Andrew Lawrence

Real Estate

Let a Spanish Property This Summer? October Could Mean Three Tax Returns.

Sep 15, 2026

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3 min read

Let a Spanish Property This Summer? October Could Mean Three Tax Returns.

Or nothing until April 2027. How you declare this year's rent decides which.

Andrew Lawrence

family

Three Málaga Towns Are Under a West Nile Alert. Almost nothing is required of you.

Sep 14, 2026

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4 min read

Three Málaga Towns Are Under a West Nile Alert. Almost nothing is required of you.

Cártama's alert expires on 22 September. Your half of it is to check your pool cover and a pair of sleeves.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

In June We Said Your Mortgage Letter Would Get Worse. It Has, but Fixing an Older Loan Carries No Penalty.

Sep 11, 2026

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3 min read

In June We Said Your Mortgage Letter Would Get Worse. It Has, but Fixing an Older Loan Carries No Penalty.

Lucky for you, we also got June's fee cap wrong. Past year three, the charge for fixing a loan is zero.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

Two Studies Priced Back to School at €505. They Measured Different Things, and Probably Not Your Kids.

Sep 10, 2026

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3 min read

Two Studies Priced Back to School at €505. They Measured Different Things, and Probably Not Your Kids.

Term dates split the same way, by curriculum rather than by nationality.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

Spain's New Digital Time-Clock Law Does Not Exist Yet. The One From 2019 Does.

Sep 9, 2026

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3 min read

Spain's New Digital Time-Clock Law Does Not Exist Yet. The One From 2019 Does.

The €10,000 fine in that supplier email comes from a bill Congress rejected.

Andrew Lawrence

Insurance

Sep 8, 2026

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3 min read

Your Cheaper Health Insurance Quote Restarts a Clock You Already Ran Down

What you served and what was accepted stays behind unless the new schedule says otherwise.

Andrew Lawrence

Real Estate

Your Costa del Sol Property Tax Deadline Is 16 September. Your Direct Debit Was Due in August.

Sep 7, 2026

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4 min read

Your Costa del Sol Property Tax Deadline Is 16 September. Your Direct Debit Was Due in August.

Marbella and Estepona close the 16th; Málaga, Mijas and Fuengirola run their own clocks.

Andrew Lawrence

Deadlines

If Your Autumn Holds a Renewal, a Visa or a Contract, We Spent the Summer on It

Sep 4, 2026

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3 min read

If Your Autumn Holds a Renewal, a Visa or a Contract, We Spent the Summer on It

The audit is over, most of it held, and the tools it produced are nearly ready.

Andrew Lawrence

Insurance

Your Health Policy Can Be Active and Still Not Cover a Hospital Bed

Sep 3, 2026

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3 min read

Your Health Policy Can Be Active and Still Not Cover a Hospital Bed

The date that decides it is not the one on your bill.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

The Date You Signed Now Moves Your Costa del Sol Bill More Than Your Town Does

Sep 2, 2026

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4 min read

The Date You Signed Now Moves Your Costa del Sol Bill More Than Your Town Does

Mortgage, insurance, electricity: the dates that move your bill this September.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

We Printed Four Autónomo Payment Figures in February. All Four Need Correcting.

Sep 1, 2026

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3 min read

We Printed Four Autónomo Payment Figures in February. All Four Need Correcting.

Four corrected figures, two likely MEI mistakes, and what you can change by 31 October.

Andrew Lawrence

Driving

Still on a UK, US or Canadian Licence? Two Things Just Changed.

Aug 31, 2026

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3 min read

Still on a UK, US or Canadian Licence? Two Things Just Changed.

One starts 1 October. The other is us being more precise than we were in March.

Andrew Lawrence

Lifestyle

Three Pieces of Good News Survived a Week of Checking. Nobody Was Selling Any of Them.

Aug 28, 2026

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5 min read

Three Pieces of Good News Survived a Week of Checking. Nobody Was Selling Any of Them.

A man suing Málaga town hall, a right from 1997, and a subscriber's book out Tuesday.

Andrew Lawrence

Infrastructure

We Gave You the Power, the Water and the Alert Separately. Andalucía Had Them on One Page All Along.

Aug 27, 2026

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6 min read

We Gave You the Power, the Water and the Alert Separately. Andalucía Had Them on One Page All Along.

Ninety minutes to run it. Plus the 20% we printed on solar, which is really 10.

Andrew Lawrence

Service Providers

In June We Told You How to Vet a Gestor. We Never Told You How to Leave One.

Aug 26, 2026

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5 min read

In June We Told You How to Vet a Gestor. We Never Told You How to Leave One.

Plus the fee range we had no business printing, and why 15 October beats the 20th.

Andrew Lawrence

Utilities

The Rain Came Back. So Did the Fertiliser in Torre del Mar's Tap Water.

Aug 25, 2026

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4 min read

The Rain Came Back. So Did the Fertiliser in Torre del Mar's Tap Water.

From 1 to 39 mg/L of nitrate in two years. Checking your own network takes a minute.

Andrew Lawrence

Deadlines

Andalucía Made Peace With Its Doctors. Your Waiting List Wasn't in the Room.

