Are spain’s officials making the wrong decisions?

Spanish policy makers are “really working hard in order to make a much more difficult framework for the already declining property market”, one property portal has claimed.

TheSpanishBrick argues that the government are making 2013 “the year in which the Government is trying to lock up the domestic property market to overseas investors”.

The site describes the Energy Performance Certificate, which is becoming compulsory for sellers and landlords at the start of June,  as arriving “at the worst possible time” due to other obstacles arriving for foreign buyers.

Indeed, the new "Golden Visa" in Spain, which will entitle non-EU property investors to get a residence visa will be for those buying a property starting at €500k instead of at  €160k as was proposed in November 2012. TheSpanishBrick says this is a “wasted opportunity”, although interest from non-EU buyers has reportedly increased since the scheme was first announced.

Further announcements that the government is considering reallocating the legal framework for letting out properties to tourists, delegating responsibility to regional authorities, have also been highlighted, although the exact regulation changes have not been confirmed yet.

“The reason for this consideration from the Spanish authorities is to ‘protect’ hotels and touristic resorts industry against the competition from individual proprietors. If this happens, thousands of owners will be waiting on the decision of their Regional authority,” explains TheSpanishBrick.

The Spanish government also requires that any resident with over €50,000 assets abroad and who lives in Spain more than six months (183 days) of the year must declare what they own abroad.

“Non-Spanish residents start feeling pressure and certainly many will consider this requirement as an obstacle to come to Spain,” worries TheSpanishBrick, although experts recently reassured The Telegraph that expats should seek financial advice before deciding to leave the country.

The Ministry of Public Works have also revealed the country’s new rental framework guide, which will give more power to tenants as opposed to landlords. As a result, renters can now walk from a contract at just one month’s notice six months after the rental period started.

However, TheSpanishBrick concedes, “experts have pointed out that this uncertainty could help to increase the rental price because the owners want to have more yield against insecurity”.

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