Here are some answers to some of the most commonly asked questions I receive from folks who have followed our journey.

I decided to make this content free, as some of it would have been valuable to me over the last few years and I believe it could be to you, too. However, if you find the below useful and have the means, it would mean a lot if you felt like buying us a little Coffee or supporting us on Patreon. You'd be surprised how long it takes us to create the content we put out and your support is really what keeps us going 🥰

• How can you live in Spain as a Brit after Brexit?
• How can I move to Spain after Brexit?
• How did you bring Tofu over to Spain?
• What is your top tip for getting residency Spain?
• What area are you in and would you recommend it?
• What about water? How do I find an off-grid property like yours with water?
• How did you find your property?
• Is it legal to live off-grid in Spain?
• I thought it was illegal to install your own solar panels and produce your own energy in Spain?
• What do I need to know about the rules and regulations for renovating a house/living legally in Spain?
• Is it easy to get a habitation licence?
• Aren't you worried about climate change in your region?
• How did you learn Spanish?
• How do you get internet in your rural location?
• Can I come and visit you?

How can you live in Spain as a Brit after Brexit?

I am married to a Spanish citizen and my residency is tied to him. The residency I have is "Tarjeta residencia de familiar ciudadano U.E." (it doesn't matter that Mauro's Spanish, he could be from any EU member country). Incidentially, we got married in the UK and this complicated things somewhat because in order to prove our marriage for my residency we needed to register the marriage in Spain. We started the process for this shortly after we arrived, but this paperwork usually takes at least a year to come through and I'm still waiting for it over 2 years later. However, luckily our autonomous community (Valencia) allows you to make a residency application with the proof that you have submitted the marriage registration, even if you don't have the actual certificate. Not all autonomous communities allow this. We were lucky in this regard!

How can I move to Spain after Brexit?

There are still routes which can allow you to move to Spain, or other EU member countries, from the UK after Brexit. Even if you think none of the options you read about online (such as the non-lucrative visa, a working visa, a family reunion visa) will work for you, you might be surprised. An immigration lawyer based in Spain will be able to help you find out whether there is a visa or residency option that could work for you.

How did you bring Tofu over to Spain?

Tofu was born and raised in Manchester and then spent a year in Yorkshire with my Mum after we first moved here and were getting settled.

He moved to Spain after Brexit and the process was quite straightforward. We took him to the vet to find out what vaccinations and certificates he would need, and started to schedule them. The vet explained everything we needed to know and helped us ensure his pet passport was up to date.

Then we found an animal courier to transport him to Spain. We could not find any airline that would allow chihuahuas to travel in the cabin and we didn't want him to go in the hold, and we also weren't able to make the journey ourselves by car at that time, so we found a "luxury pet transport" company to courier him 2000km across the UK, France and Spain to his final destination. These services are not cheap but they can move more than 1 animal at a time and we were much happier knowing he was on the ground, in the constant care of an experienced animal handler, with frequent stops and exercise. C Four Paws is the company we used and we were very happy.

What is your top tip for getting residency Spain?

Whether you are moving from an EU member state or not (especially if not) I would strongly recommend you find a lawyer to represent you. I have been through this process 3 times and Mauro has moved countries 4 times, what we can say from our combined experience is that you never have things as clear as you think and there are many loopholes, gotchas, location-specific quirks and "insider" tricks which you will not find reliably online. Search for "abogados extranjería + location" e.g. "abogados extranjería Valencia" to find an immigration lawyer in the area you are interested in and ask them for an initial consultation to understand your options. They will be able to speak to you in English if you prefer. This should cost between €50-70. If you get on well with them and they believe they can help you, pay them to represent you. They can make sure all your paperwork is in order and help you get some of this paperwork and secure appointments for you, which in some cases can be tricky. They can also accompany you to appointments. This will cost between €500-1000. In our experience, it's well worth the money.

What area are you in and would you recommend it?

