Squatters are known as Okupas in Spain and the Canary Islands. In Gran Canaria they are a rare but complex problem. Understanding the Spanish laws that govern property owner’s and squatter’s rights is an important way of keeping your property safe and dealing with squatters. If someone occupies your property in Spain, they are guilty…
The Mogán Ayuntamiento has announced that local residents and property owners have until November 30 to make their voluntary municipal tax payments. The measure is designed to spread the financial burden of local taxes for residents and local businesses throughout the year. The latest on local tax changes that affect Gran Canaria property owners The…
Now that the United Kingdom of Great Britain has formally left the EU, there are a number of rule changes for British nationals living in Spain, or visiting for long periods. British residents living in Spain before 1 January 2021 If you are a British citizens who lived legally in Spain before 1 January 2021,…
British and non-EU property owners in Spain and the Canary Islands can stay for longer than 90 days with a Non-Lucrative Visa. EU citizens can spend as long as they please in their Gran Canaria property. However, non-EU and EEA citizens are limited to 90 days out of a rolling 180 day period unless they…
A Spanish Supreme Court ruling is likely to spare UK citizens high tax payments on Spanish inheritances in Gran Canaria. Specifically, the court ruled in 2018 that Spain can’t prevent non-resident beneficiaries of a gift or inheritance from outside the EU from benefiting from regional tax exemptions. This means that it is likely that UK…
The awaited State System benchmark index of rental prices has now been published using data collected from 11.2 million rental agreements during the last four years. Issued by the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda, it will be updated every year and will gather data on 1.7 million properties and 33,662 census sections. This…
The Ayuntamiento de Mogán has modified its 2020 tax calendar to delay several municipal tax payments, including IBI property tax, until October. Residents and non-resident property owners with direct debits set up with the Town Hall will now pay 100% of their IBI tax in October rather than 50% in May-June and 50% in October….
If you buy a Gran Canaria property and find hidden structural or other defects, here are your consumer rights. Spanish law makes different provisions depending on whether you buy a second hand property or a new build. For a second-hand property (as opposed to a new-build property) Hidden defects. If you buy a property from…
A recent change to Spanish law allows a Communidad (community of owners) to regulate holiday let activity within a building or complex. From March 6, 2019, a Communidad by a simple majority of 3/5 can ban outright holiday rentals within a community. This replaces the previous rule in the Ley de propiedad horizontal that required…
The Canary Islands Government plans two significant changes to local taxation rules that could affect Gran Canaria property owners. IGIC rises to 7% after a year at 6.5% IGIC is the Canary Islands version of VAT. It was set at 6.5% in 2019 (compared to 21% for the equivalent IVA in mainland Spain). The new…
