Living in a Community in Spain

I have been living in a community in Spain for 12 years now and I am still not an alcoholic. When you live in a flat in Spain you live in a community and when you live, as I do, in a set of terraced houses sharing a garden and pool then you also live in a community. If you buy a house in the Campo then you won't but you may still be popping into your local village to participate in the local fiestas. What you do not want to do though is have to experience other's fiestas or have them suffering yours. Living in a community in Spain involves two main things, respecting your neighbours and them respecting you. In a flat it is obvious, don't go jogging regularly above your neighbour who works nights and don't get your teenage children a set of drums for Xmas. Nothing too demanding there is there? Keep up to date on the community payments which pay for light in the stairwell and cleaning, go to the yearly meetings you have to discuss anything and everything to do with the building and take your turn when you have to be the president or the treasurer. (Yes you have to do that even if you do not speak the language. You are allowed to outsource it to a Gestor or another member of the community who does it on your behalf if you can persuade someone) In our little community of 22 houses we have a few extra rules. No cats and dogs in the garden. No noise between 2pm and 5pm even if you are using the pool, keep it quiet for siesta time. No ball games in the garden and keep it down after 12pm. Not too onerous are they? We pay 120 Euros per three months, about the same as in an apartment block with a lift in the city, and we get the garden and pool looked after all year round, a good job as I am no gardener. If you live in an apartment building that doesn't have a lift you will probably pay around 6-10 Euros per month for cleaning and having a float in case of damage to the building and the costs of maintaining an insurance contract. All very easy and social right? Yes it is. Until you get the neighbours from hell. Now I am not saying that my neighbours are that bad but if I have to put up with any more crappy Bachata music for hours on end on a Sunday morning, or have to shout "Basta ya me cago en la puta virgen de Covadonga" (Use Google translate if you need to) through the walls again in the near future I swear I am going to swing at them. This is a little problem of working from home of course. When you are making a video requiring a little bit of concentration and peace and suddenly you hear some, what can only be described as, Brazilian garage samba coming from next door with the bass turned up high it can make you rather incandescent with rage. Luckily their doorbell is very loud too and I find pushing it for about a minute tends to shut them up, and if you have never pressed a doorbell for a minute try it one day, it is cathartic. Luckily they are on a one year rental contract and only a few months remain. Why do you think we always recommend attic flats when looking at apartment buildings ;-)?

Related Reading

1) Sometimes I Despair Of Spain

2) Buying a Working Business In Spain

3) Entrepreneur Solo Blog Where you may find some more rants!

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