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Straight answers, written down.
Everything we tell buyers on the phone, published free: 66 guides with real numbers and the awkward details included. The ones on tax and the rules carry the official sources and the date we last checked them.
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Pick the one that sounds like you and read in order. Each guide ends with the next one.
Buying from Ireland
You live in Ireland and want a place on the coast.
Buying from Northern Ireland or Britain
You live in the North or elsewhere in the UK.
Wintering here
You'll spend part of the year here and keep your life at home.
Moving for good
You're relocating, working remotely or retiring here.
Buying to let
Rental income is part of the plan.
Already living here
You're on the coast now, renting, and thinking of buying.
Not sure yet?
Tell us where you are and we'll point you to the three guides that matter for you, and the questions to ask next.
Free tools and guides
Cost calculatorEvery tax and fee on a purchase in Andalusia, down to the total.183-day counterYour days in Spain for each calendar year, against the tax line.Wintering in SpainThe free 8-page guide for Irish people spending part of the year here.Buying to letHoliday lets, long lets, the community and the tax, in a free 8-page guide.The paperwork packFrom the NIE to the keys, in the order it happens. Free, 9 pages.
Every guide
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Buying in Spain from Northern Ireland
6 minLive in the North and buying on the Costa del Sol? Your passport decides how long you can stay, your address decides the tax, and your NIE comes from Edinburgh, not Dublin. What changes, and what doesn't.Irish on the coastOwning in Spain while living in the UK: the tax on both sides
6 minLive in Northern Ireland, England, Scotland or Wales and own on the Costa del Sol? Spain taxes you at 24% on gross rent, not 19% on net, and HMRC taxes it too. Buying, owning, letting, selling and inheritance, on both sides.MoneyA British passport and a Spanish home: the 90 days in 180
4 minOwning a home in Spain doesn't give you more time there. How the 90 days in 180 are counted, the new border system and ETIAS, what overstaying costs, the visas for longer stays, and the Irish passport route for people in the North.Living thereWhy the letting rules keep tightening on the Costa del Sol · sources checked 5 Oct 2026
8 minBuying to let? The coast has a housing problem and the rules on letting are tightening because of it. What's going on in the towns, what's changed, what's coming, and what it means for your flat.Renting it outGetting an older house surveyed before you buy · sources checked 1 Oct 2026
4 minNobody in a Spanish purchase checks the roof or the walls unless you pay someone to. Who to get, what they look at on an older or country house, why the AFO matters in Andalusia, and when to do it.Process & legalLetting rooms in the house you live in · sources checked 1 Oct 2026
4 minLiving in part of the house and letting a room or two is a common plan for Irish buyers inland. Visitors and lodgers are two different things in Andalusia, with different rules. What you need for each.Renting it outWhat it costs to buy on the Costa Blanca · sources checked 1 Oct 2026
4 minThe Costa Blanca is in the Valencian Community, so the taxes are Valencian, not Andalusian. Transfer tax is 9% on a resale since June 2026. The full stack on a resale and a new build, worked through at €200,000.MoneyHealthcare in Spain on a UK State Pension · sources checked 1 Oct 2026
4 minPlenty of Irish households have a UK State Pension in them. If you draw one and move to Spain, the S1 form gets you into the Spanish public system with the UK paying. How it works, what prescriptions cost, and what to do before pension age.Living thereYour Irish savings when you move to Spain · sources checked 1 Oct 2026
5 minSavings in an Irish bank aren't taxed just for being there, but what they earn is once you're Spanish resident, and over €50,000 has to be declared. What changes, what doesn't, and what to sort before you go.Irish on the coastSurgery in Spain on the HSE, and recovering on the coast · sources checked 28 Sept 2026
6 minOn an Irish waiting list for a hip or a knee? How the HSE's Cross Border Directive scheme works, what it pays and what it doesn't, and the practical side of recovering on the Costa del Sol.Living thereRent a year before you buy on the Costa del Sol · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minA week in August tells you almost nothing about living somewhere. What a year of renting teaches you about the coast, and why it usually makes you a better buyer.Irish on the coastRenting long term on the Costa del Sol: what Irish movers need to know · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
7 minNIE, the fianza, who pays the agency fee since 2023, and why a Spanish lease protects you far more than it binds you. The practical guide to renting before you buy.Irish on the coastAlready living on the Costa del Sol? Buying as an Irish resident in Spain · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minRenting in Fuengirola or La Cala and wondering about buying? Residents borrow more, skip the viewing trip and already hold the paperwork. The advantages, and the one clock to mind.Irish on the coastRenting vs buying on the Costa del Sol: the honest maths · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minRent on the coast has climbed hard while you were settling in. When staying a renter still makes sense, when it stops making sense, and the honest way to decide.Irish on the coastResident mortgages: how Spanish banks treat Irish income · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minResidents are usually offered a bigger loan than non-residents, but the source of your income decides how each bank sees you. Spanish payslips, Irish salaries, pensions and autónomo income, compared.Irish on the coastWhere the Irish are on the Costa del Sol · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minGAA on a Sunday morning, an Irish association and a Consulate General in Málaga. Where the Irish community actually gathers on the coast.Irish on the coastMoving to the Costa del Sol from Ireland: the first 90 days · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minNIE, padrón, healthcare, bank, phone, residency. The settling-in checklist for Irish arrivals, in the order that saves you repeat trips to every office.Irish on the coastSpanish residency for Irish citizens: the green certificate, plainly · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minIrish citizens need no visa for Spain, but stay past three months and you are meant to register as an EU resident. What the green certificate is, what it costs and how to get it.Irish on the coastThe padrón: the small registration that unlocks everything · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
