The E-MAGAZINE of Marbella Hills Homes

Children in many countries around Europe will feel envious when they hear that for Spanish kids, Christmas is still going on and creating magic until the 6th January each year. Unlike their counterparts in other nations, youngsters in Spain receive their main presents almost a week after the New Year has arrived and they will still be eating sweets, with their parents’ full permission.

Marbella’s Old Town preserves the style of an Andalusian village, so when the beautiful narrow streets, squares and shops have been decorated with Christmas lights, it’s the perfect backdrop for your Christmas in Spain!

Although sunshine and beach days are the first things you may think of when Marbella is mentioned, it is also a vibrant spot during the festive season. It may not be quite as hot as in July, but there are dry, sunny days as well as all the seasonal entertainments expected in other countries across Europe.

What do you envisage as the quintessential property for home entertaining? Would your dream house feature a traditional grand dining room with flamboyant candelabra? Maybe an uber chic open plan kitchen that flows through into an eating area with contemporary modern seating? Or perhaps a beautiful terrace area with wooden decking and large rustic table where you can wine and dine under the stars.

People from outside the European Union, and one should probably add British citizens to that list now as the UK prepares to leave the EU in March 2019, need Spanish citizenship if they want to reside in Spain on a permanent basis. There are of course quite stringent regulations governing citizenship, but let’s look at what is required.

On the one hand it looked like good news when the Spanish Supreme Court ruled that banks, rather than borrowers, should pay the tax that arises from notarising and inscribing a mortgage deed. This legal decision overturned a previous ruling that took a very different view and put the onus on the borrower to pay these fees. However, upon appeal, it was then overturned by the Supreme Court, causing disappointment and confusion before the government finally stepped in and ruled that from now on it would indeed be the lenders – not buyers – who’d have to pay the Stamp Duty tax.