Andrew Lawrence

Language

The Almería Fire Victims Were Told to Stay Inside. The Alert Never Reached Their Phones.

Jul 13, 2026

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3 min read

The Almería Fire Victims Were Told to Stay Inside. The Alert Never Reached Their Phones.

The three instructions Spain can give you in a wildfire, in English, before August.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

A Mijas Reader Was Quietly Paying an Extra €300 a Year on One Bill

Jul 10, 2026

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3 min read

A Mijas Reader Was Quietly Paying an Extra €300 a Year on One Bill

A free one-minute check caught it. It told almost everyone else to stay put.

Andrew Lawrence

Deadlines

One Question to Ask Whoever Files Your Spanish Taxes, Before Next Wednesday

Jul 9, 2026

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3 min read

One Question to Ask Whoever Files Your Spanish Taxes, Before Next Wednesday

The rental deadline moved twice; the 20th is really the 15th. Get it in writing.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

If You Hold a Málaga Tourist Licence, the City Just Made You Richer

Jul 8, 2026

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3 min read

If You Hold a Málaga Tourist Licence, the City Just Made You Richer

12,748 licences became a capped asset on 1 July. Renters got a press release.

Andrew Lawrence

Driving

Same Cameras, New Verdict: Málaga Will Fine Until a Court Makes It Stop

Jul 7, 2026

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3 min read

Same Cameras, New Verdict: Málaga Will Fine Until a Court Makes It Stop

We've tracked this playbook since April. The 20-day countermove, inside.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

You Can't Buy Worse Electricity in Spain. You Can Only Buy a Worse Contract.

Jul 6, 2026

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2 min read

You Can't Buy Worse Electricity in Spain. You Can Only Buy a Worse Contract.

Upload your bill, get an honest answer in a minute. We earn nothing whether you switch or not.

Andrew Lawrence

Lifestyle

We spent the week talking about what doesn't work in Spain. Here's why we stay anyway.

Jul 3, 2026

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3 min read

We spent the week talking about what doesn't work in Spain. Here's why we stay anyway.

You read four pieces on the friction and didn't reach for the exit. That's the story.

Andrew Lawrence

Service Providers

We told you the proper way to handle your certificate. About that.

Jul 2, 2026

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4 min read

We told you the proper way to handle your certificate. About that.

An honest correction three weeks on: it barely works. Tell us how you handle yours.

Andrew Lawrence

Service Providers

Discover Minimalist Homes with Visionary designs

Jul 1, 2026

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4 min read

Discover Minimalist Homes with Visionary designs

Discover minimalist homes, visionary designs, and the soul of Scandinavian interiors.

Andrew Lawrence

Real Estate

Who runs your hospital and housing rules is being decided this week

Jun 30, 2026

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2 min read

Who runs your hospital and housing rules is being decided this week

Andalucía's government is still unformed six weeks after the vote. Today it probably gets settled.

Andrew Lawrence

Real Estate

A Spanish court says non-EU landlords were overtaxed

Jun 29, 2026

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3 min read

A Spanish court says non-EU landlords were overtaxed

If you own a flat here and live outside the EU, you may be able to claim four years back.

Andrew Lawrence

Lifestyle

The Costa del Crime won't mug you. Worse, it will outbid you.

Jun 26, 2026

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4 min read

The Costa del Crime won't mug you. Worse, it will outbid you.

The shootings are a private war you're not in; the laundered money just outbid you on the flat you want.

Andrew Lawrence

Residency

The padrón is changing jobs, and the gray-area Costa went with it

Jun 25, 2026

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4 min read

The padrón is changing jobs, and the gray-area Costa went with it

From counting everyone in to checking who belongs, and your healthcare card hangs on it.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

The cheap years on the Costa are ending. We've been tracking the bill.

Jun 24, 2026

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2 min read

The cheap years on the Costa are ending. We've been tracking the bill.

An honest price floor by town, the €650 spread, what's moved since February, and what it leaves out.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

Málaga's summer flight strikes: which days to dodge, and the delay you can claim for.

Jun 23, 2026

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2 min read

Málaga's summer flight strikes: which days to dodge, and the delay you can claim for.

Stoppages run Mon/Wed/Fri. Fly light and buffer, and check who handles your flight before you write off €250–600.

Andrew Lawrence

Service Providers

53,014 missed the legal surgery deadline in Andalucía. Only four were able to claim it back.

Jun 22, 2026

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3 min read

53,014 missed the legal surgery deadline in Andalucía. Only four were able to claim it back.

