Can anybody offer an opinion on investing in Vilajoyasa,currently looking to buy what seems a cheap apartment in the old town for refurb but a little put off by a lot of negative comments about investing in Spain.
I am aware of the downsides of places like Torreveija but l havent heard an opinion on this area

For any area, my advice would be rent somewhere there for 6 months first, or if you don´t have the time, at least spend a two week holiday there. You can use the time to do research and call a few owners direct from their for sale signs to get the real prices, not ones including estate agents fees!

I suppose it depends on what it is worth and what it is being sold at.

House prices in the Costa Blanca are still falling, in fact the unconfirmed figure from Valmessa is that they have dropped 30% in most coastal areas of the Costa Blanca within the last 6 months.

The supply far outweighs the demand at the moment.. yet they still construct.

Are you looking at this from an investment/rental point of view or are you looking to live out here?

If renting.. personal advice.. be prepared to get at least enough to cover your mortgage. A lot of investors want ridiculous money out here for rent with no room for negotiation.. Again 1000s of properties available to rent not enough demand. Something is better than nothing.

If living out here, have you thought of the potential language barrier with living smack bank in old town Spain. Throwing yourself in at the deep end is actually the best way to learn, but be prepared for a crash course.

You will find a lot more Xpats moving into the Spanish towns and villages 15-20km inland from the coast. Cheaper to buy and for a lot of people they don't want to be surrounded by Brit's, a lot of people come to Spain to get away from the horrors of the UK only to find them right next door when they get here.

Another piece of advice.. please please please, do not come out here and buy the house outright.. we have come across so many people who come over here on these 4 day trips, and basically point and say "i want that one, ill take it now" and pay there and then, or go away and sort out a mortgage. DONT. Please have a company like Valmessa or Cluttons do a valuation on the property, this might sound simple and common sense, but you will be surprised on how many people dont only to find massive problems with subsidence or that planning permission has been granted on a 10 story apartment block spoiling your lovely view etc etc.

Also have your own Spanish lawyer double check everything the estate agents lawyer has said and given you, again some of the legal advisers over here will give conflicting information and it is best to get a second opinion.

Other than that we're always happy to see people investing over here and wish you all the best.

Anything else, drop me an email at alan_ofsspain@yahoo.com

Cheers

Alan Macdonald
OFS Spain

Hi Ben
First of all, my advice as a Spanish lawyer is that before you sign anything or give any money you must check personally in the Town Hall if your planned is permitted on the type of building you are determined to buy. Do not believe a seller or an Agent who tells you that you can refurb on your property. You have to obtain from Planning Officers in Town Hall a certificate of your future property in which is stated what and how you can refurb.

If you are planning to erect a house or do any major repairs or alterations to existing ones involving structural components or even for minor construction works you must apply for a permission. In Spain the local planning system controls the use of land and what's built on it through two types of license

a) Minor construction work permit “Licencia de Obra menor”

To find out what kind of works are considered minor you have to check the local regulation. You may contact the planning department of your local planning authority for advice requesting application form and decide on permit type. It is often a good idea to meet a planning officer for an informal discussion before you proceed. You will not be charged for this. Each Town Hall has his own ordinance but generally speaking under this type are included:

Repair work without alteration of the volume or the principal use of the facilities and services of communal use
Building works which are wholly internal.
Works that do not affect the external composition or structure
For instance: Changing the floors, changing the tiles, building or removing partitions in the interior of the house, placing or removing doors, windows, gratings, tiling a garden or terrace, adding decorative girders/pergolas to a garden or terrace, raising the walls of the garden.

Documentation required
Application with description of the works, proposed use, budget, owner and/or builder identification and location. You should keep one sealed copy of the application form

Major construction work permit “Licencia de Obra mayor”

For undertaking works such as new buildings, alterations, demolitions or even the construction of a swimming pool you need to apply for a “Licencia de Obra mayor”

Documentation required

Application form signed by an architect, architectural engineer, promoter and builder must be accompanied by a plan of the site, details of any proposed works and two copies of the construction drawings endorsed by the Architects Association


Tax

Construction Tax “Impuesto sobre instalaciones construcciones y obras” I.C.I.O. and/or Licence fees. These are calculated depending on the figure set by your Town Council, approximately ICIO costs about 3-4% of the estimated construction costs and Licence fees about 1-2%. It is irrelevant for this tax if you have the materials and you and only you are going to undertake the works therefore you have to pay tax in this case calculating the cost according to the guidelines of the Architect Association. These fees are not refundable even the permit is not granted.