We are in the interior of Castellón. We love our area but without knowing what you're looking for it's hard to say if we'd recommend it for you. What we love about our area is:

• The weather! Mediterranean climate, mildish winters, long growing season.
• The community! We've found loads of likeminded people within a bike's ride from us.
• The natural beauty! I'm sure this can be said for most areas of Spain but we love the natural parks, hiking/cycling/running/walking routes and tranquility of our area.
• Property value/availability. Castellón is one of the more affordable areas of Spain where you can easily find an almost-liveable house for restoration for under €50,000. Without the feeling that you're in a completely depopulated area.
• Town life. Our local towns feel alive, the community spirit is strong, stuff happens, folks still work the land and keep many traditions and livelihoods alive, yet we're also close enough to decent sized stores and supermarkets and can buy most things we need with a 20 minute drive.
There is so much more we love, and many things about Spain in general, but these are just a few which stand out.

What about water? How do I find an off-grid property like yours with water?

I decided to answer this question in a separate post because it has a long answer. Read the full post here.

How did you find your property?

We found it on Idealista. Lots of people tell me they have no luck on Idealista. My advice would be to go and check out some properties anyway, even if they look like duds. We had absolutely no hope in this property when we went to visit it but we were fed up of not finding anything at all which looked interesting and we thought we might as well start somewhere. The water wasn't even mentioned in the advertisement. Obviously, as soon as we arrived, we realised it was the place for us.

Look at the names of the estate agents in Idealista and go to their own websites, too. Not all properties end up on Idealista.

If you want to get in touch with an estate agent, I find it's always better to call rather than send a message or email. In fact, this is good advice for getting in contact with anyone in Spain. It's a pain because you have to be ready to practice your Spanish, but seriously, the chances of getting through to someone this way are about 10 times higher.

Start talking to agents and telling them what you are looking for. They might have inklings about properties that aren't officially for sale yet, but whose owners could be interested in selling. There are lots of uninhabited, falling-down properties which are not for sale because it simply never occurred to anyone to sell them.

If you have an area in mind, take a trip there, walk around the area, especially if you are interested in abandoned properties or places which need reforming. You might see somewhere: some enquiries in the local bar will be sure to reveal who the owner is. Maybe they'd be interested in selling if a buyer falls into the palm of their hands? You never know.

Never buy a property without visiting it.

Is it legal to live off-grid in Spain?

Absolutely! There are tens of thousands, if not more, properties in Spain which are not connected to mains water, gas or electricity networks and have alternative ways of meeting these needs.

I think the confusion sometimes comes from people assosiating the term "off-grid" with a particular kind of property - abandoned, run-down, maybe a property without a proper building on it, or an agricultural building only. That's a different matter and one we'll get into separately. But if you have a legal dwelling which happens to be off-grid, there is no problem.

I thought it was illegal to install your own solar panels and produce your own energy in Spain?

I'm not sure where this idea comes from, but I think it might be related to the fact that if you have an on-grid property in Spain, you cannot legally install panels and completely bypass the grid. You either have to disconnect from the grid and be fully independent, or you have to have a grid tie-in. This means selling electricity to the grid when you produce extra, or banking it with your energy provider to use in the winter.

Sure, there are people who install panels on their on-grid property and bypass the grid (and just keep the grid there for backup if they really needed it) but it might be hard to find a solar installation company to set this up for you, and they certainly wouldn't be able to sign off the work. This would cause you problems if you came to sell your house down the line.

To be honest that's about as far as I know. I definitely don't know all the ins-and-outs of the regulations or the options that are available. Your best bet is to talk to a solar installation company such as Autosolar.es and see what options they have for your situation.

What do I need to know about the rules and regulations for renovating a house/living legally in Spain?

This is a huge question which is really a lot of questions in one.

