Property Guides

British investors “owed billions”

The Spanish property industry won’t want reminding of past problems, but a Supreme Court ruling and big cash repayments could boost the property market just as investors are seeing new value in Spain  

Six new reasons to invest in France

France looks set to become the next investment hotspot for UK landlords. French homes have been off the agenda for many property investors in recent years, as tax rises and a sluggish economy have combined to keep prices and rental returns down. The evidence is coming from several directions that this may be about to change. Driven by punitive actions by the UK government and a return to French competitiveness, investors are being both pushed and pulled to France.

EU tells Spain to ban mortgages with “abusive” contracts

The EU is threatening Spain with action unless it improves protection for the public when taking out a mortgage with a Spanish bank. In a formal notice sent out last week, the European Commission said it “is requesting Spain to bring its national laws on civil procedure regulating mortgage enforcement and payment orders in line with EU consumer law… to ensure that consumers are fully protected against unfair contract terms.” The Commission says that Spain has two months to reply to the notice.

Changes to notaire fees

New discounts have been introduced that apply to the work the notaire performs as part of the purchasing process in France. The main role of the notaire is to uphold French law throughout any property transaction, and as such he works for neither the buyer nor the seller; the notaire is there to make sure the legal process of buying in France is carried out properly. You will usually only need one notaire, but you are at liberty to choose a separate one if you wish – the fees will be no higher, but rather split between the two of them.

10 ways to regret nothing when you buy in France

It’s a big decision, choosing a home in France. A Place in the Sun readers recently revealed their top tips for getting it right. The French are famous for regretting “rien”, but A Place in the Sun magazine has revealed 10 regrets of its readers who bought abroad and then had a better idea. Don’t worry, they were all very happy to have bought a place abroad, but realise that with a bit more thought they might have made better decisions. The good news is that when buying a holiday home or moving abroad, you can normally correct any early mistakes.

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