British nationals buy one in eight properties in Spain, and one in five of those sold to foreigners

Property purchasers from the UK make up one-fifth of all foreign buyers, and 12.7% of the total, according to recent figures from the College of Registrars.

Although the first quarter of 2015 saw a general decline in buyers from outside Spain, as is usually the case the spring and summer saw numbers increasing – foreigners accounted for 12.8% of buyers in the second quarter.

In general, foreigners buying holiday homes or permanent residences in Spain levelled out this year after a sizeable hike in 2014, but their presence in the market is very significant in certain of the country's autonomous regions, especially in those traditionally associated with summer holidays.

Non-Spaniards bought 33.5% of homes in the Balearic Islands, or just over a third, between April and June inclusive, and 27.5% of those up for sale in the Canary Islands.

The Comunidad Valenciana was not far behind with over a quarter of properties going to non-Spanish buyers, or 25.7%, whilst Murcia, Andalucía and Catalunya showed figures of between 12% and 15%.

As was to be expected, areas not normally considered to be typical sunshine tourism destinations registered fewer foreign buyers.

Madrid's non-Spanish purchasers only accounted for 4.7% of the total of properties sold, just ahead of Aragón – a region with four of the country's best ski resorts and packed full of rural hotels – where only 4.5% of homes went to buyers from outside Spain.

La Rioja and Navarra in the far north near the Pyrénées showed foreign buyer totals of 2.8% and 2.3%, whilst across the northern strip, Cantabria, Asturias and Galicia recorded 1.9% of purchasers being non-Spanish, or 0.6% in the case of the latter.

Similarly, the Basque Country on the far north coast between Cantabria and the Pyrénées sold just 1.7% of its homes to foreigners, just behind the large central region of Castilla-La Mancha, at 1.8%.

The centre-northern region of Castilla y León only saw 1.1% of foreigners among its homebuyers, whilst the fewest foreigners were seen in the land-locked western region of Extremadura, at 0.4%.

These regions with low numbers of non-Spanish purchasers, with the exception of Madrid, tend to be the ones with cheaper properties, especially in rural areas – the weather in the northern parts is cooler in summer than the sweltering climates of the Costas and islands, but in Castilla-La Mancha and Extremadura the temperatures are very similar to traditional holiday resort areas, albeit drier and less humid.

Dramatic countryside, often with expanses of green reminiscent of northern Europe, and classical Hispanic cities with Baroque and Renaissance architecture and excellent facilities make northern and inland regions a beautiful setting for a holiday or retirement home.

Foreigners overall are tending to buy around 11,000 homes in Spain per quarter, and over 42,000 a year, says the College of Registrars.

British buyers continue at the top of the list, largely due to the sterling-euro exchange rate meaning they get more for their money and can live more cheaply in Spain on an income paid in the UK.

So far this year, Brits have accounted for 19.8% of non-Spaniards buying homes in Spain – a long way ahead of their nearest 'rivals', the French, at 8.1%.

German buyers account for 7.6%, ahead of Belgians at 6.4%, Swedes at 5.5% and Italians at 5.3%.

Despite initial furore and eager anticipation of a flood of Russians pouring cash into the property market, the fall in the rouble and the price of petroleum has seen citizens of the former Soviet nation plummeting – from making up 9% of all foreign buyers in 2012 and 2013, they now account for fewer than 4%.

Also despite the so-called 'golden visa', whereby non-EU nationals who spend more than half a million on property in Spain are automatically given residence or the right to free movement into and out of the country, Asian and Arab buyers remain thin on the ground.

Year-on-year figures from the ministry of public works show that purchases by non-Spaniards already resident in Spain went up by 17.2% to 17,307 homes sold, compared to native buyers who purchased 1,244, a rise of just 5%.

The number of non-natives purchasing homes in Spain has increased for 16 consecutive quarters, or four years up to and including June 2015.

Given the anticipation of British buyers becoming even more prevalent with the strengthening of the pound sterling, the College of Registrars has published a guide in English of the various steps to be taken in buying a property in Spain.

They may later write one in French, German or Italian, but with Brits being number one foreign purchasers, they are concentrating on English for now.