Author: AntonioGuillen
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About the “international wills” and other confusing type of wills
The World is getting smaller. There is no doubt about it. In this era of globalisation, we have seen British acquiring properties in other countries such as Spain, France, Italy, you name it. The British affair with sunny places is well known. Programs such as “A place in the sun” are a good example of…
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To let or not to let? A brief summary on the 1st year of the Spanish Express Eviction law
In December 2009, a new law, commonly known as “Express Eviction law” was put into place in Spain. The purpose of this law was to speed the tediously slow eviction procedure in Spain. The law was welcomed with many “hoorays” by residential landlords who were suffering the consequences of a slow eviction procedure. The truth…
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The future of the Spanish property market
A year ago I was asked to write an article for The Manchester Law Society Messenger on the situation of the Spanish property market. In that article, I explained that the situation was pretty grim with property prices due to fall and more building companies and developers to bite the dust. On 17th November, RR de…
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Some hope for Spanish home owners in mortgages arrears
The Court of Appeal in Navarra issued on the 17th December of 2010 a Judgment that is raising hopes and expectations for home owners of Spanish properties that are today in mortgage arrears. Any person entering into a Spanish mortgage responds with all his personal assets for the payment of that debt. This means that,…
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Judge awards compensation to a purchaser of an off plan property
I have read in the Spanish press an interesting article that may bring some hope to those who have purchased a property off plan in Spain and found that the property was not entirely what they were promised. The Judge in charge of Court number 2 in Bilbao has issued a Judgment against a developer…
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About the Spanish “swaps” in the banking practice
Photograph by www.freefoto.com “Swaps”. Perhaps not a word that would mean much to the people who live outside Spain but the truth is that this is a hot topic right now in the Iberian Peninsula. The reason, as always, has something to do with the banks. In this case, the word “swaps” refers to…
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About the convenience of making a separate Spanish will
Many Britons own property in Spain. The majority of them will know by now how convenient is to make a Will to cover their Spanish assets. They will have seen it on TV programs or read about in in the press or on the internet. However, I still find many cases where a Spanish Will has…
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Spanish powers of attorney for litigation- What is going on in Spain?
The fall of the Spanish property market has inevitably led to an increase in litigation matters, as many notaries have seen. Over-inflated property prices, short demand, tight financial conditions and a very worrying increase in unemployment have all contributed to the fall of a large number of Spanish developers during the last three years. The…
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Spanish property market feels the pain
As a Spanish property lawyer based in Manchester, the first thing I am asked when I am introduced to people is: How is the Spanish property market doing? The words “Spanish” and “property lawyer” appear to have a sudden effect on the other person and they start to interrogate me on the subject. This…