4 minSpain's town hall register decides your school places, your healthcare card and half your paperwork. What the padrón is, why it matters and how to get on it.Irish on the coastThe 183-day line: Spanish tax residency for Irish expats · sources checked 21 Sept 2026
6 minStay long enough and Spain becomes your tax home whether you filed anything or not. How Spanish tax residency actually works, and how to get ahead of it.Irish on the coastWorking your Irish job from the Costa del Sol · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minPlenty of Irish people work remotely from the coast. The parts that are easy, the parts that are genuinely complicated, and the questions to settle before it becomes permanent.Irish on the coastLiving on an Irish pension on the Costa del Sol · sources checked 21 Sept 2026
5 minThe State pension travels with you, healthcare comes via the S1, and the tax treatment depends on which pension you hold. The retired Irish resident's picture, plainly.Irish on the coastSchools on the Costa del Sol: an Irish family's guide · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minState, concertado or international? How schooling works on the coast, what Irish families tend to choose, and why the padrón and your address decide more than you think.Irish on the coastCars, licences and the DGT: an Irish resident's guide · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minYour Irish licence is valid, your Irish car is a bigger question, and the DGT has opinions about both. Driving on the coast as an Irish resident, sorted.Irish on the coastBeyond Estepona: where the coast's value went · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minPast Estepona the crowds thin, the builds get newer and the money per square metre goes further. Manilva, Casares and the far west, for buyers who can see past the airport run.Area guideThe seven mistakes Irish buyers make in Spain · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minEvery one of these is avoidable, and at least three of them are usually made on the same viewing trip. Here is what goes wrong, and the fix for each.Straight talkWhat a €350,000 apartment in Fuengirola actually costs an Irish buyer · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minThe asking price is not the price. A full worked example, every fee and tax line by line, down to the final cheque.MoneySpanish mortgages for Irish buyers: what the banks will and won't do · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
7 minYou can borrow in Spain as a non-resident. The terms are different from home, the paperwork is heavier, and the timing matters more than people think.MoneyThe six steps from offer to keys, and how long each really takes · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minA typical purchase runs six to twelve weeks from agreed offer to completion. The full timeline, including the parts that drag.Process & legalThe 90-day rule does not apply to you · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
4 minHalf the warnings online about time limits in Spain are written for British buyers. Irish passport holders are EU citizens, and the rules are different.Living thereHow commissions really work on the Costa del Sol · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minWho pays, how much, how agencies split fees, and why 'free to the buyer' is never quite true. The economics of the coast, published for once.Straight talkFuengirola for Irish buyers: prices, pockets and the parts locals rate · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
7 minThe most Irish town on the coast, area by area: Los Boliches, the centre, Torreblanca and Carvajal, with honest prices and who each suits.Area guideMarbella without the mythology: what €500,000 actually buys · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minPuerto Banús is not the town. What half a million really gets you, where the value hides, and when the honest answer is Estepona.Area guideChoosing a lawyer in Spain: the one question that matters · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
4 minNot where the name came from. Who they act for. How to check that the person doing your due diligence has exactly one client, and why it matters more in Spain than at home.Straight talkWhat an NIE is, why you need one and how to get it from Ireland · sources checked 21 Sept 2026
5 minThe first practical step in any Spanish purchase. The two routes for Irish buyers, what each costs, and how long they take.Process & legalHoliday lets in Andalusia: licences, rules and realistic returns · sources checked 21 Sept 2026
6 minIf rental income is part of your maths, read this before you buy. The VUT licence, the community veto, and what a two-bed really nets.Renting it outMoving six figures to Spain without losing thousands on the exchange · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minCurrency is the invisible cost of a purchase. Bank versus specialist on a big transfer, forward contracts in plain English, and when to move.MoneyThe arras contract: the deposit that locks both sides in · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minThe 10% deposit contract is the real point of no return. How it works, the double-return rule, and the traps in badly drafted ones.Process & legalBuying from your kitchen in Cork: how power of attorney works · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minMost Irish buyers never attend the Spanish notary. How a poder lets your lawyer complete the purchase while you stay home, safely.Process & legalWhat it costs to own: the annual bills on a Costa del Sol apartment · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minIBI, community fees, non-resident tax, insurance and utilities: a realistic yearly total for a typical two-bed.MoneyOff-plan: the rewards, the risks and the bank guarantee that protects you · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minNew-build off-plan buys more modern property for the money, on a timeline with real risks. How stage payments and the guarantees actually work.Straight