by Grupo Vapf | Dec 22, 2021 | Uncategorized
During this time of year, it’s great to review and take stock of everything that was achieved over the last 12 months. At VAPF, the results are in, and they’re very encouraging. The Christmas wishes we made a year ago have come true all thanks to you, our clients and neighbours, and also thanks to our great team, which we cannot leave out in this message.
The Christmas spirit can be felt throughout the streets and homes in Cumbre del Sol, and it’s stronger than ever! Many of you have decorated your gardens and terraces with Christmas baubles that show your unique personality in our residential complex.
Living in la Costa Blanca is synonymous with creating a community and a family, things that are essential at Christmas! Our villas and apartments highlight the exclusivity and the privacy of the environments where they’re found. But also, the connection that our clients make with their neighbours is something that they have always valued.
A different year
In a few days, we’ll be waving goodbye to a year that was still ravaged by Covid-19, which has affected all of us in different ways, and at VAPF, we didn’t want to leave anyone behind. We’ve continued to help people that are not as fortunate as us. This is help that our clients also join in on, and we want to give you a big THANK YOU.
Corporate Social Responsibility at VAPF
We also want to thank you for continuing to be a part of our family. Recommending us to your friends is a gesture that makes us very happy and gives meaning to our daily work.
In 2022 we’ll be by your side, creating unique projects, listening to you, constantly evolving, and contributing to the community so that it grows and becomes more active. This is so that the property you buy as our clients continues to increase in value and so that you feel at home in your new house.
MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR!
by Grupo Vapf | Dec 16, 2021 | Uncategorized
At VAPF, we’re continuing to actively participate in improving the socioeconomic conditions of the communities where we work. That’s why year after year, we roll out activities in the name of Corporate Social Responsibility.
After 2020 saw the rise of the COVID-19 health crisis, and the socioeconomic crisis that came along with it, 2021 was the year of overcoming, hopeful recovery, and the end of the pandemic.
In this particularly volatile context filled with uncertainty, at VAPF we continued to support different NGOs and associations in our area to help those who most need it.
Vulnerable children living in poverty are the ones that most need immunisation, but they’re the least likely to receive it. For that reason, at VAPF, we joined the UNICEF vaccine “Small Solutions” campaign. It’s a campaign centred around distributing vaccines to all boys and girls, even in the most difficult to reach places in tough situations. The campaign prioritises the poorest and most disadvantaged communities, and so, collaborating in a project like this can save millions of lives.
The VAPF Group continues to be a “Company without Borders”. We gave financial aid to the organisation “Doctors without Borders”. This is so that they can still offer medical help and humanitarian aid to those who most need it.
We supported the work of Save the Children, for quality education, good health and protecting children from any form of violence through their UNIDOS (UNITED) programme. This is a programme for companies that care about communities and allowed us to join forces to fight against childhood poverty in Spain.
We worked with the UNHCR to cover all the basic needs for refugees, offering them shelter, food, medical care, education, and legal aid.
Once again, with the Fundación Vicente Ferrer, we backed the construction of a housing colony for vulnerable families in India. This housing will be registered in the name of the woman of the family.
We teamed up once again with the NGO Aldeas Infantiles SOS, whose main mission is to help children and young people in vulnerable situations, promoting their development and independence through foster care in protective family environments and also through strengthening their networks with family, society and the community.
In PAYASOSPITAL, against all odds, we spread smiles and cheer amongst thousands of children in hospitals.
We joined forces with the Red Cross in their Emergency Relief programme for the most vulnerable. This was carried out with the hope to minimise the economic and social impact that the current crisis is having on many families in our area, avoiding social exclusion. With Caritas, we supported people in situations of exclusion and vulnerability in our community, regardless of their religious beliefs.
For the second year in a row, the VAPF Group gave financial aid to the Neuromuscular Diseases Association of the Valencian Region (ASEM CV) in their plan Promoting Personal Autonomy. The goal is to encourage people affected by these diseases to gain as much personal independence and autonomy as they can on a physical, mental, and psychological level.
