Advantage Building Surveys

If you are buying property in Spain or have problems with a property you already own, a professional structural survey can help identify and record defects whilst suggesting remedial solutions and cost implications.

Mark Paddon BSc Hons. MCIOB. CAAT. is a British Building Surveyor and Spanish registered Arquitecto Tecnico, insured via Lloyd’s of London. He has been working on the Costa Blanca and Costa Calida for over 20 years carrying out buyers structural surveys and providing general property purchase and insurance claims. (Thermal camera inspection is also included).

Whether its an old town house, apartment or luxury villa every property purchase represents a considerable investment and deserves a close inspection for defects such as damp, termites, subsidence etc. Specialist structural assessment of problem retaining walls and swimming pools is also undertaken.

Fast turnaround video survey options now available.

FREE buyers guide available via website. Initial telephone and email advice is FREE.

Good life beckons

A BRAND new website is encouraging townies to swap for the quiet life in the country.

The site Come and Live in a Village (www.venteaviviraunpueblo.com) aims to be a platform to help repopulate the many villages and hamlets in Spain that are suffering from depopulation.

There are eight stunning inland villages in the Valencian Community already on the site, each with alluring videos extolling their best virtues. As well as interviews with the local mayors, there are potted pointers on transport links and other key facts, such as closest hospital, wifi speeds and population statistics.

Feel the draft

EUROPE-wide plans to clamp down on drafty homes are expected to hammer Spanish property owners where many buildings are poorly insulated.

Under proposed new EU rules, homeowners will be expected to invest in reducing their energy wastage.

It is estimated that an alarming 80% of Spanish homes don’t meet the EU's criteria for energy efficiency. Properties will be required to boost their energy ratings to at least a category E by 2030 and then push it up to a D by 2033, under EU plans.

Spain has around 28 million old and badly insulated buildings, according to the Ministry for Ecological Transition.

Efficiency

Meanwhile, over 80% of homeowners believe they live in an efficient and sustainable house, and 60% do not know their own energy rating, according to real estate union UCI. Initially the proposal was to restrict sales and rentals that didn’t fit the new rules, but now the EU is leaving the issuing of fines down to each member state.

The EU has recognised the costly investment of green renovations and has stressed the need for financial support and incentives.

Solar panels, insulating windows, thermal insulation, and low-consumption lighting are among the most popular changes people must consider.

Another survey found that 85% of owners, if able to, would be willing to invest in sustainable renovations, in particular as it will likely dramatically lower bills.