Property Sp
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Karl Lagerfeld ELITE: Homes include & Gabbana and (below) Dolce
in the scious Marbella are flooding image-con 9 Designer homes investors, see page latest trend for super-rich
ONLY WAY IS UP
*
Property prices in
Spain have risen for
every quarter since
Q1 2023, year-on-year in
among Span2014 2.7% compared to declines second-home buyers of a 9% for
hitting and inflation crises foreign whether 2.7% fewer living important IF you’re still wondering Spain’s most Geris a sound investwho only purchased quarter of 2023 buyer markets in the UK and buying in Spain figures should give homes in the first ment, the latest By Laurence Dollimore purcompared to 2022.sign of demand many. the number of just you a clue. of 2023, pricby That is a stronginterest rate rises In particular, In the second quarter by foreigners fell by 3.6% 7% year-on-year. sharp erage price rising have given theand the worsening cost of chases es nationwide increased same period in The investment opportunities this year compared to the foreign buyers, not been lost on 2022. 3.5% year-onIt follows a healthythe first quarter bought in year boost during of luxury homes AN incredible 90% by foreigners and 90% are of this year. by Swedes, mean prices of purchases, followed and GerMarbella are bought The latest statistics buyers with 16% Belgians in Spain every a mortgage. have been rising purchased without has emerged in a fascinating at 12%, Dutch at 8%, with the quarter since 2014. The surprising figure in Marbelnot far behind. by leading agent Panorama. years of continumans 10 resort categories the agenalmost on price the all by That’s new report market - defined to be even Asking prices in average, by about 15% between ous and steady growth. allIt comes as the luxury has been the la have risen, on €2 million - proves reaching a new Driving the uptick cy as homes over “Some agencies are reporting June 2022 and June 2023, double new-build homes, construction of stronger than 2022. of up to 20% at the high end,” time high of €4,233/m2 – approximately up across the ago. years 10 popping of are m2 which on the price per Clover. an increase in sales the average asking of the report Chris country, but particularly explained author the British are still the main Costa Blanca. Costa del Sol and a new-build home Of foreign buyers, And if you bought have already seen last year, you will value, with the ava tidy increase in
NINETY NINETY
ish 12% for first-home purchases and a purchases. strength in sales In addition, this follows the sigamong foreigners of 2022, when nificant rebound compared to they grew by 30.7% home sales as a 6.4% growth for a whole. now account for As a result, they of total sales much larger portion to the Ministry (19.5%, according and Urban of Transport, Mobility is partly down to this and Agenda), buyers are less the fact that foreign creddependent on it when purchasing property.
scoring?
The properties fighting climate change See page 16
long*With respect to term expat Malaga resident Yazz
OLIVE PRESS ANDALUCÍA
The
On brand
Still
BUILDING THE FUTURE
October 2023
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Vol. 17 Issue 429 www.theolivepress.es October 4th - October 17th 2023
From between the posts to thousands of bed posts...we salute Latin lothario Julio Iglesias as he hits 80
Expat slammed with €23,000 UK hospital bill after bowel explodes during visit
The Welsh native was diagnosed with a rare form of bowel cancer known as GIST tumours. tired Brit was faced with a whop- According to her brother, Karl ping bill from the NHS, despite Winslade, Helen was not expecther British citizenship. ing to stay in the UK for an extended periS YOU S od and their KE ‘small pension’ could not fund Helen’s accomAN expat has been jailed for faking a heart at- to be caremodation, tack to avoid picking up the cheque in at least ful and to food and 20 restaurants in Spain. not serve travel costs. The 50-year-old, originally from Lithuania, him anyK a r l will spend 42 days behind bars after failing to thing.” launched a pay two fines for his series of theatrical dine B e c a u s e fundraising and dashes. each inciHEARTY EATER: but His modus operandi was identical in almost dent was campaign expat never paid bill every eatery he targeted, the majority of them considered to get Helon the Costa Blanca. a small en back to He was a man of habit and would always or- amount of Spain, where der several glasses of ‘White Label’ whiskey to money, they are only considered as ‘minor he said ‘her wash down a Russian salad, a dish ‘he seems crimes’. prognosis to like quite a bit’, said one restaurant owner. However the restaurant owners are now planwould be Among the targets were El Buen Comer and ning to file a joint complaint which could land better’ due Sale&Pepe, in Alicante. the man up to two years in jail. to shorter “It was very theatrical, he pretended to faint A lawyer from the prestigious firm Navarand slumped himself down on the floor,” said the manager at El Buen Comer. “We have sent his photo around to all the restaurants to try and stop him from striking again.” A worker at Sale&Pepe said: “We’ve all received a warning with his photo telling us
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A BRITISH expat has been slapped with a £20,000 (€23,000) hospital bill after her bowel exploded during a trip to the UK. Helen Winslade, 55, who lives in Almeria, was visiting home in early July when she had to undergo life saving surgery, losing a part of her small intestine. The procedure went well, but amazingly, within weeks the re-
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LIFE SAVED: But at a hefty cost to Helen and hubbie Carlos
waiting times. She finally returned in late September after a monthslong ordeal.
Her husband, Carlos, had been left holding the fort in Seron, while she was stuck in the UK short of funds. The impact of Covid 19 ‘wiped out’ their business, leaving the couple to live ‘on a very small pension’. PEOPLE resident in Spain are not automatically covered for The case is a warning to emergency treatment on the UK’s National Health Service any expats considering even if they are British citizens. visiting home without They should get an EHIC (European Health Insurance Card), medical insurance or which is free in Spain and available to people enrolled with failing to travel with the their regional health department. correct forms in case of This ensures emergency health care is available during trips an unexpected health to the UK and EU countries on the same terms as in the visited nation. scare. In the UK this means attention would be free, although in Under current laws, if you some other countries charges are not a UK resident, you may apply on the same basis as must produce relevant locals pay. documentation to receive It does not cover any private free NHS treatment - inhealthcare or costs such as a recluding an EHIC (a Euturn flight. ropean health card) or It also does not cover your costs GHIC card, or a so-called if you are travelling for the exS1 or S2 form. press purpose of obtaining medAlternatively, you can ical treatment. request a Provisional Replacement Certificate, which will cover healthcare in the UK for the length of your trip. Since a Go Fund Me page was launched at the start of August, only €210 of See pages 9 & 40 the couple’s €5,000 target has been raised. Karl says he is ‘eternally grateful’ for any contribution.
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Tel: 952 147 834 TM