Living in Spain - Water - Telephone

Living in Spain?! If you want to buy a property in Spain there is no other way other than to go and look. In the time it takes to receive property information most has usually been sold!

Living in Spain

Water, Telephone, Internet

Moving to Spain? - How do I? When can I? Where should I? Who should I? How do I? Should I rent or buy? What part of Spain? Can I find work? Ask Spanish Property ABC -

Water is life!

Water

In most parts of Spain, water is safe to drink. Pressures can vary but in the main, those who visited Spain 20 or so years ago and experienced the trickle of water which passed as a supply, will no doubt be impressed by the copious quantity of clean water which now flows at good pressure from Spanish taps. The Spanish Property ABC

The cost of water is minimal in relation to the UK or ROI but heavy use for gardens and swimming pools can elevate the cost significantly. When you apply for a water supply there will be a contract fee to pay (there is a fee on virtually all contracts in Spain) but the overall cost of water is about one third of that you will have been used to paying at home.

Some older buildings suffer from poor water pressure simply because too many properties are now connected to the main that serves them. Eventually they will be modernised but properties so affected are realistically best avoided. If you are thinking about buying a resale property, ask if you can run the taps, all of them. Look for pressure problems on the top floors of apartment blocks.

However, in fairness, the majority of the water supply in most areas of Spain is wholesome and at good pressures. The cost is considerably less that you would expect to pay at home and all supplies are metered.

If you intend to buy a resale property, check the water flow and pressure carefully. Ask the sellers to run several taps simultaneously. Water is important. If the supply seems poor you may wish to consider another property.

Do you want to visit the website of the local water company?! Than click here: Promoción Técnica y Financiera del Agua S.A.

Telephone and Internet

Spain has a modern telephone system with similar services to those offered by most European countries. The service is expensive, much more so than that provided by British Telecom. The Spanish Property ABC

As with most Spanish utilities, bills arrive bi-monthly. A telephone will cost you about the same, or a little less in line rental, than you are paying in the UK but calls, especially abroad, are extremely expensive. Many from the UK, who may have been used to chatting without regard to the amount of time they spend on the telephone, soon learn that in Spain, this is an excellent way to damage wealth. From the UK to America, a call can be made for about 5p per minute. The same call from Spain would cost 20 times more.

No longer a luxury, a telephone is a must. However, its use in Spain needs to be taken seriously. That is, unless you have money to throw away and If you are reading this, you probably haven't!

One way to stay in touch by using the phone and not pick up painfully large bills is to use the internet. There are a couple or so free ISP providers, one being Telefonica, Spains national carrier which is the equivalent to BT in the UK.

Connection speeds are on the whole not too bad but server down time whilst not long, is regular. Connection charges are those that apply to local calls but the grapevine says that better deals are coming along in the not to distant future. Net2phone and similar are not effective because of line speed. The Spanish Property ABC

Do you want to visit the website of the telephone company? Than click on the "Telefonica-Graphic"!

Internet: As mentioned above, Spain is connected to the internet and there are a reasonable amount of Internet Service Providers.

Three or four of these are free and include the Spanish National Carrier, Telefonica. Telefonica offers POP3 mail - some of the others don't, requiring you to utilise services such as "Hotmail" or similar.

The cost of using the internet is that which applies to a local call and is similar to that charged in the UK. Off peak hours are from 20.00 - 0800. Although there is talk of the internet being charged at off-peak rates permanently.

If you don't speak Spanish, you will need help in both setting up and connecting to the Internet. Information is required in Spanish which includes things such as your NIF number, address, postal code and other information all necessary before you can obtain an account.

Be careful when seeking this help. Computer shops charge a considerable amount of money for the service. The less you appear to know, the more is likely to be the charge. This applies equally to Spanish and English computer businesses.

Probably the best way to establish on the Internet is to read the Costa Blanca News, or any other English Language newspaper appropriate to the area in which you intend to live. Here you will find advertisements from UK individuals who offer this very service. Prices range from about £15 - £20.

A modem in Spain will cost you about £60.00, which by UK standards is quite pricey. If you have a computer which you are going to take to Spain and it is your intention to use the net, make sure it has a modem.

Internet support can be obtained from Telefonica, but you may have to make several calls before they have someone able to speak English. The average connection speed varies between 33 to 45,000 kbs. Adequate for most purposes but bandwidth is often quite restricted resulting in a very slow internet despite seeming to have a reasonable connection.

If you want to pay the price, ISDN communication is available which effectively increases the net speed by about 80 per cent. In the vast majority of cases this will not be justified. The Spanish Property ABC

Moving to Spain? - How do I? When can I? Where should I? Who should I? How do I? Should I rent or buy? What part of Spain? Can I find work? Ask Spanish Property ABC -

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