| So you have decided to buy property on the | | | | an attempt to stop the coast becoming privately |
| Costa Blanca. You have thoroughly researched | | | | owned or overly built-up, but ultimately there is a |
| sites online, made fact-finding trips to the area, | | | | certain futility to this, as coastlines are constantly |
| and employed an estate agent to ensure you are | | | | changing, so it is almost impossible to set such |
| able to obtain your dream property. However, | | | | stringent guidelines. As one would expect, this has |
| you still cannot be certain that you will get your | | | | led to furious criticism from the countries whose |
| property - you could still lose a huge amount of | | | | citizens make up the majority of the expats |
| money, because of a Spanish law that has | | | | buying property on the Costa Blanca, namely |
| recently been updated, making buying property on | | | | Britain and Germany. |
| the Costa Blanca potentially fraught with danger. | | | | So if you are looking to buy property on the |
| This is something that most people will not | | | | Costa Blanca, what does the Ley de Costas |
| immediately think of, and is widely regarded as a | | | | mean for you? Quite simply, it means that you |
| controversial and unfair law, that can make a | | | | need to be extremely careful buying property |
| dream turn into a nightmare. | | | | near the shoreline. In fact, it is much safer to look |
| This law is the Ley de Costas, or Coastal Law. | | | | for property away from the beach; after all, in |
| Initially introduced in 1988 in an attempt to | | | | the towns with beaches, the shorefront is easily |
| protect the Spanish Coast from regions becoming | | | | accessible, so it is worth walking the extra |
| privately owned, it marked shorefront as public | | | | distance to the beach to ensure that your |
| land, including any private property on this area, | | | | property is safe. After all, if you buy property on |
| so if you are buying property on the Costa | | | | the Costa Blanca, looking inland, a lot of the towns |
| Blanca, you could well find your home taken back | | | | are located on hillsides, giving you beautiful views, |
| by the Spanish government, with no chance of | | | | as well as peace of mind. |
| compensation. Furthermore, there are restrictions | | | | Therefore the Ley de Costas, while unfair, |
| on the area around the shorefront, so these | | | | remains part of Spanish law, so rather than hoping |
| homes could even be demolished, or the owners | | | | that the government intervenes and changes it, it |
| banned from selling them. This means that if you | | | | is worth working around it. You may not be able |
| have bought property on the Costa Blanca, you | | | | to get that beachfront property you had |
| may find yourself unable to make improvements | | | | dreamed of, but at the same time you will not |
| on your property, or sell it on, should it become | | | | find yourself tangled up in legal red tape, |
| too much of a financial burden, leaving you | | | | potentially haemorrhaging money due to a small |
| trapped with a significant drain on your finances. | | | | and unfair piece of small print. |
| As previously stated, the law was introduced in | | | | |