What is involved living on a Mobile Home Park?

Well firstly choose the park by visiting at least three, you soon get a feel for the place. I did and the park I am on is fantastic even though it has been a building site for some time as the site was being developed. This I was aware of and have had the pleasure of watching the site progress and take shape.

The management on this park are doing an excellent job developing this site and have great vision. The parks charge about the same yearly fees for being on there (about £2500 per annum) which in my case is good value for money as I was paying £1200 per annum community charge in the UK and getting nothing for it.

For your money here in Spain, on the site upon which I live you get 24 hour security, swimming pool, bar and on some sites a restaurant. On our park we consist of mostly retired people and the whole park is also maintained and the relaxed way of life is easily achieved. It is very exclusive.

Should you have the need to work to support yourself out here, work is not easy to find and the pay is poor considered with UK standards.

Now to the technical points. Having bought your home and moved in the first thing you need is to get registered with the local council and doctor. Do not panic. Some parks do it for you and for those that do not there is always someone who will do it all for you charging between 20 and 30 Euros. That is not a lot of money to pay for peace of mind; they speak the language, take you to the police station etc and get you registered for everything. As they do it all the time they know the procedures and make it easy.

 The beauty of being on a residential park is that no mater what the problem is there is always someone who knows how to solve it, or knows someone that does. Ex-pats love to share information and help each other out. That’s what being retired is all about. An important thing to get your head around in Spain is that Manaña does not mean tomorrow as it say’s in the phrase book but means NOT TODAY and this may also be accompanied by a shrug of the shoulders. However this is Spain, this is their culture and that is their way of life.

You came for an easier cheaper way of life there are things to get used to. Remember “when in Rome do as the Roman’s do”, you are a guest in Spain and they welcome you. Good advice: Leave or sell your UK car at home. It is expensive to transfer your car to a Spanish number plate. Buy your car here and there is always someone to help you do that. Having a right hand drive car on Spanish number plates makes no sense. It costs around £1200 to transfer to Spanish plates, the insurance is dearer for a right hand drive, plus you either have to drive it out or pay to have it shipped out, more expense. I bought my Spanish registered car here with the retail price compared with the UK being cheaper.

One thing to remember when buying here is to be careful as embargo’s can be attached to a vehicle for unpaid debts by the previous owner and you will only find this out when applying for road tax and have to clear the debts on the vehicle before you can get your road tax. This is never a problem when buying from a local dealer.  

True Fact: The weather in Spain is so much better than in England BUT do not be fooled, it can and does get VERY cold at night in the winter months of December, January and February, frost at night clearing by 11.00 hrs and a possible temperature of 14 deg C by that time so make sure the home you buy has central heating and double glazing. True Fact: In July & August it gets VERY hot. Choose a home with Air Conditioning if buying second hand and if buying new have it fitted here in Spain as it is one fifth of the cost of one fitted in the UK.

True Fact: There is very little rain which is why I love it out here. That means that if you like gardening you must choose your plants carefully as you pay for all the water you use here. Water is however surprisingly cheap. Retiring and living in a mobile home is very easy if you have lived in a mobile home in the UK. If like me you have never lived in one before the word to remember is SPACE. There is no Box Room in a mobile home. There is normally a shed which soon fills up, washing machine tools etc. In other words do not bring everything from the UK, bring the essentials and buy the rest out here when you know the size of the home you are buying. Another good trick is to build storage space under the decking.

Do not let the language be a worry. You will soon learn the basics of Spanish because you will hear them every day, thank you, good morning and good night for example. For those people who want to learn Spanish properly there are always Spanish teachers available who charge 6 Euros per hour. I have got by just listening learning phrases, gestures and body language. If you are seen to be trying to speak the lingo the Spanish also try a little English and between you can have a good laugh.

Day to day life, there is always something going on, our site for example has “Happy Hour” Tuesday night, “Quiz Night “Wednesday Night and “Bingo” Thursday Night. I personally go only to the last two. You meet lots of new people here and soon make a new circle of friends. With 85 homes on the park logic tells us that every week someone is having a birthday party so the social life continues.

Most parks also have a residents committee who arrange trips out. Gibraltar is a favourite of mine; chance to top up the tea bag stock as well as any English food that you may be missing from the UK?

 Shopping: The local produce is very good and fresh and reasonably priced. Fruit and Vegetables are fantastic and Cigarettes and Alcohol are a lot lower than the UK. If you smoke and drink a lot then living here is a must. Petrol is also well below the UK price. The Spanish tea bags however are not good so bring plenty out with you and tell every visitor to do the same.

Spanish People: They are fantastic in the local villages, they just love to try what little English they know and the shop keepers soon manage to understand what you want.

Peace of mind: That is exactly what you get. All the parks have a Park Management structure and they are able to help you with whatever problem you have. Unlike buying a property in Spain and throwing yourself into the Spanish way of life a Mobile Home Park allows you to be British, live in Spain, enjoy being Spanish “fiestas” for example yet knowing you cannot go wrong. Motoring: The Guardia Civil are no mugs and will fine anyone for speeding. 200€ to 300€  fine (that' s £150 to £200) for speeding that' s much more expensive than the UK. If you do not have enough money on you they escort you to the nearest bank. This is very rare as most of us Brits drive slowly anyway as we are now on the other side of the road.

Car insurance here automatically includes breakdown cover so you will never be stranded. Direct line has a Spanish equivalent and they allow your no claims bonus. However they need proof of this. If driving you must have your driving licence on you, as well as all other documentation applicable to the vehicle, you do not produce it a the local police station like in the UK. If you wear glasses it is also the law here in Spain that you carry a spare pare in the car.

The Home: Unlike the UK the homes here do not rot and so can remain on site for years and years. However make sure that there is a commercial water filter fitted otherwise you will be renewing your central heating boiler every year. There is a LOT of calcium in the water and chlorine. I have two fitted so that I can drink the water straight from the tap which again saves me money and struggling home with bottled water. True Fact: You need to carry identification with you at all times. The photo driving licence is insufficient you need to carry your passport at all times.

To finish, if you are the sort of person who wants everything done yesterday please forget Spain. If you are the sort of person who likes to relax and sit out on your decking late at night having a quiet drink under a fantastic star filled sky late March until late October come and see for yourself.

Author: Peter

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