talkEstepona: Marbella's neighbour grew up · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minA renewed old town, a new-build boom and a €1,000 per square metre discount on Marbella. Who Estepona suits, and who it doesn't.Area guideMijas: the village above, the coast below, and which side to pick · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minMijas Pueblo's whitewashed charm or Mijas Costa's practical apartments in La Cala, Riviera and Calahonda. Two different purchases, one name.Area guideBenalmádena: the well-connected all-rounder · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minMarina life, a hillside pueblo and a train to the airport. Why Benalmádena quietly suits more buyers than almost anywhere.Area guideTorremolinos: the town having a second life · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minSpain's original resort is buzzing again: beaches, La Carihuela, the airport ten minutes away and the coast's strongest rental logic.Area guideMálaga city: buying in one of Spain's fastest-moving urban markets · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minCulture, an airport on the doorstep and year-round life. Where the value sits in Málaga city and what to watch.Area guideNerja and the east: the quiet end of the coast · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minThe Balcón de Europa, dramatic coves and the gentlest prices on the coast. What the Axarquía gives you, and what it asks in return.Area guideWhere the Irish actually buy on the Costa del Sol · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minIrish purchases of Spanish homes rose 12.4% in the first half of 2024, according to Spain's notaries. Where the community actually lives, and why it should shape your search.Area guideWhen we'd tell you not to buy · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minSometimes the right answer is wait, rent first, or don't. The situations where we say so, because a business built on trust has to mean it.Straight talkThe viewing trip: how to see twelve properties and keep your judgement · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minAgents' tactics, what to photograph, the questions to ask in every apartment, and the 48-hour rule that protects you from the day-three high.Straight talkWhy cheap Spanish property is usually expensive · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minThe €90,000 bargain, unpicked: community arrears, planning problems, unrentable locations and the maths of cheap. Where real value actually hides.Straight talkThe 10 to 13 percent rule: every fee and tax when you buy in Andalusia · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minWhere the rule of thumb comes from, when the real figure is nearer 9, and when it genuinely hits 13. The cost stack, explained once.MoneyCash or mortgage? How Irish buyers actually pay for Spanish property · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minSavings, pension lump sums, equity release at home or a Spanish mortgage: the four funding routes with honest pros and cons.MoneyNew-build or resale: the price gap, the tax gap and which suits you · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 min7% transfer tax against 11.2% on new-build, character against warranties, keys now against keys in 2028. The comparison without the sales pitch.MoneySelling up later: capital gains, the 3% retention and what Revenue needs to know · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minNobody buys thinking about the exit, which is why the exit surprises people. Spanish CGT, the retention and the Irish side, in plain English.MoneyWhat a good property lawyer checks before you sign anything · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minDebts that follow the property, missing licences, community arrears, embargoes: the unglamorous checklist that saves buyers.Process & legalSpain's new agent registry: what Andalusia's 2026 housing law means for buyers · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minLey 5/2025 makes agent registration mandatory in Andalusia, with insurance and qualification requirements. What changes for you.Process & legalWhen a Spanish deal goes wrong: what actually happens · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minFailed completions, seller pull-outs, deposit disputes. Rare, but naming them builds more trust than pretending they never happen.Straight talkNear the airport or near the beach: picking your compromise · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minYou'll make that transfer 240 times. The honest travel-time map of the coast, and the year-three test that picks your town.Area guideWhat a two-bed near the beach really earns · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minA worked rental example from gross season income down to a net figure: management, voids, bills and tax included. No fantasy yields.Renting it outThe rental rules changed. Here's what buyers need to know · sources checked 21 Sept 2026
5 minRegistration systems, community vetoes, city restrictions: Spain has tightened short lets on several fronts. The current picture for buyers.Renting it outBuy-to-let or lock-up-and-leave: two very different purchases · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minThe right apartment for earning is often the wrong one for your own August. The two buyer types, and the one question that settles it.Renting it outHealthcare in Spain for Irish people: EHIC, S1 and private cover · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minIrish and going to Spain? EHIC covers visits, private cover bridges the years before pension age, and the S1 gets Irish pensioners Spanish public healthcare.Living thereRetiring to the Costa del Sol: residency, tax and the order to do things in · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
6 minSell first or buy first? Move before or after the lump sum? The sequence matters more than any single decision.Living thereKeeping a Spanish home connected to Ireland · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minFlights and routes by season, the drive down, and what to do with the place in winter. The logistics of owning 2,000km from home.Living thereWills, inheritance and your Spanish property: sorting it properly · sources checked 22 Sept 2026
5 minA Spanish will for the Spanish assets, the EU rule that lets Irish law govern your estate, and why purchase time is the moment to do it.Living thereRather talk it through?
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