The Word on the Street - News and Information from Spain

News and Information from Spain

International Edition - April 2016

Welcome to the April issue of 'The Word on the Street'. This is your monthly news and information from Spain provided by Ábaco Advisers. We hope to keep you in touch with the news, events and just a little bit of gossip.

First occupancy and habitation licences – confused?

First occupancy and habitation licences – confused?

There has been a lot of confusion in the past about these two documents; what you need them for and when and who is responsible. In this article we explain them in more detail and clarify their role in the conveyancing process:

Read our article

Thanks for your comments

Thanks for your comments

It’s always good to know that people read the newsletter and have comments to make. Last month it was very much appreciated that two people sent in their suggestions for more information in the future. We’ve been asked to write more about Capital Gains Tax and include features on which sport to watch or take part in Spain.

It’s also appreciated when our readers show how carefully they’ve been reading our articles. One of our readers has pointed out that in Murcia the water bill is payable not every three months but every two months. Thanks for your vigilance and we have made a note.

Sport in Spain

Sport in Spain

Given your interest in sport we’ve included here a couple of articles from our website about two sports that are popular in Spain and you might not have come across before:

Spanish padel tennis:

Read our article

Pelota - fast and furious:

Read our article

Taking to the road in a campervan

Taking to the road in a campervan

It’s not everyone’s cup of tea and campervanners sometimes get bad press. However, Eric Artingstall shares with us both his love of taking to the road in his campervan and some advice for novice vanners. Love them or hate them you might just be interested to read: 

Read our article

Security risks on keyless cars

Security risks on keyless cars

Money Saver Spain is a really good newsletter with lots of ideas for saving money in Spain. In this issue they have an interesting piece on how to appeal if you have been fined by your electricity company and about the dangers of keyless locking. It seems that the more we invent something new then the more we need to invent something to make it fool proof. Hopefully neither of these will happen to you:

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The cheapest and most expensive places to rent a property in Spain

The cheapest and most expensive places to rent a property in Spain

It’s not only house prices that vary widely across Spain. The cost of renting is also very different depending on where you live. Perhaps it’s not surprising that the most expensive place to rent is in Barcelona. But you might not guess where the cheapest is:

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An art gallery with a difference

An art gallery with a difference

This might not be accessible for everyone and it might not be everyone’s idea of enjoying a browse around  a gallery. However, this underwater museum in Cancun does hold a certain fascination and displays the exhibits in a very atmopsheric and perhaps disturbing way. Even the photos convey some feeling of what it must be like:

Read the article

To find out more about its creation, Wikipedia is a good source: 

Read Wikipedia

To see how the fish sport with the exhibits (after the advert):

Watch the video

Worst airport meals

Worst airport meals

The Ibiza airport sandwich that cost over €6 for a small slice of ham and a smattering of lettuce has  now received many views. Taking the issue of airport food a little further is this article from the Telegraph showing that this sad little sandwich isn’t on its own when it comes to pretty horrible airport food:

Read the article

For a picture of the original offending sandwich:

Read the article

What surprises the Spanish about the UK

What surprises the Spanish about the UK

Perhaps to understand your own nationality you do have to see it through a foreigner’s eyes. We haven’t included a top ten from the Local for a little while (well at least two issues) so here’s one to enjoy:

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Excellent updates on national news

Excellent updates on national news

You may already receive the Spain Today newsletter. If you don’t it’s well worth subscribing as it is an up-to-date and well-written look at events in Spain. It also contains more specific local news.

This is the last news round up:

Read the article

And here you can sign up to receive the newsletter:

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Which way will it go?

Which way will it go?

If you are not completely fed up with debate around the EU referendum you might enjoy reading this article by Mark Stücklin of Spanish Property Insight. He gives his views about how the prospect of the referendum is affecting house sales in Spain and his predictions for what will happen in the end: 

Read the article

Under cover cyclists to catch out drivers

Under cover cyclists to catch out drivers

An interesting article from On The Pulse warns us that legislation might be passed to allow police officers disguised as cyclists to identify where drivers are not giving them a sufficiently wide berth. It’s not law yet and sounds rather problematic but it’s certainly an interesting idea and has got both cyclists and drivers debating:

Read the article

Organising the working day in Spain

Organising the working day in Spain

Should Spain retain its siesta or not? It’s not just about having convenient shopping times for tourists. Nor is it about comparing like with like. The weather during the winter months may not be that different from some other European countries but during the summer, the heat of the afternoon demands a different approach and it can’t all be corrected with air conditioning.

It’s a controversial and important subject and here are two articles that deal with it:

Can Spain take a European approach to the work-life  balance?

Read the article

Adios siesta! Is it goodbye to Spain’s national nap? 

Read the article

What interests you?

What interests you?

We would welcome any suggestions for future themes you would like us to cover either in the newsletter or in an article on Spain Explained.

Please let us know by email at newsletter@abacoadvisers.com.

Thank you!