We offer a range of services including:

INITIAL CONSULTATION FREE

L & M Services - The agency that offers general assistance to the English-speaking community in Spain. Maintaining a close relationship with their clients and helping them in any situation where they may feel the language barrier is a problem.
L & M Services will accompany you to the hospital, doctor, police station, school, any private company or public organization, translating and offering their advice. Their Gestoria and Asesoria department will assist you with all your legal requirements, NIE numbers, residencies, health cards, will, taxes, conveyances, contracts and much more. L & M Services also have an excellent listing of reliable businesses at the disposal of their clients - builders, plumbers, electricians, locksmiths, cleaners etc.
L & M Services also offer a 24 hour emergency service so no matter what the time of day or night, you can be sure there is always someone to help you in any situation. L & M Services can also translate in French, German and Romanian.

Our offices are situated in the centre of Fuengirola, Calle Pintor Nogales No 3 - 1C (in front of Dunnes Stores) and we are open Monday to Friday from 10am to 6pm.

Tel/Fax: +34 952 460 403 or Mobile: +34 654 160 300 (24 hour service).

Email: LM@thesentinellamalaga.com

Buying a Used Spanish Plated Car
When buying a used Spanish plated car, you should be careful that the seller gives you all the documentation needed. As well as signing the form from trafico for the “transmission”, they must also give you a photocopy of his / hers passport and NIE number, certificate of residencia or DNI, the documents of the car, “Permiso de Cirulacion” and “Ficha Tecnica”, check that the ITV (MOT) is up to date, and the last receipt of IVTM (municipal tax). If any of these are missing you may have problems registering it in your name, or indeed find it impossible to do so.

Municipal Vehicle Tax
You pay your vehicle tax each year at the town hall. If you are not paid up, you will not be able to sell or trade in the car later. This is the “impuesto municipal sobre vehiculos de traccion mecanica”, a municipal tax in vehicles registered in each town. Formerly this tax was charged at a single rate all over Spain, but now each municpality is free to charge whatever rate it sees fit, so the tax varies from town to town. It is based on the “potencia fiscal” of the car, its horsepower, as rated for tax purposes. Small cars pay something around 80€ and large cars 120€ and even more. Motor-cycles also pay this each year.
Your car will go on the books of the town where you live as soon as you are registered as the owner of the car with the traffic authorities in the provincial capital. You pay the tax by going into your local town hall and asking for the appropriate window. April and May are the usual times to pay it, but this, again varies from town to town. You will not necessarily receive an individual notification, but announcements will appear in banks, in the newspaper and on the municipal notice board. It's best to ask when the tax is due. Late payment will draw a fine of up to 20% per month.

This vehicle circulation tax receipt is one of the papers you should keep with you in the car, along with your car's official registration papers and insurance receipt, as the police may ask to see it at any time. You cannot sell your car or trade it in for a new model without the paid-up vehicle tax receipt.

Take Care with Car Transfer
Be wary of handling the used-car transaction on your own. If you are selling you own old car to a new owner, make absolutely sure that the transfer is completed into the new owners name. Otherwise, you may find that the new owner conveniently forgets to register the car in his own name, which leaves you as the still-registered owner liable for any parking tickets or road tax that come due on the car. If you fear that this may be the case, you must then have the vehicle de-registered in your name. This is called a “baja de matricula”. You must also make this when you junk an old car. Sometimes you think that the car is off the road when it has in fact been repaired and someone totally unknown to you is illegally operating it.

Having Difficulty Finding Credit?
Been refused a loan due to previous credit history or employment status?
If you are having problems with a bad crediting rating on your personal circumstances are making it difficult to obtain a loan, then worry not, help is at hand!

Asking to borrow money from a bank can be scary thing, and even more so, in a foreign country. Most Spanish Banks are more than willing to give you a mortgage or a personal loan, but the amount of documents required can be a problem. The first thing they will want to know is if you have an income. What if you are not working? Or you're a pensioner? Do you really understand what you're signing?

With the wish of offering my clients the best service available, I looked for a finance company that not only offered excellent financial advice, but also made the whole procedure of borrowing simple. And I found it!

Amongst a lot of other companies offering easy secured unsecured loans, this one seems to me one of the best, not just in terms of the products they're offering but certainly the personal way in which they treat each individual case and the speed at which your application is dealt with, a maximum of two weeks!

Whether you're a resident or not, looking to buy a property, or maybe you're already a home owner with existing credit and you're finding it hard to keep track of the repayments, or you just want to reduce the amount you pay each month.

Secured loans for home-owners are available for many different purposes, including debt consolidation.

Debt consolidation entails taking out one loan to pay off many others. This is often done to secure a lower interest rate, secure a fixed interest rate or for the convenience of servicing only one loan. By consolidating your debts in one, you can pay up to 50% less than your actual payments.

New Laws on Residency
To all those of you who are totally confused as regards the new law on Residency, let me just say, the procedures haven't changed much. You still have to put up with the endless queuing, from six in the morning, just to assure you of a number. The paper work required is a lot less, but what one district will ask you, may not be the same as another.

Fuengirola seems to have cracked it! No queuing! You just ring up, say what you want, and they give you a date and number over the phone. Lets hope Marbella and Torremolinos follow suit.

Concerning the actual residency, the law was passed, that as from January 2007, all European Nationals do not need one. Instead you must get a “Certificate of Residency”, this also applies to all those whose residency has run out. The Certificate itself is just that, a green sheet of paper, looking very official, where it will say your name, nationality, NIE number, address, and even the first names of your mother and father, but no photograph, and you'll ask: How am I going to identify myself when paying in the supermarket with my debit/credit card? Well, this is when it gets complicated. In Spain, by law, you must carry I.D. With you at all times. The old residency card was perfect, all the info and your portrait in a tiny handy little card. Not any more! Now you must carry a copy of your certificate, but not just any photocopy, oh no! It must be done and stamped by a Notary. So ladies, we will need to get larger hand bags, and you fellas, well maybe start using one!

Now the documents you'll need either to apply for a Certificate or to renew the old residency, you'd best get a list from your local police station, as they may differ from district to another. Marbella, for instance, asks for one photo for their records, as well as a “Certificado de Empadronamiento”. So you best make sure you've got all you need beforehand.

As you should know by now, L & M Services does this all for you, even the queuing. But if you want some more detailed information, don't hesitate to call us on 952 460 403

For more information email: LM@thesentinellamalaga.com