Briton’s plans to move to Spain have been ruined, with the blame placed on Brexit after Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez announced plans to ban property purchases from outside the European Union.
“We will propose to ban these non-EU foreigners who are not residents, and their relatives, from buying houses in our country since they only do so to speculate,” Mr Sanchez said, in a move to get a grip on the spiralling housing prices in Spain.
Mr Sanchez revealed that non-EU residents represent about 27,000 of almost 700,000 homes bought and sold annually in Spain, with British buyers leading the way with nearly 10%.
Now, a group that supports Brits in Spain has revealed that the UK’s withdrawal from the EU is to blame for foiling their hopes of moving to warmer climates.
“Many British nationals on lower incomes, who had hopes of retirement on the Costas, have already had their dreams shattered [by Brexit],” Sue Wilson, head of Bremain in Spain which has 6,000 members, told The Times.
“These new measures – assuming they are passed by parliament – will only add to the barriers we face in Europe as non-EU citizens.”
Last year, tens of thousands of locals in many tourist hotspots across the country – from Barcelona to Malaga and the Canary and Balearic Islands – took to the streets on several occasions last year to protest the current tourism model and demand the government take action to halt the growing affordable housing crisis.
Tens of thousands in Barcelona protested in November over the increasing prices of renting an apartment in an area that has become such a popular tourist destination. They held signs reading: “Fewer apartments for investing and more homes for living”.
Currently, landlords in Spain are opting to for short-term rentals to tourists over long-term rentals to locals because they can generate more income.
However, the Spanish government is working to limit short-term rentals. Tourism Minister Jordi Hereu recently said that the Spanish government is working on dispersing the tourist influx, citing progress in setting rules and limits on the supply of tourist rental accommodation.
Many of the southern European country’s top destinations have taken action against short-term rentals, such as Barcelona, which plans to shut down all such accommodations, like Airbnb, by 2028 to protect locals from rising housing costs.
On January 13, Mr Sanchez unveiled a proposal that would see property taxes for non-EU citizens in Spain be equivalent to 100% of the value of a home.
“In 2023 alone, non-residents from outside the European Union bought 27,000 houses and flats. Not to live in them, but mainly to speculate,” he said. “To make money out of them. Something that, in the context of the shortages we are experiencing, we cannot afford’.”