Like every other year, we’re continuing to work with ASPANION, the Association for Parents of Children with Cancer in the region of Valencia. This time round, we collaborated on the HEICOP project from the Health Research Institute ‘La Fe’, on the project titled in English “Towards excellence in clinical research in paediatric oncology: new drugs and therapeutic procedures in treating children and adolescents with cancer”.
We continue to increase our efforts and we’re sure that our support, united with that of many other businesses and individuals, will make a big difference in these people’s lives.
We’re proud to work together to make sure that these ambitious goals are not just a dream.
by Grupo Vapf | Oct 15, 2021 | Uncategorized
Can you imagine it? Arriving home and being enveloped in a feeling of comfort. At VAPF, we think it’s key to not only imagine it, but also to make it come true. Because there truly is no place like home. That’s why, with winter right round the corner, we wanted to talk to you about the heated flooring that will change your life if you decide to go for one of our villas or apartments.
The location of our villas and flats in Costa Blanca is excellent due to all year round mild temperatures. However, winter is cold and home comfort is needed no matter where you are on the map. Therefore, our villas and apartments are fully equipped with a climate control system that will make your life on the Costa Blanca more comfortable.
What is heated flooring?
Within this complete system, we offer underfloor heating in our properties. Do you know how it works? Our villas and apartments in Costa Blanca have a network of hot water circuits installed under the floor. This network is connected to the Ecodan Hybrid system that we work with at VAPF and circulates heat through the floor so that it’s evenly distributed throughout the home for hours.
Benefits of heated flooring
What’s more, you can choose when you want your floor to radiate heat without even moving from where you are! On each floor of our homes, you will find a thermostat to control the switch and temperature of this innovative system.
Another benefit of underfloor heating is related to health. Radiating heat from the floor – no draughts in sight. This means that it does not lower the humidity of the room in the home and therefore does not contribute to dry mucous membranes or dry skin. In addition, having no draughts is in some ways positive for allergy sufferers. By not removing dust from surfaces, dust mites are less likely to be a health problem.
But the benefits of underfloor heating don’t stop with comfort or health. In addition to the aesthetics of this type of heating, it is also worth highlighting its high energy efficiency. The high inertia of the system means that the heat is stored in the floor and, therefore, is long-lasting and maintains the temperature, avoiding switching it on and off several times and thus achieving energy savings.
In addition, due to using hot water, the temperature they reach is much lower than that of traditional radiators, thus also reducing energy consumption.
Underfloor heating is just one more reason to choose Costa Blanca and to choose VAPF. Because our villas and apartments are at the forefront of comfort and design. Find out more on our Facebook and Instagram accounts and, if you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact us through this form. We are waiting for you!
by Grupo Vapf | Sep 24, 2021 | Uncategorized
The process of buying a property in Spain involves several, often quite complicated formalities. This is why in July of this year we presented a seminar on the process of buying a VAPF home. It is part of our series of webinars.
We have already explained the first steps in buying a VAPF home off plan. In this webinar, we are assisted by the law firm Fuster & Associates who are experts in the field. They have over 20 years’ experience as specialists in the property market. The firm has offices in the Alicante region in Teulada. finestrat and Orihuela. And also in los Alcázares in Murcia province.
In this second part of the webinar, we mention the final step in the purchasing process and some other important aspects you need to consider.
Final step in the process of buying a VAPF home
One of the most vital requirements for VAPF is that their clients’ payments are secure. Normally, developers must provide a bank guarantee for all clients’ payments, but not all do this. That is why we ask our clients to pay through our client fiduciary account. Once we have received the money, we ask the developer for a bank guarantee and as soon as we receive it we make the payment.
Once the home is completed, a meeting is arranged with the notary. There, all the details of title to the property will be checked and payment is then completed.
And after purchase?
