We have lots of questions regarding our potential move to Tenerife

[gyork0206]

We are looking into relocating to Tenerife. We have spent a few holidays on the island and are looking for some advice.

Golf del sur - is this a good area to relocate to, as we do play golf, but also want a community feeling?

Cost of living - is the cost of living the same or cheaper than the UK, obviously heating costs will be a lot less but want a general idea such as a weekly shop (fruit, veg, milk, bread etc)

Learn spanish - are there places on the island that do classes, as we are keen to learn.

We will not need employment (hopefully, as partner is retired and has a work place pension that will help with living costs).

We are looking to sell our UK home, (which should be relatively quick as its in a popular area) but having read some of the forums recently, alot of people say rent rather than sell up, any advice?

Community fees - what is the average costs for community fees in the Golf Del Sur area.

Renting before we buy - we have looked online and not really seen lots of people renting, is this common, anyone have any suggestions for decent rental companies and also whats the average rental for a 2 bedroom apartment/townhouse (pet friendly as we will be bringing the cat).

Thanks in advance for your responses.

[Shaun@Tenerife]

One thing to consider when moving to Golf del Sur is that you are directly under the flightpath for the airport.

I always find the cost of living to be comparable to the Uk however shop at the big supermarkets not the local ones if you are on a budget.

Typical English groceries are usually much more expensive as they normally have to be shipped from the UK.

Again adopt a more canarian diet if you are on a tight budget.

If you are looking for a long term let check out the Tenerife Property Guide online, Lots of rentals available on there to suit all pokets.

best of luck with your relocation

[polremy]

Our community fees for a one bed apartment are just under 1600euros, payable quarterly. I think this is about the highest in the area.
Noise from planes is not generally a problem where we are on the Golf, except in bad weather when the planes tend to take off "the other way".
The Palms and Las Adelfas seem to be under the flight path and will probably be noisiest.
We find our weekly shopping is quite a bit cheaper in Tenerife .We use Mercadona most of the time. The price of wine certainly helps!
On the other hand, we find electricity prices are very high and typically get a bill for 115euros for a two month period. (We don't have air conditioning either)

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Sorry not to be clear. The 1600euros is the annual charge.
We pay quarterly - just under 400 euros.

[LUCKY]

I know of many people that have been long term renters for years at Golf Del Sur. I find it a lot cheaper to live in GDS. I spend a lot of time in Tenerife. If i am over there when you are please do not hesitate to contact me i maybe able to help.
:flatcap:

[gyork0206]

Wow that is quite expensive for community fees, event if divided by 12 for monthly.
The electricity price is expected, we had heard it was about 60€ per month, without air con. I think we will be using Mercadona alot, as we use them when we are on holiday and it seems reasonably priced.

Thanks for the reply

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Thanks for that Shaun

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Thanks, will probably be asking lots more questions so thanks

[primrose]

We are looking into relocating to Tenerife. We have spent a few holidays on the island and are looking for some advice.

Golf del sur - is this a good area to relocate to, as we do play golf, but also want a community feeling?

Cost of living - is the cost of living the same or cheaper than the UK, obviously heating costs will be a lot less but want a general idea such as a weekly shop (fruit, veg, milk, bread etc)

Learn spanish - are there places on the island that do classes, as we are keen to learn.

We will not need employment (hopefully, as partner is retired and has a work place pension that will help with living costs).

We are looking to sell our UK home, (which should be relatively quick as its in a popular area) but having read some of the forums recently, alot of people say rent rather than sell up, any advice?

Community fees - what is the average costs for community fees in the Golf Del Sur area.

Renting before we buy - we have looked online and not really seen lots of people renting, is this common, anyone have any suggestions for decent rental companies and also whats the average rental for a 2 bedroom apartment/townhouse (pet friendly as we will be bringing the cat).

Thanks in advance for your responses.

Do not sell your UK home,rent it out and rent here then you have the best of both Worlds, it is so much easier to go back if you have a property there,the rent from your house in the UK will pay your rent here and most rentals here include Water and Electricity Bills.

