Spanish Holiday Home Rental on the Up
There has been nothing bad bad news coming out of the Spanish Property markets recently but at last some good news for anyone that is contemplating purchasing a holiday home or renting out their own villa in Spain. News coming out of Spain is that the number of occupied holiday lets has risen in the last 12 months. overnight stays in Spanish holiday homes totalled 4.8 million last year up 2.2%. Although, this is a very small increase, it does show that people still want to visit Spain, and if not buying, then they certainly want to rent property. Spain remains very popular with British tourists who represent 30% of the letting market. Popular Spanish holiday home destinations include Andalusia, The Canary Islands & Valencia. Because of the recent problems with the Spanish housing market, this may be a good time to buy property for letting purposes. Property prices are down in general and there are many bargains to be found. New property tends to rent well and if you are deciding on an apartment, remember that location is of paramount importance. Apartments that are close to resorts and gold courses are very popular and the better the condition and facilities, the easier it will be to rent the property. It is thought that a number of people are keeping a close eye of the Spanish market at the moment and many are considering renting so as to be best placed to pick up that bargain property in the sun.
Storms hit Southern England - we had a number of fierce electrical storms in the South of England last night and some pretty torrential rain. This morning the Assetsure phoning has been ringing with a number of clients wishing to make building insurance claims for storm damage. Often fierce downpours can produce quite substantial claims and it's important that home owners, especially holiday home owners check the conditions of their roofs etc to make sure they are in tip top condition. If you live in your property, then you will be on hand to notice an immediate storm damage, but in a holiday home, it is not so easy. Either the building is unoccupied, in which case it may be some time before you discover the damage, or if the property is being let to holiday guests, any leaks may ruin the holiday and that certainly isn't good for repeat business. We at Assetsure always recommend a program of maintenance be put in place to make sure that your roofs are in a good state of repair. Flat roofing is a main cause for concern and these structures are notorious for leaking. Flat roofs are constructed basically with joists spanning the gap between two walls, covered by sheet timber or other material. The outer coating of a flat roof is usually asphalt. Many people have had bad experience of this type of roof, with leaking causing damage to walls etc. Flat roofs do have quite a short life span and it is important that they are serviced on a regular basis. Usually, the first time you know you have a problem with a flat roof, is when it starts to leak. However, this doesn't have to be the case, flat roofing is an established building technique and serviced properly, they should last for a good number of years. It is important to have a roofing contractor check over your roofing on a regular basis, once a year is a good idea, then can then make sure that the covering is still waterproof.
A number of insurance companies are not keen on buildings with flat roofs and it is important to check that you have disclosed any portions of this type of roofing to your insurers. Generally up to 20% is acceptable at normal insurance terms but over and above this, a loading may be required or cover may be declined. It is important to study your home insurance policy carefully as it may contain a flat roof warranty. This will alter the scope of your policy cover and will probably state that for any claim to be valid, you must be able to prove that your flat roof is less than a certain age and that it is serviced on a regular basis. Warranties vary from one insurer to another but it is vitally important to check. Many building insurance claims are declined because people have not read their policy documents carefully. Whilst we are are the subject of building maintenance, if you are employing the services of a trade'sman to checking your roof structures, it is a good idea to have him check the guttering as well, not some much a problem at this time of year, but in the autumn months, guttering can become blocked with leaves and this can lead to water damage claims for damaged buildings. Having home insurance in place is an excellent way of protection your possessions but prevention is better than cure, anyone that has suffered damage at their home, will tell you, it can be quite an upsetting experience.
