House and home

Successfully making your home in Tenerife depends a lot on where you live. There is obviously no property that will suit everyone, but we will all have become accustomed to certain property types.  In order to maximise the chances of making a happy home, it is best to go for the tried and trusted. If you have always lived in houses, it is probably not the best idea to move into an apartment.  If you have always lived in the city, it is unlikely to be a good idea to move deep into the country, miles from civilisation.  There will be enough changes in your life that come from moving country, without having to contend with being unhappy with the four walls that surround you. 

In Tenerife, there are various types of property which differ from the UK and Ireland.  The first major difference is that a large proportion of the housing stock is much newer.  In areas such as Playa de Las Americas, anything that has been standing for over 20 years is considered old.  These older apartment blocks were constructed to cater for the hordes of package tourists, and were designed to be budget holiday apartments.  Built small, to accommodate for two weeks at a time, they are hardly capable of supporting full time occupation.  Developers at the time were interested in building as many apartments as they could fit into a plot of land, and turning a profit as quickly as possible.  Wear and tear, damp problems, pest infestation and inadequate fuse boxes are all endemic problems in these older constructions.  Recently, some of these complexes have undergone refurbishment and modernisation, and this can often be successfully achieved, although unit sizes will still be on the small side.  If you are considering moving into one of these older properties, it is worth finding out if refurbishment is on the cards.  If it is, be prepared for lots of disturbance at best, and if you have bought the property, be prepared for a large bill!

Apartments that were not built on tourist complexes can be found almost everywhere outside of the resort areas.  These will tend to be more spacious, as they were designed for permanent occupation.  These apartment blocks will not have communal swimming pools, so community fees will be low.  In terms of construction problems, they can share many of the problems of the older tourist built buildings.  As they tend to house families, they can also be quite noisy.  The central light wells that they are often built around ensure that the sound of noisy neighbours carries into every neighbouring apartment.  Having said that, living in one of these apartment blocks can sometimes allow you into a communal world that is rarely seen in the UK or Ireland.  There are some blocks where all the neighbours leave their doors open so they can shout to each other across the hall without leaving their home.  There can be great warmth in these communities which, quite literally, can open doors for an English speaking expat and be a great boon to learning the language.  Rents and purchase prices of these apartments will be substantially lower than the resort areas and they are a good option for a low budget.

The third type of apartment that can be found in Tenerife is newly built, and the difference is not difficult to spot.  Built with an eye to greater luxury, these will tend to be spacious and offer higher specifications.  Again, some can be built for the foreign market, located in the resort areas and around golf courses; others are built for a local market and are to be found in the surrounding areas.  Many of these new residential areas, such as Las Chafiras in the south, have a very cosmopolitan mix of residents.  Newer constructions will generally have a communal pool, and sometimes other facilities such as a gym.  Generally speaking, the more facilities there are, the higher the community fees will be, so if you are buying this is something to find out. 

Apartments are sometimes built on two levels, in which case they are called duplexes (there are even some triplexes!)  Interestingly, apartments are rarely referred to as flats by residents.  This may be because the word is more internationally understandable, the Spanish translation is apartamento.  The more cynical amongst us suggest that the more glamorous American word has been ingrained into the local expat vocabulary by estate agents.  Spanish has a word, ‘piso’, which is a closer translation of the word flat, literally it means a floor or level.  Spanish estate agents have also been driving this word out of their vocabulary, also favouring the altogether more alluring apartamento.  The word piso tends to be used to describe flats in cities and towns designed for local residents.

Townhouses are the next most popular style of property.  Although equivalent to terraced houses and suburban semis, there are some differences.  Gardens will tend to be smaller in Tenerife, often tiled over into terraces.  In Tenerife, roof terraces are prevalent not only because life outdoors is so enjoyable, but because the low rainfall means that sloped roofs are not as necessary.  Townhouses tend to be built with a garage underneath, so with a roof terrace, they normally have four levels.  Varying in size, they will have between two and four bedrooms.  En suite bathrooms are almost the norm, whatever type of property you choose, so there tend to be fewer family queues in the morning.  Townhouses are a particularly good design for families, tending to be quite spacious, and garages are often large enough to fit a study or even a guest bedroom.

As you ascend away from the coast, you will also see more traditional Canarian houses.  Originally built with stone, walls are sometimes as much as a metre thick.  Many of these have been lovingly restored and make charming homes.  A downside is that rooms can be quite small (although numerous), as can windows.  Canarians were less concerned with letting the sun in and looking at the view, and tended to build for coolness.   There are also older properties in the north which were built in a very British style, and others that sport beautiful Andalucian style wooden balconies.  Traditional homes are often built around an open courtyard, a delightful feature, except when it rains!

Moving up a level in luxury are the villas, and these vary enormously, from small bungalows optimistically taking the title to justify a few extra thousand in the purchase price, to splendid dream homes with every imaginable luxury.