“The British Expats Stranded in unsellable Spanish Villas”

This article, to which I contributed, appeared in The Daily Telegraph on 4th March 2026: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/property/buying-selling/cant-sell-spanish-home-expat-market-collapsed/

This is my response to the journalist and editors behind the article:

"The British Expats Stranded in unsellable Spanish villas", 4th March 2026

I co-operated with Nicole Collins on this piece and I am writing to state how disappointed I am at the negative slant of the article. At no stage was it mentioned that this piece would be another "UK citizens are victims of EU member states" invective. The angle of the story, that Spain is the reason behind the lack of property sales, is wholly inaccurate and damaging. Indeed, as I had concerns, I asked Nicole if she would share with me the article before it went to press, and she sent me the following: " I'm happy to share anything you're quoted in with you before it goes to press!" Clearly, this did not happen.

For your information, this is the email I sent to Nicole on 28th January to ensure that the facts I imparted were reported accurately:

"I just want to ensure that one or two points were clear and understood:

1. Post-Brexit, UK citizens can still buy property in Spain, and the process is very straightforward. However, unless they have a Visa, they will not be able to reside here permanently. Any UK citizen without residency rights can stay here for 90 days out of 180 days and this will be increasingly enforced.

2. There is only a moratorium on the issuing of new tourism licenses in over-saturated areas, such as the cities of Barcelona, Valencia, Málaga, Granada, Madrid...This is to prevent speculative property investment - bulk-buying of apartments to be used as Airbnbs, thereby preventing local people from being able to live in these inner-city areas, close to employment. In rural areas, where depopulation is an issue, the issuing of new tourist licenses is still very possible. Outside investment can regenerate these inland, rural areas and through this investment there are opportunities for employment, encouraging young people to return to the villages.

3. Prices. We advise our property vendors that the first 3 months are key. If there are no enquiries for a property within the first 3 months, the price is likely to be the barrier. This is because new properties tend to get featured more on the property portals (Rightmove, Kyero, ThinkSpain etc) as soon as they go live and this leads to more enquiries. This is not definitive, but it is a good indicator. Obviously, enquiries can be generated at any time during the lifespan of the properties.

4. Properties over €1 million. The market is, naturally, smaller and tends to be more niche. Buyers may specifically be looking for an equestrian property, for example, or a property that is truly remote. These buyers tend to do more research and know exactly what they are looking for. The most popular price range in inland Andalucia is from €150,000 - €500,000 and there is huge demand for Bed & Breakfast properties with existing tourism licenses (these can be transferred with the property).

We are seeing an increase in the number of higher-end buyers: buyers looking for larger properties with land, prices over €1 million. 93% of our enquiries come from outside Spain, and yet the Spanish are still active buyers for the right properties. The higher the price, the more niche the property might be and the value might lie in something beyond the actual bricks and mortar. For example, we have a finca that is on the market for €14 million, and this property has a 34 bedroom forest hotel. However, the value lies in the water on the finca. The land has at least 5 mountain springs, one of which produces 700 million litres of water a year. The property has pre-development approval for a bottling plant and this would be one of the largest mountain spring water plants in Europe. https://www.granadavillageandcountry.com/el-senorio-de-rias

Another example is a hotel we have for sale on the coast. At the moment, the elegant main building has 7 suites and a very successful wedding and events business. However, the value lies in the fact that it has approved planning for a further 70 bedrooms. The price has just been reduced from €5.3 million to €4.3 million. https://www.granadavillageandcountry.com/casa-de-los-bates-motril

If there is anything else you'd like to check, please ask as I'd prefer to make sure that the information is 100% correct before going to press. Even with emails, we have, in the past, not been accurately quoted. This is how stories get out about 100% property taxes!

(This is the article I wrote about the 100% tax proposals: https://www.twosouthofgranada.com/home/2025/1/25/property-taxes-in-spain-for-non-eu-purchasers)"

Interestingly, the comments below the piece online are not particularly supportive of the property vendors. Quite rightly, many of your readers have said that "a property is worth what someone is prepared to pay" and this could not be more true. The market in Spain is very buoyant and no nation is being victimised by the Spanish government, as is implied by the article. UK buyers, for us, only make up around 7% of our enquiries with other buyers coming from Northern Europe, Scandinavia, Ireland and, increasingly, the US.

To conclude, there are buyers for every property. Our job, as real estate agents in Andalucia, is to advise our vendors on the best approach to marketing their property and this may include reviewing the price to match market conditions. There is absolutely no need whatsoever for vendors to be "stranded".