The rain in Spain

If there is a negative about winter on the Costa del Sol it is rain – the rain in Spain does not just fall on the plain. It is possible to go for months without a single drop but when it arrives it is like a monsoon. It does not usually last for very long but it can be very dramatic. Roads are turned into rivers. Dried-up riverbeds, parched by the summer sun, can suddenly turn into raging torrents. Depending on the area in which you live it is possible to experience flash floods. This has caused a lot of damage to property in the past. Developers do not always respect a history of flash floods and in the course of building these wonderful new properties they have been known to inadvertently block dried-up river channels or even build on top of them. Only when the rain arrives do the residents realise the mistakes that have been made. Properties have been flooded, newly laid out gardens can disappear as the power of water takes over.

If you buy your dream property and it happens to be on the side of a steep hill you need to ensure that the existing storm drains are effective and that there has been no history of landslides locally. We have heard of relatively new properties sliding down the hillside. And not just properties: last year, part of the newly constructed coast road simply disappeared into the valley below following a period of very heavy rain. It was only six months old. Luckily there were no cars or lorries on that stretch at the time but the road still disappeared!

Dirt track or mud track?

The very heavy rain that we experience here can also be a problem if you buy a dream property at the end of a dirt track. During the long, hot summer months you will have almost no problems apart from the amount of dust your car leaves behind when driving along the track. Come the rainy season that same dirt track could be impassable without a four-wheel drive vehicle and even then you could still have problems. There are also instances when dirt tracks have been surfaced using basic concrete – a sort of ridged concrete track. Again, it’s no problem in the dry but, when it is raining heavily, some tyres can have problems getting a grip on the concrete, particularly if the track is on a hillside.

These are things you need to consider when the estate agent is showing you your potential dream on a beautiful sunny day. The estate agent will never tell you that access could be difficult when it rains and, until you experience it, you may never even consider that there could be a problem. You also need to accept that most property viewings are usually arranged at the time of year when the properties are presented at their best.

The climate is wonderful and is the reason why so many people from the north settle here but it needs to be respected. When Mother Nature throws her power at the Costa del Sol it can be dramatic.