Valencian Estate Agents

Vox wants a “fiscal revolution” and will repeal the abortion and euthanasia laws. Abascal would centralise a future government with far less power for the autonomous regions, while making it harder for immigrants to acquire Spanish nationality. The PSOE intends to “consolidate the welfare state”, shorten hospital and specialist waiting lists, provide free transport for the under­24s and free further education for students who consistently pass their exams. Sumar will build two million homes with affordable rents, pay a children’s allowance of €200 per child up to the age of 18, introduce higher taxes for the rich and help with mortgages for the less welloff. Following outraged reactions, sanctions for purveyors of fake news were dropped as soon as they were announced.

The winner ­ or winners ­ will then have a four­year parliamentary term to fulfil their election pledges and promises.

THE role of the Estate Agent is a very important one in Spain, especially in areas where there are large numbers of tourists, some of whom are looking to purchase a second home or to settle in Spain.

For many years, especially in the boom or bust times, it was very easy to set up as an estate agent and there is little doubt that whilst the majority have always been decent and above board, there have been more than a few ‘bad apples’.

Now the Valencian Community has decided it’s time to ensure that those wishing to en­ ter the profession are not only qualified to do so, but also are regulated in the same way they are in much of Europe and the USA. A new law which came in to effect in July ensures that agents will have to demonstrate they have a proper knowledge of the profession and take responsibility for their actions.

There will be a register of recognised estate agents operating in the region which will ensure that any ‘cowboys’ will be weeded out.

This law will therefore lead to an improvement in service guarantees and quality of service and better protection for home buyers.

Agents will have to have a physical location in Valencia even if they only trade online, they will have to undertake recognised training and pass exams in order to be able to display their right to practise in the profession.

To be able to offer their services, any company will need to be able to demonstrate it has insurances and other guarantees in place to cover its liability for any damage caused by its actions.

John Ensor AUTHORITIES at a beach in Galicia have gone one step further in inclusivity by adopting flags for people suffering from colour blindness.

It was announced that from Wednesday, July 5, the municipality of Sanxenxo, near Pontevedra in Galicia, has introduced lifeguard flags adapted for people with colour blindness onto its beaches.

The flags are a well ­ known sight on Spanish beaches which combine colours and symbols that inform bathers about the condition of the sea.

The flags use the award ­ winning ‘ColorADD’, a system which was developed by a Portuguese graphic designer and a university professor. It remains the only language in the world adapted to people with colour blindness.

According to statistics from ColorADD, there are 350 million colour­blind people worldwide, with one in 12 males and one in 200 females.

The Sanxenxo Council issued a statement: “This makes the beaches more inclusive, as people with colour blindness will be able to access the information on the flags independently.”

It is worth remembering that the most frequent variant of colour blindness makes it difficult to distinguish between the colours red and green, which are two of the main colours used in any code related to risk and safety.

Therefore, the red, yellow and green flags are accompanied by a new symbolism. Specifically, the red flag has a triangle, the yellow flag has a diagonal stripe and the green flag has a diagonal line and a triangle.

The authorities at Sanxenxo have again decided not to place showers on its beaches in order to save water.