'Comunidad' community fees

The Spanish Data Protection Agency has imposed a fine of €300 on a man who installed a digital peephole (video surveillance system) on his door.

The Provincial Court of Valladolid has ordered a neighbourhood association to pay €12,155.20 to a postman who, while on duty, fell after tripping over a step or ledge on the door when leaving the entrance to the building. As a result, he sustained a serious injury to one of his legs.

If you buy a property in Spain that is part of a development then you will be obliged to pay what are known as community fees.

When you live in a community of owners in Spain you will have several rights. For example, you can carry out works in your property as long as they don't affect the security of the building.

There are over a million swimming pools in Spain, and approximately 10% of them are in urbanizaciones or other shared communities, either high-rise buildings or single-family homes.

More and more people are choosing to share an apartment, not just students, as a more economical way to live. This means paying a reduced amount of rent for a room and cohabitating with other people, which can sometimes be problematic.

If you’re lucky enough to have a garden on your Spanish property, you’ve got a real treasure: you can have an aperitif in the sun on the weekends; you’ve got your little trees and your shrubbery; your urban veg patch where you grow cherry tomatoes; the sun lounger in the corner of the yard so you ca

It’s all very well knowing where you want to buy property in Spain and how much the average house prices are there, but what about the price of upkeep and maintenance?

How many homeowners have ever dreamed of the idea of prohibiting the neighbour who has stopped paying their 'comunidad' community fees from entering the pool? A ruling by the Provincial Court of Valencia allows this deprivation of rights.