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CURRENCY

Brexit risk: Five tips for changing pounds to euros when you move to Spain

Do you plan to move Spain this year? If so, you might be aware that Brexit is having a negative impact on the value of the pound. Here are some tips to limit the damage from Peter Lavelle, a foreign exchange broker at Pure FX.

Brexit risk: Five tips for changing pounds to euros when you move to Spain
Photo: jax10289/Depositphotos

Since early May, the pound to euro interbank exchange rate has fallen from a peak of 1.1757, to 1.1151 at the time of writing. That's a decline of over 6 cents, or 5.15 percent.

The biggest factor contributing to sterling's decline is that financial markets don't know what relationship the UK will have with the European Union (EU) after Brexit. This is more than three years after the UK voted to leave the EU. Also, the pound is being weighed down by the fact that both candidates to become Prime Minister, Boris Johnson and Jeremy Hunt, have said that they'd accept a 'No Deal' Brexit.

So, what can you do to minimise Brexit risk, when you transfer your money to your Spanish bank account to move to Spain? Well, you’ll find five easy tips below.

1. Stay up-to-date with the exchange rate

This helps you to avoid Brexit risk, because when you know what's happening to sterling's value against the euro, you can better plan your money transfer to Spain. By comparison, if you don't watch the exchange rate before you buy your euros, then you're in the dark.

To keep track of sterling's value against the euro, you can check the live interbank exchange rates on the Foreign Currency Direct website. Alternatively, you can search ‘live exchange rates’ on Google to find the latest interbank rates. This will help you to plan your euro purchase, even with Brexit.

2. Check what's affecting the pound versus the euro

The second tip to avoid Brexit risk for when you transfer money to Spain is to keep an eye on what's affecting the pound to euro exchange rate. After all if you know that, for example, Boris Johnson has committed to take the UK out of the EU without a deal, and that this might weaken the pound, this can help you to decide when to transfer your money to the UK.

Also, it's worth noting that Brexit isn't the only factor affecting the exchange rate. There are dozens of factors, including the UK's and Eurozone's economic performance, and the Bank of England's and European Central Bank's interest rate outlook. By staying in-the-know, you'll develop a better idea of what's influencing the exchange rate, to help you decide when to buy your euros.

3. Set up a rate alert, for when your target exchange rate hits


Photo: peshkova/Depositphotos

This way, when your target exchange rate hits, you'll receive an email or a phone call telling you. This way, you can take advantage of any unexpected movements in the exchange rate, to buy your euros at the level you want. This is a helpful tool to ensure you get the euro total you're after, even with Brexit.

4. Consider setting up a forward contract

With a forward contract, you fix your exchange rate at today's level, so that even if the pound fluctuates in future versus the euro, you get the exchange rate that you've locked in. This protects you from adverse movements in the value of sterling and guarantees the euro total that you've receive.

To set up a forward contract, you put down approximately 10 percent of the amount that you intend to transfer. Then you can transfer your money at any time you like in the following 12 months.

5. Seek guidance from your money transfer service

They'll be able to tell you what's affecting the exchange rate, what's happened to the value of the pound versus the euro recently, and offer you their guidance based on their years of experience helping people to transfer money. So you can ensure your money transfer goes well, in spite of Brexit uncertainty.

By Peter Lavelle at foreign exchange broker Pure FX, a trading name of Foreign Currency Direct Plc

Please note that the exchange rates within this article are interbank rates and are for indicative purposes only, and are not trading levels which Pure FX offer. For live trading levels contact one of the Pure FX currency brokers on +44 (0) 1494 671800.

This article does not constitute advice to any person on any matter and it is not intended as a recommendation to trade. Pure FX makes every reasonable effort to ensure that this information is accurate and complete but assumes no responsibility for and gives no warranty with regard to any loss arising from actions taken as a result of acting on this information.

READ MORE: Brits remain top foreign buyers in Spain, despite (or because of) Brexit

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PROPERTY

Spain’s plan to limit temporary accommodation rejected

Spain's left-wing government had planned to tighten its grip on temporary accommodation rentals as a potential means of making more long-term rentals available, but the country's right-wing parties on Tuesday rejected the proposal in parliament.

Spain's plan to limit temporary accommodation rejected

If passed, the new law would have meant that anyone who wanted to temporarily rent a property would have to explain why and provide a valid reason.

For example, students or researchers would have to show the research contract or course booking to show it would only last a few months.

It would have also meant that if more than six months passed or more than two consecutive contracts issued, it will have automatically become a long-term habitual residence instead.

On Tuesday September 17th, the proposal was ultimately rejected in the Spanish Congress, voted against by Spain’s three main right-wing parties – Catalan nationalists Junts, Spain’s main opposition party the PP and far-right Vox.

The aim in part was to try and rectify the controversial Housing Law, which came into effect in 2023.

In most people’s eyes, the legislation has failed as landlords have found several loopholes to get around the restrictions, prices have continued to increase and the stock of rental properties is even more diminished.

READ ALSO: Has Spain’s Housing Law completely failed to control rents?

As a result of the fear of heightened regulation for landlords, many have left the traditional market and turned to tourist rentals or temporary accommodation instead, which are far more lucrative. 

This has had the opposite effect, increasing rental prices instead of stabilising or decreasing them.

READ MORE: Why landlords in Spain leave their flats empty rather than rent long-term

Seasonal contracts and room rentals allow landlords to raise prices every six or nine months and they not subject to the price limitations of the housing law.

The idea of this new law was to try and set the maximum duration of a temporary rental contracts at six months in order to avoid this, but it could have potentially also caused problems for many who need this type accommodation such as students, digital nomads, those living here on a short term basis etc. 

During the debate, Sumar’s spokesperson, Íñigo Errejón, defended the law saying that it is a “solvent”, “fair” and “precise” proposal, which will help “correct an abuse” and “close the gap through which “Landlords can use to avoid the LAU (Urban Leasing Law) and rent regulation”.  

Far-left party Podemos blamed the ruling PSOE for having left this “hole” in the housing law, but also agreed that the restrictions on temporary accommodation were needed to try and rectify this.

READ ALSO: Has Spain’s Housing Law completely failed to control rents?

Junts (Catalonia’s main pro-independence party) and the PNV, the Basque nationalist party, were firmly against it. They agreed that the problem must be solved and that “accessible decent housing was needed”, but raised the situation of students, interns, residents or workers who need housing for flexible periods.

Junts party member Marta Madrenas warned of the harmful effects that this limitation on temporary rentals can have for university cities such as Girona.

Vox and the PP meanwhile argued that they don’t want to help cover up the mistakes made by the left with regards to the Housing Law.

Vox deputy Ignacio Hoces stated that the increase in seasonal rentals has occurred due to the “failure” of the Housing Law, since this has caused rental prices to “skyrocketed” by 13 percent and the supply to be reduced by 15 percent.

Temporary accommodation, referred to as alquiler temporal or alquiler de temporada in Spanish, is considered to be anything that’s longer than a month but shorter than a year, middle ground between short-term and long-term rentals. It is also referred to as monthly accommodation or seasonal accommodation.

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