Back in the early eighties the need to protect the Spanish coastline from an overly aggressive building industry, pushed the Spanish government to launch a series of measures intended to regulate constructions on the seafront.
Inheritance in Spain
by Maria Teresa Velasco •
A common mistake is to process the inheritance in the home country, forgetting to handle the inheritance of the Spanish assets with the Spanish authorities. This can lead to several problems including the payment of fines and the loss of the estate
Consumer Rights
by Maria Teresa Velasco •
In Spain, the travel industry is regulated by several laws and most importantly the ‘law for consumer protection.’ The latest version is the Royal Decree 1/2007. Like in any consumer activity at the purchase of a travel service, both consumer and travel operator agree either implicitly or explicitly on a contract.
Driving Licenses in Spain
by Maria Teresa Velasco •
There is a lot of confusion in Spain about the validity of driving licenses issued by other EU and EEA countries. EEA stands for European Economic Area and it is equivalent to the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The Royal Decree 818/2009 of May 2009 and the following modifications that were enforced on the 11th September 2010, clarified this matter. The new European driving license will take effect from 2013 and this will supersede present regulations.
Accident Responsibility in Spain
by Maria Teresa Velasco •
In cases of accidents it is often quite difficult to know if the victim is entitled to compensation and in most situations it is impossible to automatically determine the responsibilities of the different parties involved without the intervention of a judge.
Ecommerce and VAT in Spain
by Maria Teresa Velasco •
Setting up an ecommerce business is increasingly easy and Spain is a very good place, as the VAT is one of the lowest in the EU. If you are operating an online activity you are required to charge Spanish VAT tax if you are selling from or to Spain according to different situations.
Renovation Works and Rental
by Maria Teresa Velasco •
When renting a property, it is not always obvious who has to pay for works in the premises. In Spain the law is clear about the responsibilities of the landlord and the tenant. Law 29/1994, applicable to both residential use and commercial use, makes the distinction between two types of works: Maintenance works and Improvement works.
International Child Abduction
by Maria Teresa Velasco •
It is quite common to hear about separated parents living in different countries where one parent denies the return of a child after a temporary parental visit. Spain protects parents who have child custody and who are residents in Spain through their national laws, international agreements and bilateral agreements between countries.
New Criminal Law
by Maria Teresa Velasco •
On the 23rd December 2010, the new reformed Penal Code will come into force. The new modifications are designed to provide new devices for fighting town planning and organised crime.
Unfinished Building Projects
by Maria Teresa Velasco •
This month we take a look at bank liability in court cases regarding unfinished building projects. When you buy a resale property it is quite easy to check that the building and the construction quality correspond to the specifications in the property description. For off-plan properties, as you might expect, this is much more difficult…