When Britain left the EU at the end of ­January 2020, some estate agents based in France, Spain and Portugal held their breath. They had traditionally earned their keep selling properties to British sun- (and snow-) seekers – would they still want to buy? Would a raft of new regulations, varying from ­country to country, put them off?

But a year on, almost all of that nervousness has gone away. Long before freedom of movement and residency was introduced by the ­Maastricht Treaty of 1992, British buyers had staked their claim on the Spanish costas, in the Tuscan hills and the French Alps.

Back then, the process of buying property in Europe involved plenty of red tape. To a ­certain extent, things have gone full circle: the red tape is back. But with the right ­attitude, and advice, it need not prevent us from following our dreams.

This was the case for Northumberland-based Carol Hodgson-Brunniche, 50, and her husband, Ian Brunniche, 51. They decided to bite the bullet and buy themselves a 100-year-old stone-built farmhouse in ­Corrèze, the southernmost department of the Limousin region, after they had spent an “amazing” three-week holiday in France last summer.

As a pharmacist and primary care worker, Carol had put in some long hours at work during the pandemic. “My husband and I had been dreaming about owning a holiday home in Europe that could one day be our retirement home for many years. Then the pandemic struck. It made me really think about what I wanted from life.

“Our first thought was to buy in Italy, but we ruled that out after discovering the cost of living there is one of the highest in Europe.”

Pick a passport

The other way around the time limit is to look into ancestry. Official figures published last year revealed that more than 420,000 Irish passports had been issued in Britain since the vote to leave the European Union; for perspective, fewer than 50,000 were issued in 2015.

“The second you have a European passport, these problems with residency melt away,” adds Neilson. It makes sense for those who can take advantage. For now, the limit on the time the Hodgson-Brunniches can spend in France is fine. “But my husband is Irish on one side and Danish on the other, so we will look into getting a European passport for him in due course,” she says.

Spain

Demand for property throughout Spain – traditionally the most popular country for Brits wanting holiday homes – is strong. “With the uncertainty of Brexit, people put their plans on hold for such a long time,” says Joanna Leverett, of estate agent Cluttons. “Now the dust has settled, coupled with plenty of ­people wanting a post-pandemic change in lifestyle, the appetite from British buyers has been high.”

The process of buying as a non-EU national is relatively straightforward, with one exception. Currently, anyone buying a rural property on certain parts of the coastline in Spain needs to apply for a military permit (see case study) – something that has caught many by surprise. This is essential – without it, the Spanish equivalent of the land registry will not register the purchase, according to Will Besga, of Mallorca Law. However, it’s assumed that at some point the Spanish and British governments will sign a treaty to remove this anachronistic requirement.

For those looking down the golden visa route, the minimum investment is €500,000 (£422,000), but the average spend is closer to €750,000, with more than 80 per cent choosing locations near the coast, acc­ording to figures from Sphere Estates.

France

As the dust settles on Brexit, accom­modations are being made by the French government. “The mood is more conciliatory now,” believes ­Harvey. Recently, it announced that UK citizens with homes in France will pay a 7.5 per cent social levy, rather than the 17.2 per cent social charges (prélèvements sociaux) when selling or renting their property.

“European and French courts ruled that the 17.2 per cent rate had been wrongly paid by British citizens since the UK left the European Union on ­January 31 2021,” explains Kate Everett-Allen, of Knight Frank research. “Instead, the ruling confirmed that social charges should not be paid by individuals if they are already contributing to another European country’s social security system.”

Challenges remain around securing financing for a property, warns Leverett. “Cash buyers are fine, but French banks are very tricky about lending to non-EU citizens.”

Demand from Britons looking to move full-time to France has, ­nevertheless, surprised local estate agents. “We expected the opposite to be true post-Brexit, as there had been such a mad rush to get in before the deadline,” says Joanna Leggett, of ­Leggett Immobilier. “This probably goes to show that cultural factors are given far greater ­importance than economic or political factors.”

In practice, she adds, “it remains very easy to buy property in France – it is a well-regulated market, and the buyer is well protected”.

Portugal

As many as half of British buyers looking to buy in Portugal through Cluttons are wanting to secure a visa with their property. The golden visa programme has given the residential property market a boost, but it’s important that buyers do their due diligence before in­vest­ing, warns Robert Green of Sphere Estates. “Many properties that offer the golden visa are overpriced, so compare with others before committing. Also remember that the minimum investment requirement – €400,000 – is normally required net of mortgage financing.”

If your stake in Portuguese property is worth more than €600,000, you would attract a wealth tax of between 0.4 per cent and 1.5 per cent each year, depending on value and how the property is held. However, a €600,000 relief per person means couples with joint ownership only face this tax on properties exceeding €1.2 million, and then only on the value above this, says Jason Porter.

Italy

Alessandro Deghè, of Serimm in Lucca (which partners with Knight Frank), says Brexit has done nothing to dampen the enthusiasm for the British to buy in Tuscany. “It’s the opposite: we’ve had a large increase in sales during the pandemic. If anything, among those who can afford to own a second home, the pandemic has made them keener to buy than ever – Brexit isn’t an issue.”

The practicalities of buying haven’t changed at all; there is still a lot of paperwork. Fuelling some of the demand at the top end of the market is the flat-rate tax for high net worth immigrants. Introduced in 2017, it allows applicants who wish to reside in Italy a flat rate of €100,000pa on all their non-Italian sourced income. The government stipulates that applicants must not have lived in Italy for nine out of the previous 10 years and they must own or rent a property in the country. “For that end of the market, it’s proved very popular,” says Deghè.