A Home Abroad
essential unbiased information for buying overseas property

Find your way around the site with our handy search box and links
below or use our SITE MAP

Please visit our sister site FRENCH PROPERTY FOR LESS for over
40 pages of information about buying a house in France.

Home Page

Around the site you'll
find information about....

Click below Research Location Types of property Renovation Viewings Finance Legal process Mortgages in France

or choose a country:

property in France

property in Spain

property in Bulgaria

property in Croatia

property in Italy

property in Turkey

property in Florida

property in Algarve

Investment

links

There are on-going costs associated with owning a home abroad.
For a 2 bed roomed 'average' home you will have to allow
between £500 to £1500 per year, to pay for :
 
 Water usage
Electricity charges
Property Taxes and Rates
Community fees
Gas
Telephone
Rubbish collection
Insurance
Fiscal representative
Furnishings
Tax on rental income
Running a car

 

WATER is metered. A typical annual amount for careful use by 3-4 people might be £100-£150.

ELECTRICITY is also metered.
In a small house or flat, you could roughly expect to pay around £150-200 per year.
This does not allow for heavy use of air-conditioning, or electric heating- both of which use a lot of power.

COMMUNITY CHARGES are payable for any home in a development  with any communal facilities. They cover upkeep of the gardens, pool maintenance, lifts, security etc. and will depend on the number of properties between which costs are shared, as well as the level of facilities provided. £12 to £20 per month is a likely amount- you can find out the exact current amount before you buy.

GAS is rarely on the mains- people buy bottles which can be delivered.
They are around £5 for a refill.
Make sure you obtain a certificate proving your property is suitable for the use of gas appliances-
you need this to buy the bottles.
The vendor , your builder or appliance fitter should be able to provide this.

TELEPHONES are less essential in these days of the mobile 'phone-
but are billed in roughly the same way as in the UK.
Get a new contract on any any exhisting line- or you may just find you have someone else's debts to pay!
At least a fixed line always has a signal- and costs a lot less for regular use.

TOP TIP

If you are going to use a mobile phone , get a local contract in addition to your UK one-
or your calls will all be at international rates, even if you are phoning your next door neighbour.

PROPERTY TAXES are generally less than in the UK. There are 'rates' type taxes for local services and 'wealth taxes' paid by all non-residents, and based on property values.
Typically £150-£200 per year for 'rates' on a small property and around £80-100 annually for the wealth tax.

RUBBISH COLLECTION is usually part of the community charge on an estate, a few pounds a year for an individual property.

INSURANCE is likely to be around £100-£120 for buildings and contents.
 

TOP TIP

Direct debits from your foreign bank account are invaluable for these payments.

 

RUNNING A CAR is by no means essential. Renting a car on each visit can be easier, and no more expensive. The balance  will shift  in favour of your own car if you expect to be using your home often, and for long periods. If you leave any car unused for long periods, you are likely to have a lot of problems starting it.
Bear in mind that you will have to use another method to get from and to the Airport if you don't hire a car there!
 

A FISCAL REPRESENTATIVE  is highly advisable if you are not permanently living in your foreign home.
Called a GESTOR in Spain they will receive all your foreign post, and let you know if there are any problems
that need sorting out before your next visit - missed direct debits for example.

A gestor will also fill in those horrid foreign forms!

Your representative must live in the country, but can be a friend, relative or lawyer. If you need a professional, it will cost around £100 per year.
 

TAX ON RENTAL INCOME is obviously only due if you make money renting out the house.

FURNISHINGS Although furnishings are not a regular outgoing, you are likely to furnish some, if not all your new home.
If this is to be a holiday home it is likely to be cheaper to buy everything locally.

If you are selling up in the U.K and taking your furniture with you, there are specialist removal firms covering most of
Europe on a regular basis.