Aug 24, 2026

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5 min read

Andalucía Made Peace With Its Doctors. Your Waiting List Wasn't in the Room.

94% of doctors say the overtime that clears the queue stops in October. Get your register date this week.

Andrew Lawrence

Infrastructure

In April We Printed Five Pieces of Good News as a Bet. All Five Just Passed the Summer Audit.

Aug 21, 2026

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4 min read

In April We Printed Five Pieces of Good News as a Bet. All Five Just Passed the Summer Audit.

The second look, a new longer list, and Spain's first-ever early delivery on our tracker.

Andrew Lawrence

Service Providers

Every Health Centre in Andalucía Has a Free Interpreter. You Have to Know to Ask.

Aug 20, 2026

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3 min read

Every Health Centre in Andalucía Has a Free Interpreter. You Have to Know to Ask.

Our translation stack, re-tested: what held, what repriced, where machines stop counting.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

Spain NLV Renewal: The Money Math and the Legal Gap You Need to Know

Aug 19, 2026

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4 min read

Spain NLV Renewal: The Money Math and the Legal Gap You Need to Know

The income bar for your NLV renewal hasn't changed, but the 183 day rule behind it is under legal challenge and the EU is now tracking every crossing.

Andrew Lawrence

Deadlines

Your Residency Renewal Got Easier This Year. Booking It Got Brutal.

Aug 18, 2026

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3 min read

Your Residency Renewal Got Easier This Year. Booking It Got Brutal.

Kinder rules, six-week queues. The two dates on your card to diary tonight.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

We Predicted 2026 Would Force a Decision. Spain Made It True in a Way We Missed.

Aug 17, 2026

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3 min read

We Predicted 2026 Would Force a Decision. Spain Made It True in a Way We Missed.

Our New Year forecast, re-scored in public: what held, what broke, and a €3 first step.

Andrew Lawrence

Utilities

The Costa's Drought Ended Four Months Ago. Nobody Told You What That Means.

Aug 14, 2026

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6 min read

The Costa's Drought Ended Four Months Ago. Nobody Told You What That Means.

Reservoirs at 85%, restrictions gone since April, and a ledger of what got built.

Andrew Lawrence

Utilities

In May, We Told You to Check Your Town's Water. We Sent You to the Wrong Number.

Aug 13, 2026

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5 min read

In May, We Told You to Check Your Town's Water. We Sent You to the Wrong Number.

Nitrate belongs to your pipe network, not your postcode. Most Costa taps read near zero.

Andrew Lawrence

Costs

In December, We Priced Your Free Cita in Hours. The Police Have Since Priced It in Euros.

Aug 12, 2026

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4 min read

In December, We Priced Your Free Cita in Hours. The Police Have Since Priced It in Euros.

Five operations, €15 to €400 a slot, now counterfeits. Plus the numbers we got wrong.

Andrew Lawrence

Andrew Lawrence

Let a Spanish Property This Summer? October Could Mean Three Tax Returns.

Three Málaga Towns Are Under a West Nile Alert. Almost nothing is required of you.

In June We Said Your Mortgage Letter Would Get Worse. It Has, but Fixing an Older Loan Carries No Penalty.

Two Studies Priced Back to School at €505. They Measured Different Things, and Probably Not Your Kids.

Spain's New Digital Time-Clock Law Does Not Exist Yet. The One From 2019 Does.

Your Cheaper Health Insurance Quote Restarts a Clock You Already Ran Down

Your Costa del Sol Property Tax Deadline Is 16 September. Your Direct Debit Was Due in August.

If Your Autumn Holds a Renewal, a Visa or a Contract, We Spent the Summer on It

Your Health Policy Can Be Active and Still Not Cover a Hospital Bed

The Date You Signed Now Moves Your Costa del Sol Bill More Than Your Town Does

We Printed Four Autónomo Payment Figures in February. All Four Need Correcting.

Still on a UK, US or Canadian Licence? Two Things Just Changed.

Three Pieces of Good News Survived a Week of Checking. Nobody Was Selling Any of Them.

We Gave You the Power, the Water and the Alert Separately. Andalucía Had Them on One Page All Along.

In June We Told You How to Vet a Gestor. We Never Told You How to Leave One.

The Rain Came Back. So Did the Fertiliser in Torre del Mar's Tap Water.

Andalucía Made Peace With Its Doctors. Your Waiting List Wasn't in the Room.

In April We Printed Five Pieces of Good News as a Bet. All Five Just Passed the Summer Audit.

Every Health Centre in Andalucía Has a Free Interpreter. You Have to Know to Ask.

Spain NLV Renewal: The Money Math and the Legal Gap You Need to Know

Your Residency Renewal Got Easier This Year. Booking It Got Brutal.

We Predicted 2026 Would Force a Decision. Spain Made It True in a Way We Missed.

The Costa's Drought Ended Four Months Ago. Nobody Told You What That Means.

In May, We Told You to Check Your Town's Water. We Sent You to the Wrong Number.

In December, We Priced Your Free Cita in Hours. The Police Have Since Priced It in Euros.

Waypoint Sur