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Important News
You can now contact Pat Allen or Arthur Anderson direct on
the e-mail links below. If any residents want their own
las-caletas email address, we can arrange this for a
small monthly fee. Just get in touch with us and
we will let you know the details.
pat@las-caletas.com
arthur@las-caletas.com
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Quality trading standards in Fuert
Its often very difficult finding a reliable business when you most need it. Rumours abound about people getting-ripped off, often having to part with large amounts of money for the smallest service. I was pleased to discover that there is an organisation covering Fuerteventura and Lanzarote that is committed to supporting and promoting quality service. The group is "Quality Trading Standards". It has an online directory of businesses that it has vetted and that meet certain quality criteria. I found it reassuring to find some familiar names. It does not mean, of course, that businesses not on the list are not reliable or reputable but its nice to have some endorsement.
Click on this link for www.qualitytradingstandards.com
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Power of Attorney Beware who you empower!
When you require something to be done in Fuerteventura and cannot be personally in attendance, it is possible to set up a Power of Attorney for someone to act on your behalf. Some of you may have done it when you bought your home at Las Caletas. It is a very useful facility but we have found out recently that the operative word is POWER. You may have intended to give someone Power of Attorney only to buy or sell your property for you but they can actually do anything with it. General Power of Attorney, or Poder General in Spanish, allows the holder on your behalf and in your name to do things like the ones listed below:
buy a property
sell your property
take out a mortgage
set up a business
rent out your property
buy a car
access your bank account
make a will
This list is not exhaustive but its enough to illustrate just what someone can do on your behalf.
You can give a Spanish Poder General to anyone who is a Spanish resident; it has to be signed by a notary but basically if you say you want someone to have it the notary wont be bothered.
In view of this therefore you need to be very careful who you choose to give power to and if possible you need to limit their power to that which you require them to do.
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Important information regarding NHS Treatment while living abroad
12th November 2006
Hi All,
Regarding Pat Allen's informative thread on the Local Knowledge section of the resident's web site, please find below our Government's policy and guidance for overseas visitors who come back to the UK for NHS treatment whilst living abroad. It is a bit of an eye opener. If you don't meet the criteria you will get a bill.
Hope the weather is good out there, freezing here today, well I suppose we are in November, got too used to the mild weather. Have a nice Crimbo everyone.
Kind regards
Sandra Ward
Click on this link for official guidelines
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A new Feature for Las-Caletas.com
6th November 2006
We have decided to add a new feature to the site, from now on there will be a site updated date on the welcome page , so that in future rather that trawling through to see if there are any new posts Just go to the welcome page and see the latest post date
Web Admin
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Road Repairs !!!!!
16th October 2006
It may be worth while letting owners and other residents know that the road from Don Pepi`s roundabout to Corralejo will be closed to thro traffic each way from October 18th until the 31st October between the hours of 22.00hrs and 06.00.hrs. For road repairs.
Regards Bernard 220B
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Health care information for those moving abroad permanently who will not be working and paying Social Security contributions and who are not over UK retirement age
As we are on the point of moving to live permanently in Las Caletas, I have been looking into health care provision. I thought it may be worth sharing with you what I have found out and put in place as some of you may be in the same position sometime in the future.
As neither of us will be working or paying Social Security contributions we are not entitled to free health care in Fueretventura.
As neither of us receives UK State Retirement Pension we are not entitled to automatic transfer of our NHS entitlement. When anyone is 60 in the case of a woman or 65 for a man and in receipt of State Retirement Pension, they automatically get an E121 form from the UK Pensions Service which automatically transfers all NHS rights to a reciprocating country abroad (but note that Spain does not have an NHS dental system other than for emergencies)
The new European Health Card that recently replaced the E111 is valid only for holiday health care and as it was issued to us as UK residents, we cease to be entitled to carry it when we become non-UK residents. Department for Work and Pensions can however transfer all your NHS benefits to a reciprocating country, and Spain is one, for between 6 months and 2 ½ years if you have been paying UK national Insurance contributions.
In our case, I gave up work on 30th April 2006 and had paid full national insurance contributions for the qualifying years of 2003/2004, 2004/2005 and 2005/2006. As we are moving to Las Caletas around the beginning of August, this entitles me to health care on the same basis as if I were a Spanish national up to January 2008. Eddie took early retirement some time ago and has not paid NI contributions in the qualifying years and so he is not automatically entitled. I will need to register him as a dependent when we get over there and he will get health care based on my contributions.
What do you need to do?
Contact: The Pensions Service on 0191 21 81999 or e-mail TVP-IPC-Care@the pensionservice.gsi.gov.uk
Email link to this service
Ask whether you are entitled to get an E106. You will need your national insurance number when you phone up. They will ask a few questions and confirm the period for which you are entitled but they will need to know the date on which you are departing. They will then send you two copies of Form E106 which you must take to the local Sickness Insurance Office in Fuerteventura.
We can continue to carry our European Health Insurance card for the duration of our E106 cover and after that time we have to surrender our card to the Spanish authorities and apply for a new card with a Spanish address.
Is this essential?
Short answer is no you might be lucky and not get ill but at zero cost, is it worth the risk of having to pay a hefty medical bill
Pat Allen
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