The real running costs of owning

Recurring costs

• Communal / site maintenance charge, pools, gardens, security, lighting. Charged per property, often annually.
• Municipal property tax, modest, based on covered area.
• Utilities, electricity is the significant one, particularly with air conditioning; water and internet are comparatively low.
• Insurance, building and contents.
• Maintenance reserve, sun, salt and heat are hard on finishes.

Occasional costs

• Deep clean and repaint every few years.
• White goods and furniture replacement.
• Management or key-holding if you are not resident.

Worked example: a two-bed coastal apartment

| Item | Indicative annual | | --- | --- | | Site maintenance | moderate fixed charge | | Property tax | small | | Electricity and water | usage-driven, higher in summer | | Insurance | small | | Maintenance reserve | 0.5–1% of value | | Management (if let) | 15–25% of rental income |

We deliberately avoid publishing hard figures that go stale. Ask us for the current numbers on a specific development and we will send the actual charge schedule.

Questions to ask before you buy

• What is the current communal charge, and how has it moved in three years?
• Who sets it, and is there a residents'' committee?
• What is included, and what is billed separately?
• Are charges payable during the build, or from handover?