What A Place In The Sun DOESN'T tell you about buying abroad and the tough lessons we learned moving to our dream home in Spain
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A couple who bought their own dream home in Spain have opened up on the lessons they learned in the process that Channel 4's A Place In The Sun doesn't tell fans.
The duo, who run their own YouTube channel by the name of Between the Lakes with Mike and Yvonne, explained all the hidden costs behind buying a property online.
The Channel 4 show, which airs on weekdays at 6pm, sees presenters help house hunters find their dream property abroad, focusing on sunny locations such as Spain, Portugal and France.
Each episode sees the house hunters explore between three and five properties which tick off their list of requirements, and often within a defined budget.
During the show, there's often information detailed to viewers on the latest property market insights, as well as some of the challenges of buying abroad.
And while the prices of the homes are listed for those watching on at home, a property-buying couple have revealed not all is as it seems.
A couple who bought their own dream home in Spain have opened up on the lessons they learned in the process that Channel 4's A Place In The Sun doesn't tell fans (pictured: show host Laura Hamilton)
The duo, who run their own YouTube channel by the name of Between the Lakes with Mike and Yvonne, explained all the hidden costs behind buying a property
Husband and wife Mike and Yvonne explained to viewers on YouTube the lessons they learned when they purchased a property in the Costa Blanca in Spain.
Yvonne admitted of A Place In The Sun: 'We do love that programme, and enjoy watching every single episodes, and the repeats.'
But the couple were soon to clarify there are a lot of extra hidden charges for potential buyers that are not mentioned in the Channel 4 show.
'In the earlier episodes, they used to talk about the communal charges that apply to lots of complexes, organisations and apartments, and they can be very substantial, Mike began.
He went on to reveal the couple pay €15 (£13) a month for their Spanish property for the upkeep of the communal pool, street lighting and street cleaning.
And pointed out these fees can begin to soar, like in the gated community next door to their complex, where the payment is higher for the 'upkeep of the electric gate'.
'If you buy an apartment and its got a lift, a rooftop pool or gardens, they will have to be looked after and be paid for, and this comes in the form of a communal fee,' Mike continued.
'It always makes us smile when Laura Hamilton or one of the other presenters says a place has six pools, tennis courts, saunas, Turkish baths and a resident Father Christmas on the complex... what does that mean? More brass! So think on.'
The Channel 4 show, which airs on weekdays at 6pm, sees presenters help house hunters find their dream property abroad, focusing on sunny locations such as Spain, Portugal and France (pictured: APITS presenter Jasmine Harman)
The couple also revealed there is a 10 per cent property tax, not always mentioned in the series - with Mike adding: 'Let's hope they mention that on top of the budget wiggle room, plus the communal charges.'
Mike and Yvonne went on to detail how they spent €59,000 (£51,000) on their Spanish property - but paid 12-15 per cent more in other fees after purchasing the property.
Among them were a property tax of €5,900 (£5,100), notary fees of €800 (£690), land registry of €400 (£346), non-resident bank fees of €160 (£138), solicitor fees of €1,500 (£1300) and house insurance of €200 (£173).
It meant that while the couple spent €59,000 to begin with, they ended up paying €8,960 (£7,762) more on other fees.
It comes after a couple who appeared on A Place In The Sun opened up on their 'nightmare' experience that left them 'homeless'.
Greg and Reda Paul signed up to appear on the Channel 4 show in search of their dream property abroad, but more than four years later, not only do they not have a base near the Costa Blanca, they don't have a home anywhere.
The middle-aged married couple sold their Peterborough bungalow to fund the move but were quickly caught up in Spain's Kafkaesque house buying bureaucracy.
Buying a home and a new life abroad has been held up time and time again with a series of setbacks and they are still effectively homeless - and unlikely to finally move in to their new place for another year.
In the meantime they are living apart having both moved back in with their parents.