I am no expert and in the legalities of buying or building in Spain. I know enough to understand my own situation and the choices we have made, but I would absolutely never advise anyone else or be willing to tell you whether you can or cannot do X thing on Y land. Nor should anyone else online, nor should you think "well I saw so-and-so do X project on a 1 hectare plot with a ruin on it, I'll be able to do the same".

What I would say now is simple: when you are interested in a property, you should first find out the "catastral reference" from the seller or the agent (this allows you and anyone else to locate the specific plot on a map - you can actually see, browse and search that map here. The information is all publically available.) Take the catastral reference to the town hall (Ayuntamiento) and ask them about that specific property. Make sure you understand that:

• a) You will be allowed to live there. Your town hall MUST be willing to register you as living at this address ("empadronamiento") or you will have serious problems in literally every other piece of paperwork you ever need to do. The empadronamiento certificate does NOT mean you are living somewhere legally, it just means your town hall recognises that you live there. I have heard that it is possible to empadronate yourself as living under a bridge. But if the town hall refuses even this paperwork, you really have a problem.
• b) Find out and confirm in writing what you are allowed to build/rebuild/do with the property. There is no way someone on the internet can tell you what your town hall is going to let you do on your specific property. Yes, there are national laws which apply above and beyond local interpretations of these laws, but some town halls may be stricter, or there may be other factors at play. For example, some pieces of land might have restrictions on them due to being in areas that have experienced forest fires in recent years. Or they might be in some kind of natural park area, or they may be too close to a ravine or some other natural/manmade feature which impacts what you are allowed to do. Do not believe what the sellers or the estate agents tell you. Go to the town hall and find out. Take an interpreter if you need it, it's worth it. You may need to work with an architect at this stage so that the town hall can confirm that the specific work you intend to do (e.g. a conversion or extension) will be allowed. Don't be afraid of holding up the process and don't allow yourself to be rushed by the sellers or their agents. The kind of property you are looking at probably stays on the market a long time, there is no rush.
• c) There are no major infrastructure/development works planned for the area. You might be surprised to know that a super-high tension energy line is being planned to pass over the property you intend to buy and that in 5 years time you'll have 75m pylon 50m from your property. Or a giant solar park right next door. I draw these examples from our own real experience. The town hall can inform you about any of these possibilities.

When buying a property, make sure you have a lawyer to represent you and do not use the lawyer who is suggested to you by the estate agents: find your own.

Is it easy to get a habitation licence?

This question relates to the process of legalising an old property. Properties built from 1951 onwards must comply to building regulations which were introduced at the time and are issued with a "habitation licence" at the point of completion, confirming that all work was done to standard. Electric installations have been signed off, building work & sewerage has been completed with the correct permits, etc. A habitation licence is required to connect to any mains grid services so if the property already has mains water, gas or electricity it really should have a habitation licence already and if it doesn't, the seller needs to sort that out.

If your property dates from prior to 1951, if it has never been renovated it will probably not have a habitation licence and that's fine, it's currently exempt from needing one. However, if previous work has been done on it, the owner should have sought a habitation licence since the rules stipulate that on completion of renovation works on a pre-1951 house, the habitation licence must be obtained. Sometimes work has clearly been done and no licence sought, most likely because the work was done by a hobbyist and not a professional and they never intended to get a habitation licence, or because the work was never "finished".

There are many houses in this state, including ours. The lack of a habitation licence massively impacts property value which is great for buying but not for reselling, obviously. In some regions, I believe you actually need a habitation licence in order to sell. Some towns also require the habitation licence in order to allow you to register as living ("empadronamiento") at your address. Without the licence, you also cannot rent out your property, apply for a tourist licence, get yourself connected to any mains grid services or receive certain grants.

But now that the house is yours and any subsequent work done is your responsibility, you would be very wise to do the work (or get the work done) with the view to bringing the property up to the standards required for a habitation licence. Remember, when the work "finishes", you are required to apply for that licence.