Your public surgery has a legal time limit. Almost nobody uses the right when it breaks.

Andrew Lawrence

Lifestyle

We asked what was hard about life in Spain. You told us what got easy.

Jun 19, 2026

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3 min read

We asked what was hard about life in Spain. You told us what got easy.

The first year defeats everyone. Here's what ends, and what quietly takes its place.

Andrew Lawrence

Driving

The AP-7 toll jumped 63%. The free A-7 is being dug up. Now what?

Jun 18, 2026

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2 min read

The AP-7 toll jumped 63%. The free A-7 is being dug up. Now what?

Both roads got worse this summer. The choice is now per segment, not all-or-nothing.

Andrew Lawrence

Deadlines

June 30 is the tax deadline. June 25 is the one that saves you the hassle.

Jun 17, 2026

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2 min read

June 30 is the tax deadline. June 25 is the one that saves you the hassle.

Set it to auto-debit by the 25th, or chase the payment manually in June's worst week.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

Your mortgage letter is about to get worse. You can still beat it.

Jun 16, 2026

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3 min read

Your mortgage letter is about to get worse. You can still beat it.

The ECB hiked on the 11th, and fixing before your revision is cheaper than you think.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

Five strikes in, the Costa's safety net is wearing thin

Jun 15, 2026

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4 min read

Five strikes in, the Costa's safety net is wearing thin

What the fifth doctors' walkout says about the care you're counting on. Even if you have private coverage.

Andrew Lawrence

Lifestyle

What part of life in Spain defeated you at month six but is easy now?

Jun 12, 2026

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3 min read

What part of life in Spain defeated you at month six but is easy now?

What that quiet shift of competence is worth if you're deciding whether to stay and build here.

Andrew Lawrence

Service Providers

Málaga's Jobs Boom Is Real. It's Also Smaller Than Last Year's.

Jun 11, 2026

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3 min read

Málaga's Jobs Boom Is Real. It's Also Smaller Than Last Year's.

We pulled the SEPE data ourselves. The number that matters isn't the one in the papers.

Andrew Lawrence

Service Providers

Your gestor says handing over your digital certificate is fine. Spain disagrees.

Jun 10, 2026

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3 min read

Your gestor says handing over your digital certificate is fine. Spain disagrees.

Providers will say it's not illegal, and nobody's charged for it. Both true, but beside the point. Here's who ends up liable.

Andrew Lawrence

Driving

Málaga's low-emission zone touts the cars it can fine, not the better air it promised.

Jun 9, 2026

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2 min read

Málaga's low-emission zone touts the cars it can fine, not the better air it promised.

€12 million in fines, nitrogen dioxide down one microgram. Look up your own street.

Andrew Lawrence

Andrew Lawrence

The Almería Fire Victims Were Told to Stay Inside. The Alert Never Reached Their Phones.

A Mijas Reader Was Quietly Paying an Extra €300 a Year on One Bill

One Question to Ask Whoever Files Your Spanish Taxes, Before Next Wednesday

If You Hold a Málaga Tourist Licence, the City Just Made You Richer

Same Cameras, New Verdict: Málaga Will Fine Until a Court Makes It Stop

You Can't Buy Worse Electricity in Spain. You Can Only Buy a Worse Contract.

We spent the week talking about what doesn't work in Spain. Here's why we stay anyway.

We told you the proper way to handle your certificate. About that.

Discover Minimalist Homes with Visionary designs

Who runs your hospital and housing rules is being decided this week

A Spanish court says non-EU landlords were overtaxed

The Costa del Crime won't mug you. Worse, it will outbid you.

The padrón is changing jobs, and the gray-area Costa went with it

The cheap years on the Costa are ending. We've been tracking the bill.

Málaga's summer flight strikes: which days to dodge, and the delay you can claim for.

53,014 missed the legal surgery deadline in Andalucía. Only four were able to claim it back.

We asked what was hard about life in Spain. You told us what got easy.

The AP-7 toll jumped 63%. The free A-7 is being dug up. Now what?

June 30 is the tax deadline. June 25 is the one that saves you the hassle.

Your mortgage letter is about to get worse. You can still beat it.

Five strikes in, the Costa's safety net is wearing thin

What part of life in Spain defeated you at month six but is easy now?

Málaga's Jobs Boom Is Real. It's Also Smaller Than Last Year's.

Your gestor says handing over your digital certificate is fine. Spain disagrees.

Málaga's low-emission zone touts the cars it can fine, not the better air it promised.

Waypoint Sur