.
If they live in an area which is unfriendly to Brits, perhaps they should try a different area. There are several good forums to research local opinions of Brits. In my area the schools are really good at helping youngsters to learn the laguage and slot in to the Spanish education system, and for every local who walks past you there are a couple who say Hola even though they do not know you. In my area it depends whether their parents/ grandparents supported Franco or not. They have long memories and remember that lots of Brits came out to fight against Franco.
As for the person who did not bother to renew their Padron, as a pensioner I needed mine to get health care based on my UK national insurance. I had to fight with the local mayor to get mine as my house is outside the village envelope and so does not have a village postcode. Even quoting the EU and Spanish laws on registering all residents on a padron did not sway him. So it is precious to me.
I understand the frustrations with the Spaish tax demands, but surely selling up at the present time means taking a huge hit. My house was worth 120K ten years ago and is probably worth 60K now if I am lucky. What could I buy for that in England. Unlike a lot of Brits who need to work, I am a pensioner so have a guaranteed income from the UK and would not dream of selling up at such a loss to go back to the UK.
As for cost of living being so expensive, I think a lot of returnees are going to get a big shock when they discover the cost of living in the UK, especially if they have to buy a house as well. The interest rates may be very low at present, but house costs have rebounded from the recent low. In England my rates were £1,350 a year, my water about £1,000 a year, my electric £800 a year, my rent (because I could not afford a mortgage) £7200 a year,and my average weekly food bill £80. Now I own my house, my rates are less than 500 euros, my water 100 euros, no rent, and my average weekly food bill 70 euros. I have a wind turbine and solar panels which with the expected life on them, cost about 400 euros a year (including underfloor heating for the winter). Petrol and diesel is cheaper here than in the UK. And gas is about neutral though much cheaper for bottled gas.
The only thing I find more expensive is buying and taxing cars. These are very expensive compared with the UK. I recently priced for matriculating an ancient 4 wheel drive, and it came to 850 euros (without replacing the headlights to continental, any potential work resulting from the IVT, insurance and annual road tax). Taking a Spanish car to the UK would only cost a VCA of £70 and registration fee of £55 and MOT, approx toal of £160-£170 depending on MOT which you can sometimes get a deal on, (plus insurance and road tax), which is very small in comparison.
In the area I live, all the people I know who have returned to the UK have done so because they miss their family and friends. Personally I know of no one who returned because they could not afford to live in Spain. It does seem as if every working age Brit in the area is involved in the building trade, but that has a lot to do with being able to work without being fluent in Spanish which you would need for office, shop and most other work. I have only come across two who pretended to be builders. One came a cropper eventually when everyone found out what he could and could not do, and now labours when and where he can, and the other built houses but used mostly Rumanian labour as he could not lay a brick to save his life.
Unless you have a lot of property and assets in the UK you are in general better off in Spain. For the average Brit pensioner with few assets in the UK it can be a good life here.
Thread:
End to Mediterranean dream?
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