Finding a Property? Search our property listings either by location or by number of bedrooms. Please remember that often you will find extra sleeping accommodation in the form of pull out or sofa bed, so a 1 bedroom apartment may sleep up to 4. It is also worth looking at accommodation with a larger number of bedrooms, these are not always more expensive.

Shortlist the Properties You Like? Whilst browsing through the properties, you will see the name of each property, eg. Casa Viva Sol. Make a note of these and you can easily re-visit the pages by using the drop down menu on the homepage.

Making a Booking? You can contact us by email or telephone to do this we will confirm everthing with you by email before you pay your deposit. You should expect to pay a deposit to secure the booking of 25% of the total rental, however this can be negotiated by us on your behalf. This is normally paid either by bank transfer.

The balance is normally paid around 8 weeks before the start of the holiday. Often a breakage deposit is required with the balance, and this is refundable at the end of the holiday less the cost of any breakages as they are not included in the rental rate. There is a final cleaning fee to be paid on all bookings, please enquire about the cost before booking.

Please check the cancellation terms at the time of booking - deposits are often non-refundable and they may have a sliding scale of charges for last minute cancellations after the balance has been paid. Booking terms and conditions will be emailed to you with your confirmation to ensure that your holiday booking goes smoothly.

Arriving at the Property? Make sure that you have the address and directions to the property, it is worth buying a local map to ensure that you do not get lost. We will email you directions to our offices to collect keys and then take you to the property.

If you find that you have a problem or an item of equipment breaks down, please call us straight away. We have local knowledge to put things right. It is essential to air any difficulties immediately to ensure your holiday is not interrupted. Please do not save up complaints until after you return home.

Disclaimer Every care has been taken in compiling the contents of this web site. However, all information about the properties has been provided by the advertisers and reproduced by us in good faith. Costa Blanca Live will not be held liable for any errors, omissions, misunderstandings or claims arising from the advertisement or any arrangement or booking made with an advertiser. By using this site you agree to our terms.

We would also remind you that holiday/travel insurance is essential and is best taken out at the time of booking your accommodation and travel.

 

 

Shortlist the Properties You Like? Whilst browsing through the properties, you will see the reference number for each advertisement, eg. 00126. Make a note of these and you can easily re-visit the pages by using the drop down menu on the homepage.

Arranging a Viewing/s? Unless you have seen the perfect property, we suggest that you choose three. We will organise a viewing at a time convenient to you and take you to the properties. If you do not know the area, we can advise on the location of schools, supermarkets, beaches etc? 

Rental Charges and Deposit? Once you have found the right property we organise a legal rental contract. Most rental contracts are 6 month rolling, but we can also arrange 11 month rolling. The deposit required is 30% of one months rent to hold the property. On the day that you move in we require one months rent in advance and one months security deposit less the 30% that you have already paid to hold the property.

All of our long term rentals include a monthly allowance for bills which is €50.

English TV? All of our long term rental properties have an British TV package. You do not pay for this, the owner pays the subscription.

Broadband Internet and Telephone line? Most people cannot live without the internet these days, we can organise the internet to be installed, this usually takes no more than 14 days. 

Costa Blanca Live does book flights and hotels. We offer this as a service and charge a small booking Fee. We do have access to over 30,000 Worldwide Hotels at discounted rates. We can book your Car Hire, arrange Airport Transfers. The two airports that serve the Costa Blanca are: Murcia (MJV) serves all resorts south of Alicante and Alicante (ALC) Which serves the northern Costa Blanca resorts.

Car Hire? We recommend that you hire a car for the duration of your Holiday.

 

Spanish way of life? Without a doubt, Spain's climate and "laid back" way of life are the main reasons for well over one and a half million foreigners now owning property - not just on the many Spanish coasts but throughout Spain. This amount is increasing, as more people, mainly from the colder climates of Northern Europe, go in search of the sun and a more relaxed way of life. The British have always been and still are, the single largest group. Spain does not suit everyone and increasingly is becoming more like its European partners to the North. New laws, work and residence regulations and tax and property laws are now similar to those found in France, Germany and the United Kingdom, having said there is still quite some way to go before they catch up.

Remember living in Spain is not a permanent holiday - even if you don't work. There are many things you will have to learn to cope with the two most important things being Spanish bureaucracy and inefficiency, possibly one of the reasons why it hasn't quite caught up yet!

To stand in a queue for half an hour is not unusual. Neither is it unusual for the checkout girl to suddenly strike up a conversation with the girl on the next till and talk for another half an hour as if you do not exist. Neither is it out of the ordinary for you to be stuck behind a car whilst the driver chats to his amigo on the pavement for five minutes! As if you were not there.

Of all the places in the world where British expatriates can be found, Spain, above all other countries, offers the greatest opportunity for successful, permanent settling by the average Briton.

What are the Spanish really like? Most Spanish people live quite happily together with the majority of foreigners, but many people that move to Spain choose to live in Urbanizations and areas that are very touristy, these people however, have little interaction with the local population.

As you will quickly discover if you move here, the bureaucracy and paperwork necessary to comply with the law has to be amongst the most time consuming and awkward in the world, most people who encounter this will have their patience and strength tested to the absolute limit.

So is Spain for you? Most who decide that it is are pleased with their decision and agree that the quality of life offered by Spain is not only due to its wonderful climate but also to the very heart and soul of its loud people who could probably be described as being among the most generous and hospitable in the whole world.

It is an honour and a privilege to be invited into a Spanish home although it is rare that this will happen, if it does you should be delighted. Having said this very often Spaniards do marry foreigners much to the disapproval and disappointment of their relatives.a

The younger the better? Generally children up to the age of 12 pick up languages much more easily and in two years after having learned from an early age can become bilingual, that is, speak their second language as they do their first. This means that most children of this age would manage quite easily in a Spanish school.