[gyork0206]

Thanks Primrose, we are still deciding, but we think probably sell, as its just a pain in the neck renting here, and ongoing maintenance of the house will probably cost more than the monthly rental. But it is still an option we are looking at.

[amanda]

Personally it is cheaper here to live, we own a house so dont pay community charges no tv licence, no heating bills, we pay yearly tax on our house, which compared to what we owned twelve years ago in the uk is peanuts, meaning no monthly council tax bill, also I think it depends where you want to shop for groceries, my other half married for nearly forty years is canarian, we eat very well canarian dishes which I love plus good variety of other dishes food not plates, so thats my opinion

[gyork0206]

Personally it is cheaper here to live, we own a house so dont pay community charges no tv licence, no heating bills, we pay yearly tax on our house, which compared to what we owned twelve years ago in the uk is peanuts, meaning no monthly council tax bill, also I think it depends where you want to shop for groceries, my other half married for nearly forty years is canarian, we eat very well canarian dishes which I love plus good variety of other dishes food not plates, so thats my opinion

thanks Amanda, that's one of our main reasons is the sheer outgoings living in the uk, council
tax, car, tv, Internet, phone, heating etc etc,

[gavin.meek]

For some nice cheap home from all price ranges, you could have a look on: www.fotocasa.es

[gyork0206]

thanks, had a look at that, but not really what we are looking for, we might be coming out for a couple of weeks in December.

[Stoney]

Coming out on holiday is great but actually living on the reef is different once the permanent holiday feeling fades. Without any doubt the best idea is to rent first. Saying you are thinking about GDS means you must intend to buy a car or are bringing one with you, so have a good look around there are some beautiful little villages with great properties to live in and no complex charges to pay. It took us a while to convert to do all our shopping in Mercadona but wouldn't go anywhere else now. Good luck

[gyork0206]

Stoney, Thanks for the reply, we do not intend to bring or buy a car so is Golf Del Sur not an option. We have been to Tenerife a few times before, the two weeks in December will be an investigation rather than holiday, looking for areas and getting to know agents, hopefully.

We would be quite happy with a village location as long as there are buses (I know the services can be iffy sometimes), no complex charges would be brill, if you know of any areas, that would be very helpful.

We currently do most if not all of our shopping in Lidl here in UK, so changing to Mercadona will be a reasonably easy transition (I hope).

Thanks for taking the time to reply

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Forgot to ask about internet (silly me), are there better areas on the island for internet signal, as we have internet tv and want to bring that with us, thanks.

[Stoney]

Try looking in the local free papers, Tenerife Island Rentals and Wady Properties in PDLA San Eugenio area, although known as an estate agent we used The Property Gallery in Puerto Colon, they had one or two nicer places to rent. When looking in the papers avoiding the ones without photos usually means not worth looking at. If someone asks you for a finders fee tell them no and go elsewhere. Rents are cheaper when above the motorway but the higher you go the colder it gets in winter and you will need a car to get up the hill. Heres a great link for maps of the area http://www.tenerifepropertyconsultancy.com/los-cristianos-map. If you live on the fringe of Costa Fanabe or Los Cristianos its quite and very peaceful and well away from the nightlife, buses are regular and if you get a bono card a lot cheaper. Happy hunting and have a good holiday hope this helps

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Sorry forgot about the internet, we used telefonica connection wasn't bad, it does differ vastly depanding on how close you are to the local hub but had more success with them than using a dongle. If you ring them with an address they will give you an idea of the speed you will get but get someone who speaks fluent spanish to do it.

[Red Devil]

As Delderek has said on another thread the Oasis del Sur area of Los Cris is nice, far enough away from hustle & bustle but walking distance to most things you need including bus. Plenty of permanent residents, bars, restaurants and supermarkets in area without needing to go into town.

[Tom & Sharon]

I wouldn't sell my home in the UK f I were you, and certainly not to rent one in Tenerife. That way you'll end up with nothing!

How do you know you'll like it? I'd rent my UK home out, and rent in Tenerife for at least 3 years. If you still love it after 3 years, when the honeymoon period is over, then you're likely to stay.

