From first viewing to €3,200/month rental in under 6 months.

The brief was simple and the client had heard versions of it before: a sea-view apartment in Torrevieja, kept for personal use two months a year and rented short-term the rest. Budget €280k. The complication was that this was the client's first overseas purchase, the post-Brexit non-resident regime now applied to her, and she wanted the rental income to cover the running costs and the trip-budget for two months a year on the coast.

Week 1 — The investment analysis

Costa Larga's first job was a sanity check on the brief. We modelled three properties she had liked, run through the full cash-flow waterfall:

The third property — a three-bedroom in Torrevieja centre with a partial sea view, walking distance to restaurants — modelled best. Higher rental velocity in shoulder seasons, lower vacancy, lower turnover cost per stay.

Weeks 2–3 — Tax analysis under the post-Brexit regime

As a UK resident, the client could not deduct expenses under Modelo 210. That made the tax math harsher than for an EU buyer. We ran two structures:

1. Direct as individual. 24% on gross rent. Fast to set up, but tax bill at the modelled rental income approached €5,400/year.
2. Spanish SL. 25% on profits with full deductions. Tax bill closer to €3,800/year. But the corporate setup added roughly €1,200/year in compliance, eating the saving.

For this hold size and intended hold period (10+ years), individual ownership won on simplicity and was within €400/year of the SL on ongoing tax. We recommended Route 1, with a flag to revisit if she adds a second property.

Weeks 4–14 — The purchase

NIE in week 4 via Route 2 (in-person at Torrevieja police station on her viewing trip). Spanish bank account opened the same week. Arras signed in week 6 after the standard five-document due diligence, including a community-of-owners check that revealed no short-term-rental restriction in the building.

Cédula de habitabilidad turned out to be expired — typical for older central Torrevieja apartments. We negotiated a 50/50 split on the renewal cost (€340 total), with the seller's share as a credit at notary. The renewal inspection happened during the gap between arras and notary, so the certificate was current at completion.

Notary in week 14. Keys in week 14.

Weeks 15–18 — Setup and rental launch

Furniture and the licence pack ran in parallel. Compatibility report from Torrevieja town hall: 4 weeks. VT registration with Generalitat: 11 working days after compatibility. VITA Host onboarded the property in week 16, set up dynamic pricing on Airbnb and Booking, took the first photoshoot, processed the licence number for display.

First guest checked in week 18. €92 per night summer rate, €54 shoulder-season, average €74 net of platform fees. With a planned 75% occupancy outside her two personal-use months:

What made it work

The client never had to translate between three service providers. Costa Larga briefed Sarah Katerina on the property profile. Sarah handled the legal and tax setup. VITA Host took the operational handover the moment keys arrived. From the client's side: one email address, one point of contact, one workflow.

Six months in, the file is exactly where the model said it would be, and the client is on the second of her two annual stays.