Blog on Spanish law

Tag: Spanish lawyer in Leeds

  • Paying the purchase of a Spanish property in stages: a story about family, trust and taxes

    Paying the purchase of a Spanish property in stages: a story about family, trust and taxes

    I just came back from a property completion in Fuengirola that has proved anything buy easy. While sipping an extremely hot americano in the plane, elbows locked between two passengers-I hate it when I get assigned the middle seat- I started to to convey into paper, well in this case it is a laptop, my…

  • Uncle Jimmy has died: A practical case on intestacy rules on a Spanish estate

    Uncle Jimmy has died: A practical case on intestacy rules on a Spanish estate

    There is no better way to learn and update our knowledge than with life itself. Very often, a lawyer´s knowledge updates as new cases get through the door of the office. This is what happened with uncle Jimmy´s case. Obviously, this is not his real name but it is a name that could perfectly apply…

  • SUBJECT TO MORTGAGE OR NOT SUBJECT TO MORTGAGE : THAT IS THE QUESTION

    SUBJECT TO MORTGAGE OR NOT SUBJECT TO MORTGAGE : THAT IS THE QUESTION

    I have to confess—sometimes estate agents drive me crazy, especially here in my hometown of Barcelona. Don’t get me wrong; there are plenty of reliable and professional agents. But lately, probably due to the rising property prices in the city, I’ve noticed a recurring practice that really frustrates me. I’m talking about the buyer’s right…

  • Returning the keys to the bank after the death of a relative

    Returning the keys to the bank after the death of a relative

    One of the first phrases that I learnt when I moved to the UK to work as a Spanish lawyer was “catch 22”. At the beginning I did not have a clue as to what it meant (‘a paradoxical situation from which an individual cannot escape because of contradictory rules or limitations’ says Wikipedia) but…

  • Oxford, annual conference and Brexit

    Oxford, annual conference and Brexit

    Antonio Guillen attended the annual conference of lawfirm Gunnercooke, where he is a partner, and met his colleagues, including Spanish lawyer Claudia Font, to talk about the progress of the firm as well as other interesting topics such as personal development, stress management and of course…Brexit. One of the things that Antonio pointed out to…

  • What is the plusvalía tax? And why should it be charged after the death of a person?

    What is the plusvalía tax? And why should it be charged after the death of a person?

    This is a question very frequently asked by our clients. The question usually comes with a frown on the face. Clients understand the concept of Inheritance tax: someone dies, and the Tax office applies a tax because the beneficiary gets “presumably” wealthier. So far, so good but what is the plusvalía tax then? Clearly, the…

  • Buying property in Spain under-value

    Buying property in Spain under-value

      Spain is still recovering from the brutal economic recession that has affected its economy for the last 10 years. One of the main consequences of the recession was the collapse of the property market where properties went down in value consistently, reaching lower values that left many property owners in negative equity as their…

  • Question to a UK solicitor: Do your clients need a Spanish will for their assets in Spain?

    Question to a UK solicitor: Do your clients need a Spanish will for their assets in Spain?

    It is quite likely that you will have one or two clients with assets in Spain and when it is time to deal with their estates, the probate in Spain could be a source of uncertainty or a source of conflict if there is not a Spanish Will in place. We can help you and…

  • Have your clients paid high Inheritance or Gift taxes in Spain in the past?

    Pursuant to the European Court of Justice´s decision of the 3/9/2014 they could be entitled to ask for a refund The Spanish inheritance and gift tax is a national tax but the Spanish Government transferred it to the regional bodies (autonomous communities), who have autonomy to legislate and collect the tax. The autonomous communities have…

  • Spanish mortgages – Latest news.

      Following our previous article about mortgages in Spain. The CJEU resolution (21th of December 2016) allows consumers to claim their money back retrospectively from Spanish Banks   As we explained in our previous article, The Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) was recently asked to decide about an important case for Spanish…