It is not necessary to make the application yourself. If you wish, you can appoint an agent (for instance, an architect, a solicitor, or a builder) to submit it for you on your behalf but your agent will need a written and express authorization
If the Town Hall does not reply you with a written notification within the time period provided by law , you will automatically obtain the licence, assuming that the correct information was submitted and it complies with planning regulations.
If you don't wait until your application is granted the local authorities could impose you a disciplinary penalty.
If the council turn down your application or imposes conditions, it must give written reasons and if you think the council's decision is unreasonable, you may wish to consider appealing to the Mayor. The deadline for submitting an appeal is indicated in the decision of the Town Hall
If you know any construction works undertaking without permission you could report to the Council even if you do not have any nuisance or detriment.




Felix Lopez
www.fljordan.com
Spanish Law Firm

I know Villajoyosa quite well. Pleasant enough fishing town, very nice seafront and 100 times better now it has the bypass. It's only about ten miles from Benidorm, but a million miles away in other ways. So you get everything Benidorm has to offer without being there if you know what I mean.

No idea whether you should buy or not as I don't know the property or the price.

One thing about apartments - the Spanish will not buy it if it has no lift. Not nowadays. So if that's the case and you want to sell it on ever - refurbed or not - you'll need another Brit to buy it. Not going to be easy.

One other thing. It sounds like you are thinking of buying it just because it is cheap not because you know the town or anything. Often a big mistake.

Sorry to disagree OFS Spain, but I haven't seen your 30% drops across the board in the last six months or anything like it. Prices are coming down but nowhere near that fast. Can you give me an example of one town even where this is the case?

Its not really the sort of property that you would expect to find a lift(probably 150 yrs old)
But i hear what you say re reselling.
I have been to view and thought your comments summed up very well, its away from the benidorm influence and quite a pretty town nice beach and looks as though they are spending money in the area,also attracted because of the proximity of the airport.
Do you think i will have problems getting people to work on the property?or getting any consents no real structural required but i believe the old town is in a heritage area

It's perfectly placed for Alicante Airport - you're right. I forgot to even mention that. It also benefits from a train station - most towns north of Benidorm as far as Gandia don't have one. The town's big claim to fame is that it invented chocolate so if you've got a sweet tooth :-)

Right, didn't know the age of the property. A lot of apartments built in the 50s-80s had no lifts and a lot have been put in since (at a cost obviously). But if it's that old I take your point.

What I would do if you're on the ground - or coming over - take the property details to the town hall and photos of its current state and talk to someone there about your plans before buying it. They will tell you exactly what is possible and what isn't, what consent you will need if it's in the heritage area and so on. You will be surprised by how helpful they are when you take the time to approach them at an early stage. DO NOT take the EA's word for what can and what cannot be done.

If you do buy there are no shortage of builders, but get a recommendation or two from owners of nearby properties that have obviously been done to a standard. Praise their properties then ask who did the work! Works a treat :-) The best builders may not be able to start work for a while too.

Nothing against British builders out here, but nine times out of ten they will want to charge you much more than Spanish builders. I would use local workmen every time.

Dare I say it on here, but if you post on Britishexpats.com, chances are you'll find someone who lives in the town. They may know inside info re Villajoyosa worth knowing.

I don´t think so. It comes from South America originally and it was the Aztecs in Central America that created a drink called xocolatl.

I'm talking about chocolate of the eating not drinking variety.

It was the Spaniards who brought the beans back to Europe and at the time Villajoyosa was an important port (in fact the Valencioans were great seafarers and traders).

Villajoyosa isn't the only town to make this claim, but chocolate brought it a great deal of wealth in years gone by and there are still family run chocolate factories there that you can visit.