Any work done on your property should be reported to the town hall and necessary permits sought, or taxes paid. You might be getting the gist of this entire FAQ section by now: go to your town hall and ask! They can tell you whether the work you intend is major or minor, and how to apply for any permits needed. For minor work (which is our only experience so far) the process is simple, it's just some online forms where you report the cost, so that you can pay the appropriate taxes. If you do random work yourself without the correct permits, you run the risk of being fined and even, in extreme cases, of facing a demolition order. Does everyone get the correct permits and pay their taxes when they renovate? Absolutely not. But understand the risk you are taking if you decide to do this and bear in mind that many things like electrical systems will need to be signed off by a professional electrician and you will need proof of this when you come to applying for a habitation licence.

To clear up a common point of confustion: In and of itself, not having a habitation licence does not make your house "illegal". As we've seen, there are legitimate reasons your property might not have a habitation licence at the moment: it's exempt, work is not finished, it's never been renovated etc. What may make your property illegal is doing major renovation without the correct permits, building a structure from scratch without the correct permission, changing the use of a building (e.g. barn -> living space) or piece of land.

But to answer the specific question - I don't know what the process is like for getting a habitation licence or whether it's easy because I haven't done it.

Aren't you worried about climate change in your region?

Of course we are! I would be worried about climate change in any region of the world we were in. You can't run away from climate change. Unfortunately, it is a global event and although predictions can be made, the science is still far from being able to say with certainty when certain tipping events might occur, and exactly what consequences those events might have, over what timeframe.

The challenges our region faces are primarily: increasingly unreliable rainfall, extreme summer temperatures, drought and increase in forest fires.

For us, we looked at the risks that faced us and we decided that finding somewhere to live where we could grow our own food and meet more of our general needs locally or independently was a safer bet than "running away" to a cooler climate where perhaps climate change is expected to have smaller impacts, but where we'd never be able to buy our own land or live in this way.

How did you learn Spanish?

Before moving to Spain I spent about 3 years learning with textbooks (I really like the Teach Yourself series) and taking online conversation classes via iTalki. I have taken over 200 hours of online conversation classes and I would say that this was a huge factor in my ability to speak the language pretty fluently now.

I also used Spaced Repetition Flashcards every day for a couple of years, mainly for vocabulary learning. This is a system where flashcards are shown to you at calculated intervals, so that ideally you are asked to recall a word just before your brain is about to forget it. This is the most efficient and effective way of cementing vocabulary into your brain, in my opinion. It also combines visuals (you add a picture of your choice onto each flashcard) which helps solidify the memory. I used the free software Anki to create my decks of flashcards (create your own, don't download someone else's) and had about 2000 cards in total.

I really recommend the book Fluent Forever by Gabriel Wyner to understand how language learning works in the brain and learn how to learn a language quickly and effectively. It's also just a super interesting book.

I studied Spanish for about 4 years, at least an hour of active studying a day. I also did as much passive studying as possible, maybe an extra hour per day (listening to podcasts, audiobooks, reading, trying to mimic natural exposure to the language). Now I don't actively study it at all but I use it every day.

How do you get internet in your rural location?

Internet connection is rarely an issue these days, rurally. There are very few places where satellite or radio internet cannot be installed.

Personally we currently have satellite internet with a company called Eurona, a package which costs €45/month for 50mb down and 3mb up. We have a satellite dish installed on our roof. This works fine for remote working, although there is sometimes a slight delay when making video calls. Upload speed tends to be a lot worse than download speed with satellite, but I just about manage to upload my videos!

Starlink internet is also a pricier, but more performant option. The receiver is also moveable and a lot less conspicuous.

Radio internet is a cheaper option which also requires a smaller receiver.

Beyond these options, you may find that 4G works perfectly well for your needs and a 4G router for your home is the best option. I spent about a year using only a 4G connection for work.

Can I come and visit you?

For up to date informtion on whether we're open to receiving visits, see our visit us page.