VAPF’s legal and tax advice and management service doesn’t end with purchase of the house. There are also several fees that the client must pay when buying a Spanish property. This is why we always recommend that our clients increase their spending budget for the house by about 12% to 14%. This will enable you to cover all the extra fees and costs. One cost that you will incur when buying a home in Spain is payment of Value Added Tax (VAT). There are also other costs, including notary’s and registry fees or tariffs. VAPF will handle all these payments for you to ensure that everything is paid for and settled.
Another fee that is payable after you have bought a home in Spain, is the Non-resident Tax. The amount is based on the property registry value and payment must be made annually. This is another formality that VAPF will deal with for you.
Finally, at VAPF we recommend that our clients make a will in Spain once they have bought their property. In this way if anything happens, it will be much easier for your heirs to manage everything at what is always a difficult time.
Buy to rent investmentl
Many of our clients buy a VAPF property as an investment. That is, before they retire completely and move to the Costa Blanca they will rent out their home. In this case, there are some legal and tax requirements. In the case of European citizens, an obligatory quarterly monthly tax statement must be filed. However, tax is only payable if you make a profit from your rental. The reason is that the landlord’s other costs are taken into account, such as electricity or water.
Buying through a company
Instead of buying a property in their own name, some of our clients purchase in the name of their company. This is a viable and feasible option but the purchasing process requires a few formalities to be completed at the start.
The first formal requirement is for all the CEOs and managers of the company to sign a declaration of ownership. They have to authorise power of attorney in a document signed both in Spanish and in your language.
The next step for a client wishing to buy a VAPF property in their company name is to obtain a certificate. This certificate contains information confirming that the company is still operating. For example, the official address for tax purposes. This document will also be signed in both languages and after certification by the notary it will be delivered to VAPF. The following step in this process is the same as a buying a property in the proprietor’s name .
As you can see, at VAPF we try to make the process of buying a property easy for our clients. If you have any queries, you can write to us directly, using this form. And if you want to learn all about VAPF and our villas and apartments, you can follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
by Grupo Vapf | Sep 17, 2021 | Uncategorized
Alicante province is one of the favourite destinations of European citizens. Its beaches, the Mediterranean climate, and its varied cuisine make it the perfect place to spend a summer holiday or to buy a second home for your vacations or retirement. There are many reasons why Alicante province, and the Costa Blanca in particular, is a haven where you can invest or start a new life. Its excellent connections with the rest of Europe are just one of those reasons.
VAPF developments include homes in several municipal districts on the Costa Blanca: Benissa, Denia, Altea and Moraira, among others. The company also has homes in Poble Nou de Benitatxell, at Residential Resort Cumbre del Sol, the perfect place to start a new life in Alicante province, just a step away from Europe. And here’s why!
VAPF means easy plane travel to the rest of Europe
Cumbre del Sol is little more than an hour by car from Alicante and Valencia airports. As a result, you have direct flights to and from cities in the United Kingdom, France, Holland, Belgium, Germany, Poland and Russia. To be precise, it’s a two and a half hour trip to London or Brussels, and little more than five hours to Moscow, and in two hours you could find yourself in Paris.
So if you are thinking of buying a second home in Spain, VAPF’s apartments and villas in the heart of the Costa Blanca are a great opportunity. You are not far away from sunshine 365 days a year.
VAPF and travelling by car from Europe.
However, it may well be that with COVID-19 you’d rather travel to Alicante by road. While it’s true that it will take longer to reach your second home on the Costa Blanca, you will nevertheless gain in terms of peace and tranquillity instead of having to face the strict requirements of air travel. This is one advantage of buying a property in Alicante province rather than other Spanish locations, such as the Balearics or the Canaries.
In your own vehicle you can make the trip from Paris to Cumbre del Sol for example, in about fifteen hours, or eighteen hours from Brussels. But bear in mind that you will need to make the appropriate stops to rest if you’re going to drive for long periods, or make sure you share the driving. Patience, resting and some good conversation or music to make the trip more enjoyable are important as well.