If you sell in the UK, then buy in Tenerife, just the legal fees and taxes alone that you'd have to pay out in both countries, would probably keep you in rent for a couple of years anyway. For example, say you sold a UK home for £150,000 and bought in Tenerife for €150,000. You'd be looking at a minimum of £5,000 in estate agents and legal fees in the UK, then to buy in Tenerife you'd have to budget about 10-12% in taxes and legal fees, so another 15,000€ minimum to pay out. Then there's the cost of shipping things that you'd invariably want to keep. So you'd be looking at paying out around £20,000 in various charges alone, and you might not like it! And if you didn't, where would you be? Stuck with an apartment you might struggle to re sell, maybe taking a further loss, and escalating house prices back in the UK.

Rent your house out in the UK, and long term rent in Tenerife till you're absolutely sure. And I don't mean make your mind up after a fortnight!

Living costs wise, I find my shopping bill is pretty much on a par UK/Tenerife, not much in it, but I don't drink the cheap wine. It would be cheaper if I did.

Our apartment is on Amarilla Golf. I don't think you could live there without a car.

[gyork0206]

Thanks, but we have been thinking about this long and hard and with council tax, energy costs, and other general living expenses we are definitely going to sell, even if we rent wherever we end up, but the house in the UK is definitely being sold.

Thanks for the replies again.

[ddoyle]

I would strongly advise you not to sell up in the UK but rather wait a while until you are certain that Tenerife is for you, that wont happen over night. A friend of ours has only recently started to drive over here and has adjusted to driving on the RHS very quickly it has given her loads of freedom to go where she wants when she wants. GDS is a nice little place to rent and is close to all the amenities you could ever need. There is also a LIDIL supermarket here in Las Chafiras. Please take your time in making any decisions as too many people have burned their bridges and regretted it after. There are plenty of rentals in the Las Chafiras area so take your time and have a good look around when you are out in December, and the very best of luck to you.

[LUCKY]

I would strongly advise you not to sell up in the UK but rather wait a while until you are certain that Tenerife is for you, that wont happen over night. A friend of ours has only recently started to drive over here and has adjusted to driving on the RHS very quickly it has given her loads of freedom to go where she wants when she wants. GDS is a nice little place to rent and is close to all the amenities you could ever need. There is also a LIDIL supermarket here in Las Chafiras. Please take your time in making any decisions as too many people have burned their bridges and regretted it after. There are plenty of rentals in the Las Chafiras area so take your time and have a good look around when you are out in December, and the very best of luck to you.

G.D.S. is good . I would say that as i reside in Lower G.D.S. :flatcap::feret::feret::feret::feret:

[TheBloke]

Tom and Sharon the guiding lights on the tenerife forum.....again!!

[gyork0206]

I would strongly advise you not to sell up in the UK but rather wait a while until you are certain that Tenerife is for you, that wont happen over night. A friend of ours has only recently started to drive over here and has adjusted to driving on the RHS very quickly it has given her loads of freedom to go where she wants when she wants. GDS is a nice little place to rent and is close to all the amenities you could ever need. There is also a LIDIL supermarket here in Las Chafiras. Please take your time in making any decisions as too many people have burned their bridges and regretted it after. There are plenty of rentals in the Las Chafiras area so take your time and have a good look around when you are out in December, and the very best of luck to you.

Thanks for information, we do not want the expense of having a car. We have been thinking long and I do mean a long time about this move (over 10 years in the making), and also been to oversees property exhibitions and got all the information we could possibly need on the do's and don'ts, so it's definitely not a hasty decision, but the main thing is the uk home has to be sold anyway (family matters), so whether we rent or buy (tenerife or the costa del sol, still to decide on the exact spot yet), its definitely happening. We may well buy a small flat in the UK just to keep a foothold on the ladder, but as family have already moved to Spain, don't think we will be coming back to the UK when we do leave.

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Rent your house out in the UK, and long term rent in Tenerife till you're absolutely sure. And I don't mean make your mind up after a fortnight!

Living costs wise, I find my shopping bill is pretty much on a par UK/Tenerife, not much in it, but I don't drink the cheap wine. It would be cheaper if I did.