During the show, viewers saw them fall in love with a rural three-bed villa in Ontinyent, around 40 miles inland from Benidorm on Spain's Costa Blanca, and agree on a £83,750 price tag.
But once the cameras turned off, their dream quickly turned into a nightmare.
'It's been a disaster,' Greg told the Daily Mail last October. 'Things went downhill soon after.
'We had a solicitor check that a half-built pool in the grounds was legal and were told the whole house was built on industrial land where it shouldn't have been.
'It meant the council could build a road right through our living room if they wanted to.
The series airs daytimes on Channel 4
When Greg (pictured right) and Reda Paul (pictured left) signed up to appear on TV's A Place In The Sun they believed they would soon be enjoying poolside cocktails at their own Spanish finca
'You hear these horror stories about houses in Spain being built illegally - we asked one of the show's producers what to do if our home had been built illegally and they told us often you get a one-off fine and it's done but we didn't want to take the risk.'
Instead, the crestfallen couple backed out of the sale and flew back to the UK to start their search from scratch.
They originally decided to move to Spain to enjoy a year-round outdoor lifestyle.
They qualify to live in Spain as Reda is originally from Lithuania within the EU and were searching for a three-bed rural home on one level where they can grow old with dog Bernard and cat Poirot.
After two more visits, they went out a third time in January 2022 to view a property they'd originally seen online in Biar, a village 20 minutes southeast of Alicante.
They agreed a £112,000 fee with the vendor - paying almost £80,000 as a deposit while they completed legal requirements that would allow them to move in.
Greg said: 'The pictures looked beautiful so we went to see it and just fell in love. But we're still in the process of buying it nearly four years later because it's on rural protected land.
'We just can't believe this has happened again. Everybody is frustrated, the estate agent and solicitor haven't been paid yet.
Laura Hamilton presents the popular show
'We are trying to get a pool and outbuilding legalised as they were built after the main house and we can't move in until that goes through.
'We've sent all of our belongings over but there's no electricity because it's off grid, we need to install solar panels but we can't do that because it's not legalised
'Then we found out that the rules have changed and a septic tank needs to be installed.
'The bureaucracy is unbelievable - everything just takes so long and we can't do anything.
'We have considered pulling out altogether and buying a place in the UK because of the frustration but it's our dream to live in Spain, the way of life seems so relaxed. I've had to learn to be patient.'
Greg, a therapist, and conveyancer Reda, 43, emphasised they don't blame its producers for their current predicament but lifted the lid on their chaotic filming schedule.
Even though the episode aired in January 2023, it was filmed 18 months earlier in July 2021. After applying, they underwent three interviews with producers before they were selected.
He revealed at least one home they were due to visit was sold in the two weeks between researchers scouting it out and the filming so had to be hastily replaced with another house, even though it didn't meet their requirements.
He said: 'Filming was intense. One day we were picked up 7am and didn't get back until 10.30pm.
'We were flown out to Spain on Sunday morning, met the presenter and crew that afternoon then on Monday morning we started filming with the presenter on the beach - we saw one property in the afternoon then, two on Tuesday, and the final two on Wednesday.
'On Thursday morning we have a chance to review a property we liked the most which we did then we'd meet them Thursday afternoon to put an offer in then the fly you home on Friday - it's pretty full on.
'At least one of the properties had to be replaced which is why you see us saying we don't want stairs then looking around a house with stairs.
'Every scene they have to shoot five times so they can choose the one they like best, after five times saying the same thing I was boring myself.
'They were great during the time and did some follow-ups.
'I still watch the show and the presenters do say you need to ask lots of questions - but then why would they have shown us a property on industrial land? I just don't think they would've looked into it that deeply.'
A Place In The Sun spokeswoman said: 'Buying a property overseas can be difficult which is why we advise all house hunters to follow all the necessary legal advice and why our advisors use reputable local estate agents to find properties.
'We are really sorry to hear that Greg and Reda have had issues with their subsequent purchase, as this was a property they found themselves after filming, we suggest they seek independent legal advice.'