VAPF and its connection with the rest of Spain
If the Costa Blanca is well connected with Europe, it’s no less than fantastic in terms of links with the main Spanish cities. In a little less than two hours you can travel from Alicante to Madrid in the AVE high speed train. That is also the time it takes to travel from Alicante to Valencia, where you can discover all the charms of the Valencia region. And we mustn’t forget the connection with Barcelona! You can be in the Catalan capital in little more than four hours.
Of course you can also make all these journeys by car. And not only that, but with the recent removal of tolls from the AP-7 motorway, you can travel to Barcelona from Alicante without paying a penny.
By buying your second home with VAPF, you will be able to connect with Europe and the rest of Spain in a speedy and simple manner. Whatever your favourite form of transport, the most important thing is that you can be sure your investment will mean peace and tranquillity. And with VAPF you can be assured of that! Come and meet us and we’ll give you all the details of our developments..
by Grupo Vapf | Aug 30, 2021 | Grupo VAPF, Grupo VAPF, Grupo VAPF, Grupo VAPF, Grupo VAPF, Grupo VAPF, News, Real Estate
In July we held a seminar as part of our series of webinars, in which we dealt with everything you need to know about the process of buying a VAPF home off plan or under construction. From the steps you need to take, to the advantages and disadvantages, and any other aspects you need to consider.
Helping us in this task were some experts in the field, namely Fuster & Associates law firm. They are specialists in the property market with over 20 years’ experience, and have a team of multilingual lawyers and tax consultants, with several offices on the Costa Blanca Norte. In Alicante province there are offices in Teulada and Finestrat, and also in Murcia province. in La Zenia and Los Alcázares.
In this blog post we share some of the advice that they gave us in the webinar.
The first steps to buying an off-plan home
The process of buying a house off-plan involves four basic steps.
- Firstly, the buyer needs to sign a reservation contract which is an undertaking to buy the property from the vendor, who will ensure that it will no longer be available to other buyers. In the case of VAPF clients, a deposit of 12.000€ is payable, and this will subsequently be deducted from the total price of the property.
- Once the property has been reserved, when the contract is signed, the buyer will pay 35% of the sale price of the house.
- While the house is being built, a further 35% of the total value will be paid.
- Finally, when construction is complete, the remaining 30% balance will be paid.
The agency contract
The first step in terms of bureaucracy is to sign the agency contract. On signature of this agreement one person entrusts handling of one or more services, commissions, formalities or negotiations to another person. In this case, the latter is the person who takes charge of these tasks on behalf of the former at their liability.
This contract can be drawn up in two ways, either in Spain or in the buyer’s country of residence.
If signature of the contract coincides with the buyer’s visit to Spain, at VAPF we offer to accompany the client to the notary and provide a translation service, if this is needed to understand the whole process. If you prefer to complete the procedure in your own country, we offer to find a notary close to your home. In this case, we prepare that trustee or agency contract in Spanish and also in the buyer’s mother tongue. When this has been signed, the contract will be returned to us and we proceed to the next step.
Obtain your own NIE
It is essential for our foreign clients when buying one of our homes to obtain their own NIE. This document stands for Número de Identidad de Extranjero, or Foreign Identity Number. You will need this document for any formality that you have to complete in Spain, from buying a property to opening a bank account. Not only that, it enables the Spanish Treasury to identify buyers.
Opening a bank account in Spain
Opening a bank account in Spain is another specific recommendation that we make to new clients, although it is not essential. However, with an account, buyers can keep a greater control over the costs of their property, as well as their subsequent contracts for electricity and water supplies, and telephone and internet services. They will also have more control over the taxes and fees that need to be paid.
We will continue in future blog posts with further details of the purchasing process with VAPF (taxes, guarantees, legal aspects …). For the moment why not take a look at all our available villas and apartments. For any queries or for further information, you can contact us by filling in this form.
