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Looking for advice

Posted: Thu Jan 21, 2021 7:50pm
2 replies94 views2 members subscribed
ErnieR

Posts: 2

Joined: 23 Nov 2020

Hi all,

My wife and I retire from education in August and are thinking of moving to the area around Chiclana at some point in the next 18 months and we are looking for some advice. What we are looking to find out is what are the best areas to look at around the city, what are the best areas for legal houses. We are going to look at renting to begin with but we don’t know the best websites to look at for either short or long term rentals. 

Any help or advice would be much appreciated 

Ernie and Karen

Concept Architectural Workshop

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:09am

Posts: 70

41 helpful points

Joined: 12 Feb 2019

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:09am

Morning Ernie and Karen,

My wife and I moved from London 2 years ago to set up our Architectural practice and were in very similar situation and did exactly the same, rented before purchasing.

Its worth noting, that during the off peak season (September - Start of June) you can find very nice rental properties all around Chiclana even along La barrosa (beach front) for around €400 per month. However during the peak seasons (June-August) that rental rates increases by circa €1000 per week.

In terms of finding a property to purchase that is legal, be careful as you will receive a lot of offers that some might seem to be legal but on further inspection they might have land zoning or planning issues. Many residents over the years bought and built in areas such as 'Pago de Humo' (outskirts of Chiclana) their dream holiday homes only to find out years later, they were building illegally and now subject to non compliance by the planning authority. Recently the planning authority has taken a hard line approach with demolishing illegal properties along with heavy fines.

Another item that is a problem here in Chiclana is the Humidity. Chiclana is not a desert because of the early morning and late evenings humidity. Although It is the life line for the natural parks in and around Chiclana, but is detrimental to the properties, especially in conjunction with the poor construction practices here in the south of Spain. 99% of the time, properties built before 2000 do not have insulation, cavity construction or robust water proofing details, leading to the majority of properties during the winters months plaqued with moisture and dampness issues. The majority of our Conditions Reports services is finding our Clients reliable solutions to mitigate these problems to their existing properties.

In terms of finding a property in Chiclana, Los Gallos region is becoming a popular area, as it still feels like a country side 'community' being next to the wet land areas with beautiful walks looking towards the coastline, and only a short 5minute drive to the beach areas and town centre in the other direction. Los Gallos also has a cluster of small commercial areas, with cafes, restaurants, bars, pharmacies, and larger stores, such as Lidl and mercandona. If thats the type of environment you are looking for, I would recommend starting there or in that area. If you are looking for a country (country) be cautious as stated before, many lands outside chiclana are not zoned for development. 

My wife and I , as part of our Architectural services assist many families in recommendations on properties that they are interested in purchasing through an letting agent. For instance we would inspect the property (representing our clients interests) and undertake a Conditions Reports which will give our client an opinion on the buildings external, internal & services conditions before purchasing.  Furthermore we also offer the service of reviewing the 'planning legality' of the site and property to view independently from the agents, and whether extension would be permitted on the site in the future. These Reports are then often used in the price negotiation process between our Clients & letting agents for the betterment of our clients.

If you would like further information on Chiclana or of our service we offer, please do not hesitate to contact us.

[email protected]

https://www.conceptarchitecturalworkshop.com/

All the best, stay safe and well,

Adrian.

ErnieR

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:49am

ErnieR

Original Poster

Posts: 2

Joined: 23 Nov 2020

Posted: Fri Jan 22, 2021 11:49am

Concept Architectural Workshop wrote on Fri Jan 22, 2021 10:09am:

Morning Ernie and Karen,

My wife and I moved from London 2 years ago to set up our Architectural practice and were in very similar situation and did exactly the same, rented before purchasing.

Its worth noting, that during the off peak season (September - Start of June) you can find very nice rental properties all around Chiclana even along La barrosa (beach front) for around €400 per month. However during the peak seasons (June-August) that rental rates increases by circa €1000 per week.

In terms of finding a property to purchase that is legal, be careful as you will receive a lot of offers that some might seem to be legal but on further inspection they might have land zoning or planning issues. Many residents over the years bought and built in areas such as 'Pago de Humo' (outskirts of Chiclana) their dream holiday homes only to find out years later, they were building illegally and now subject to non compliance by the planning authority. Recently the planning authority has taken a hard line approach with demolishing illegal properties along with heavy fines.

Another item that is a problem here in Chiclana is the Humidity. Chiclana is not a desert because of the early morning and late evenings humidity. Although It is the life line for the natural parks in and around Chiclana, but is detrimental to the properties, especially in conjunction with the poor construction practices here in the south of Spain. 99% of the time, properties built before 2000 do not have insulation, cavity construction or robust water proofing details, leading to the majority of properties during the winters months plaqued with moisture and dampness issues. The majority of our Conditions Reports services is finding our Clients reliable solutions to mitigate these problems to their existing properties.

In terms of finding a property in Chiclana, Los Gallos region is becoming a popular area, as it still feels like a country side 'community' being next to the wet land areas with beautiful walks looking towards the coastline, and only a short 5minute drive to the beach areas and town centre in the other direction. Los Gallos also has a cluster of small commercial areas, with cafes, restaurants, bars, pharmacies, and larger stores, such as Lidl and mercandona. If thats the type of environment you are looking for, I would recommend starting there or in that area. If you are looking for a country (country) be cautious as stated before, many lands outside chiclana are not zoned for development. 

My wife and I , as part of our Architectural services assist many families in recommendations on properties that they are interested in purchasing through an letting agent. For instance we would inspect the property (representing our clients interests) and undertake a Conditions Reports which will give our client an opinion on the buildings external, internal & services conditions before purchasing.  Furthermore we also offer the service of reviewing the 'planning legality' of the site and property to view independently from the agents, and whether extension would be permitted on the site in the future. These Reports are then often used in the price negotiation process between our Clients & letting agents for the betterment of our clients.

If you would like further information on Chiclana or of our service we offer, please do not hesitate to contact us.

[email protected]

https://www.conceptarchitecturalworkshop.com/

All the best, stay safe and well,

Adrian.

Hi Adrian,

Thank you for your reply it has given us a good place to start our serious search. We had intend coming out a few times over the last year to suss the area out at different times of the year but the pandemic put those ideas at an end. We are hoping that we can come out in mid August for a month and get a feel for the area before we return in November/ December to get a feel for winter and then apply for our visa before returning again in spring 2022 and start the hunt for a Spanish home of our own.

Ernie

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