Our apartment is on Amarilla Golf. I don't think you could live there without a car.

Renting our house in the UK is not an option, we have thought long and hard about this, its been o nthe cards for 10 years if not more, so its definitely not an overnight decision. We still haven't quite decided on the area (tenerife or costa del sol/blanca) we want to settle in yet, so we will be renting first for a few months.

[Tom & Sharon]

Tom and Sharon the guiding lights on the tenerife forum.....again!!

Sarcasm, the lowest form of wit!

Your comment is symptomatic of exactly why people are not posting very much on this forum any more, as per Angusjim 's thread.

[delderek]

Sarcasm, the lowest form of wit!

Your comment is symptomatic of exactly why people are not posting very much on this forum any more, as per Angusjim 's thread.

Completely agree, what a silly unnecessary comment. I think your comments were accurate and helpful.

[kathml]

Tom and Sharon the guiding lights on the tenerife forum.....again!!
If you've nothing to contribute please keep your mouth shu

[tonym]

Having been here for 7+ years I thought we would be ready to return to the uk by now but it seems we'll give it another few years! but here's my take.
I know you keep saying you will sell your uk property and rent here but..... Property here will NOT appreciate like the uk, so rent it out, ( particularly if the house is mortgage free), and use the money as income for your rent, in a few years time, you will not be able to return and rebuy even if you want to, since the price differentials will probably be against you. If you sell in the uk and rent here, the likelyhood is your capital will dwindle away, leaving you with a shortfall both here and the uk. DONT DO IT !
If the cost of running a car is bothering you, rent one. There are many people offering basic rentals from about 200e per month, and include all costs (insurance, maintenance, tax etc) , except fuel. When you are used to living here, and you find the right car at a good price, then buy. I find driving here is pleasurable, usually decent roads, hardly any traffic lights, minimum of queuing at roundabouts, you'll be doing yourself a disservice giving up driving. Also there is very little to do here if you're retired with time on your hands, seeing other parts of the island is a lot easier when you're not dependant on the buses.
On the question of where to live, I would strongly suggest against buying in the short term. Rent on a complex to start, then after about 6 months you'll be listening to your neighbours bitching about what the community should and shouldn't do with your fees. How the apartment above should vet the people they rent out to illegally because they're all enjoying themselves too much. All the other politics that go on in communities (too much for here, just spend a week or so reading old threads). If you have been used to living cheek by jowl where you are, then it will be similar, except for the sun, which means all your neighbours will be out too all the time, which can get somewhat tiresome.
I suppose it depends on what sort you are and what you have been used to. If in your retirement you foresee nights out visiting restaurants and bars, then coastal living may be ok, but if that will be occasional why not live a little further out and use taxis once a week or so when you want to go out?
In any event, why not rent out for six months in different places until you find somewhere you absolutely love? When you find that place, and can't imagine anywhere better, live for six months or so then buy if you must.

Does this all sound a bit dour ? Maybe,but this is a big step, and taking a few precautions now, will ensure against some BIG pitfalls.

Very best of luck in whatever you choose though, this can be a fantastic place to be for some, and without trying you'll never know if that's you.

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Just remembered, you also said you would look in Southern Spain. We also did that and very nearly bought there. I'm so relieved we didn't. I think the crime rate is probably a lot less here. I would think the property is much cheaper there, but maybe that's the only benefit. You would have to try living there to find out. Whatever you do avoid the cheap holidays funded by the Spanish sales agents ( if they still exist), they will persuade you that their properties are the ones for you !

[gyork0206]

Hi, Due to circumstances which I am not going to into we have to sell anyway whether it be to move abroad or not.

Its not just the cost of having driving the puts us off having a car, its just he doesn't want to drive, but he may change his mind in the future.

We do intend to rent for a period of time first, prior to buying (if we buy at all).

[bonitatime]

Another option is to rent a Car fpr an Odd day if you need one

[Hepa]

I would suggest that you at first rent. Our initial choice of venue was Gran Canaria we rented there and eventually settled here on the island of El Hierro, some 200 miles from G.C.