and she is….
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/tvshowbiz/article-1392041/Kerry-Katona-parties-storm-tiny-leopard-print-bikini.html
Katie Price is in Marbella
Katie Price landed on Saturday and headed to Marbella with her latest fashion accessory/boyfriend.
Katie Price, the Essex girls… I expect Kerry will be on her way soon. 
Trust and Landlords
Trust works both ways.
We are still hunting for our elusive house for a long let in Spain and we have found that most landlords are now asking for a year’s rental paid into a bank, locked away so that if ever there is a payment default, then they are assured of getting their rental.
It is amounting to around 18000 euros for us.
We have offered landlords lawyer references, accountant references, our business accounts, to pay quarterly and have told them we have been here for 9 years ( which means they should be able to get Landlord Insurance) and have three children in school. However this seems to be a sticking point.
My concern is that if the roof has a leak, a pipe bursts or the boiler conks out then how can we be sure that the landlord will fix it? He has his rent all paid for the whole year and the only incentive for him is that he actually cares. After seeing a few long lets around Marbella, it appears that few landlords do actually care. The properties are often in a terrible state of repair.
It now looks as though we will need to go into a holiday home and store all our furniture away until the autumn when more long lets will come onto the market as landlords release them from the holiday rental market. Hopefully then we will have more choice and landlords will be more flexible on the payment arrangements.
Trust between landlords and tenants works both ways.
Calling all Ben & Jerry ice-cream addicts
If you are a Ben & Jerry ice-cream addict then grab your car keys and get your booty down to Iceland in Puerto Banus. They have all flavours of Ben & Jerry’s ice-cream reduced to an incredible 2.50 euros a tub. I thought they had made a mistake but the only mistake was mine…in buying only 2 tubs.
Pet Insurance Spain
If you are looking for pet insurance in Spain, for your cat and dog then try BMI Spain. They gave me a quote for bronze cover for a cat at just under 120 euros per year and just under 175 euros per year for a dog. This gives you medical cover up to 2000 euros. If you want more then you would need to take out silver cover at around 50 euros per month extra.
The excess on this pet insurance is 50 euros. Also covered are contributions towards marketing costs if you lose your pet and death to your pet from an accident.
Contact victoria.lopez@bmispain.com
Cafeteria Los Olivos
Cafeteria Los Olivos in Calahonda, in the centro commercial Los Olivos centre, tucked in the corner to the right of Supersol.
Brilliant service, good value food, presented very well…..we stopped by as house hunting with children is pretty tiring and we needed a quick refresh. The service was the level you get in a high quality restaurant. Erika dropped her fork and the waiter immediately gave her a new one. He kindly suggested to her that a small ice-cream would be just enough for her rather than the medium ice-cream her eyes thought she required and since he was was calling her a princess she conceded. She doesn’t do that very often.
Tapas from 2.50 euros eg chicken kebab or chicken with noodles. Spicy and delicious.
Loopy landlords
We are urgently trying to find a long let near Elviria/Calahonda and after first enjoying the experience of having agents NOT respond to our enquiries on various property portals we have begun the grand tour looking at properties.
One today, a townhouse in Riviera, was delightful. Damp on the walls from a leaking bathroom, mouldy furniture, broken plastic garden furniture, stagnant water in a jacuzzi and broken tiles all around the BBQ as well as peeling paint from the entrance to the exit.
The landlord apparently does not want to spend any money tarting the place up until he has a tenant paying rental. Why would I risk paying rental to a landlord that can’t be bothered to fix leaking bathrooms, damp, peeling paint and broken tiles and furniture?
Loopy landlord……and I’m wondering now if properties like this have any checks by the agents to ensure they aren’t going through any legal proceedings such as repossession orders.
Huge sports shop in La Canada
A huge sports shop is opening up in La Canada where Intersport used to be next to the large electrical shop. It didn’t look open today but the signs are up ( forgotten the name…)
Dog breeders in Spain
We’ve been thinking about getting a labrador and we’ve found a good website for dog breeders in Spain. You can see the mother and sometimes the father, check the pedigree and also get the genetic information that you require on the parents to check there aren’t going to be problems eg blindness, in the future.
http://www.eurobreeder.com/breeds/labrador_retriever_05.html
Iceland Puerto Banus
Iceland freezers in Puerto Banus currently have a problem and most of their frozen food is not available until the freezers are back on and at the right temperature. The shelves were empty yesterday and today but I expect everything will be re-stocked by tomorrow. Special offers on Cadbury’s chocolate….2 bars for 1 euro.
More empty shelves…..yummy!!!!!