There are plenty of schools for all ages in this area and they welcome children from foreign countries quite readily. Much the same as in the UK it is a case of whether or not you are in the catchment area for entry into the school and if you require a place at a school where there are too few places then you fill in a form and apply to the town hall who will place your child in the school they believe they should attend.

The majority of Spanish state schools allowing for the influx of foreigners make provisions for extra Spanish lessons above and beyond the Spanish curriculum. Both the schools our children attend have extra Spanish lessons every day and the children will not be moved up to the next curso (year) until the teachers think they are ready.

Ask most Spanish parents what they think of Spanish schools and the answer may be "not much"! The Spanish education system consists of state-funded schools supported by a comprehensive network of private schools, many of which are foreign and include a considerable number of British institutions.

Thirty per cent of Spanish schoolchildren are currently being educated in private schools, most of which are co-educational day schools. Education in Spain is free - from nursery school through to university and is available for the children of foreign residents. Notwithstanding this, parents may have to pay for school books, a sum which could work out at about 140 euros per child when they first start, however subsequent children can then use these books.

Of particular significance to anyone with children who may be contemplating a move to Spain is the simple fact that the younger a child is when he enters the Spanish school system, the easier he will be able to cope. It is also the case that the older he is, the more problems he will have adjusting. Not only because of language problems but because the school curriculum is more demanding and different and when given the language barrier on top could be quite unsettling for them.

Enrolment? For a child to enrol in a Spanish school requires an interview and medical but as with so many things in Spain, sometimes neither seems to happen. At the discretion of the school, there may also have to be an examination but in the case of a foreign child, the latter may prove difficult and this too rarely occurs.

Spanish schools have annual quotas for their pupils and places are allocated quite simply on the basis of "first come, first served". The school enrolment period usually takes place early in the year and lasts for two months. Enrolment varies between regions but we will be happy and able to ascertain the exact dates by contacting any of the schools in the region where you intend to live.

If you have children of school age and are set on moving to Spain, this is, more or less, the information you require.

Be advised that procedures may change from area to area and time to time entirely at the discretion of the school. In the main, the enrolment process used by Spanish schools is dependent upon the age of the child, who in Spain must attend a school within a certain distance from his home, much the same as in the UK. If you hear good things about a particular school and you would like your child to attend, it will usually be necessary for you to either buy or rent a property in that same area.

Mar Azul International School Costa Blanca The Mar Azul International School is a Private school on the Costa Blanca offering the British National curriculum supplemented with a comprehensive Spanish programme that is taught over 30% of the timetable. Currently accepting children from the age of one to sixteen. The new site is located in San Miguel De Salinas, easily accessible from any direction.

The school has a variety of Nationalities, including English, Spanish, Norwegian, Icelandic, French, German and more. Non- English children account for about 10% of students. Mar Azul is the only school on the Costa Blanca that accepts special needs Children.

Keeping your vehicle in Spain?If you are a UK resident with a British registered vehicle Spanish law allows you to keep the vehicle all year round without changing it over to Spanish plates, to do this you may keep the car in the country for 6 months from one year and 6 months from the next, in theory but it must be insured in the country of its registration it is possible that you could find a insurance company in Spain to do it but read the small print as it wouldn't take much if you had a claim for there to be problems proving your insurance was valid! and also this may not ultimately be the best arrangement as the UK will not accept the Spanish ITV which is the equivalent of the UK MOT and means a long drive back to the UK each year for the compulsory test.

It may be wiser for some, if you plan to drive over to Spain in your own vehicle that you buy a left hand drive vehicle in the UK and then transfer it to Spanish plates when you get here by re-registering it. This may not always be the case but one worth considering. You are quite within your rights to bring your existing right hand drive vehicle but bare in mind long term driving in a right hand drive vehicle on the opposite side of the road does not give the best visibility in many situations. The important thing is you can do so but need to take into consideration that you will, unless you import your vehicle need to drive it back to the UK for its yearly MOT check as already mentioned.

Policía Nacional? This force covers cities and bigger towns and is the main crime-fighting body because most crime happens on its patch. Those who wear uniforms are in blue. There is also a large contingent in plain clothes, some of whom form special squads dealing with drugs, terrorism and the like. Most of them will be found in comisarías, shuffling masses of paper dealing with things such as issuing passports, DNIs (identity documents) and residence cards for foreigners.

Policía Local? Sometimes known as the Policía Municipal, this force is controlled by city and town councils and deal mainly with minor matters such as parking, traffic and bylaws. They wear blue-and-white uniforms. In Catalunya the equivalent force is called the Guardia Urbana. Spain has no real equivalent of the ‘bobby on the beat’ street-patrol police.

Guardia Civil? The main responsibilities of the green-uniformed members of the Guardia Civil are roads, the countryside, villages, prisons, international borders and some environmental protection. The Guardia Civil was set up in the 19th century to quell banditry but soon came to be regarded as a politically repressive force that clamped down on any challenge to established privilege. Although its image has softened since responsibility for it has been switched from the defence ministry to the interior ministry, it is still a military body in some ways: most officers have attended military academy and members qualify for military decorations.

Regional Police? Four of Spain’s 17 autonomous communities have their own police forces in addition to the above three: Catalunya (where it’s called the Mossos d’Esquadra), the Basque Country (the Ertzaintza), Valencia and Galicia.

Contacting the Police? Anywhere in Spain you can call 091 for the Policía Nacional or 092 for the Policía Local. Guardia Civil numbers vary from place to place, although often you can reach them on 062.

The local emergency number for the Costa Blanca is 112