Observations on the 180 Days in Spain Campaign

The power of the internet and social media can work for good and for bad and this is true with the debate on second home owners in France and Spain.

Understandably, these non-EU passport holders who purchased a second property before Brexit are anxious to be allowed to spend up to 180 days consecutively in France or Spain.

One person posted on the 180 days in Spain Facebook page a message from a friend which stated “Just been announced that the coalition government of Sanco Perez (sic) has just voted to return to the 180 day limit for UK residents. Yay!!”

Naturally this is nonsense but the Euro Weekly News website has seen an incredible number of hits for any story which updates information and even opinion about the situation of 90/180 or 180 days.

Views are in six figures and growing hourly and the number of comments being left both on the web and Facebook is significant and adds to the knowledge of how individuals have been affected.

Negative views

There are a small number of people who simply say “you voted for Brexit so don’t complain” or “why should second home owners be allowed to spend just under six months in Spain without paying taxes there whilst taking benefits such as winter fuel allowance in the UK?”

Positive views agree?

The majority however are less negative and have genuine reasons to feel aggrieved, so it may be both helpful and educational to list some of the most interesting observations in this post;

Brian Evenden – It makes sense to reciprocate the same 180 in 360 days to Brits in Spain ,the same as Spanish get from the British government ,while in the U.K.

Mrs J Simpson – I totally agree, having owned a second home property in Spain for over 7 years we are now no longer able to enjoy the benefits of climate and way of life as before Brexit. It has become like a military plan to organise our time/days in Spain. Also find the lack of the Pet Passport Scheme replaced by an expensive AHC at around £250 for each trip a total rip off.

E Barnsfield – If you buy a property in Spain you should have known restrictions on how long you want to stay your putting money into their economy. Please lift restrictions.

Nikki Mockett -180 days for ALL tourists, not just 2nd home owners. Reciprocate the deal ALL European citizens enjoy when visiting UK.

Bill Nichol – Issue homeowners with a visa applicable to the country concerned. We’ve owned our house for over 15 years, we have just recently retired. The effects of Brexit has been an absolute nightmare for us!

What do second home owners think?

Jenny Facer – We have had a 2nd home in Spain for 9 years and the added complication of a son & grandchildren living in Sweden. A visa might help but in our circumstances not sure. We never voted for Brexit and my husband is only semi-retired so still works in the UK. Ideally we would like to spend April May June & September October November in Spain and still make short trips to Sweden.

Charlotte Lovell – We have owned our holiday home in Spain since 1997, spent a vast amount of money there , still having to pay, even when not allowed there . We feel like many others it is an injustice.

Maria Searle – We too own a Spanish property, pay our non-resident tax on time, contribute vastly to the local economy, have health care but spend money on flights so enlarging our carbon footprint, were if we were able to stay for the winter, which was the plan for retirement, it would lessen our worries.

Glenn Byron – I see the usuals kicking off about the possibility of UK citizens being allowed 180 days straight. EU rules hurting EU countries, the penny dropping on the economical madness of overbearing EU rules.

Steve S – Non-resident second home owners DO pay Spanish taxes. The Spanish tax authorities apply an imputed income for non-residents owning a property for their personal use. They also pay council tax.

Maybe sell up?

Aggie – We are property owners in the Canaries. We now spend extra time in Turkey and Cyprus spends average around £2k for 2 of us per week so just our 2 holidays will see a reduction of £6k into Canarian economy 2024. This is a huge amount for the local economy when you multiply it by the other restricted holiday home owners.

On the plus side, it’s giving us insight into other countries where we have been made very welcome as tourists in areas where costs are cheaper.

Maybe it is time to sell up and look at the alternatives!

JT – If anyone from UK owned property in EU countries prior to Brexit then they should be able to use them at any time they want. In Spain for example, purchasing a property comes with a 10% additional tax and ongoing annual taxes, but you are not allowed to use them. Brexit or no Brexit, EU economies are struggling, so why not take advantage of the people who want to spend their money instead of restricting the number of days they may visit? It’s simple economics.

Grahame Meredith – We have a bungalow in Tenerife and can only spent 90 winter days in Tenerife. We then go to Cyprus and spend money there for two months as they are not in the Schengen area. We would otherwise spend the whole time in Tenerife so Spain is losing our spending.

A couple of readers even gave advice to reader Mrs Simpson on how to obtain an EU Pet Passport which could save her a lot of hassle and a considerable amount of money.

Follow links to stories

Follow links to the two most recent stories to have attracted the largest number of views ‘The 180 Days in Spain campaign gathers momentum’ and ‘Explaining the 180 Days in Spain campaign.’