Glass curtains for expatson the Costa Blanca.

For an expat, enclosing a terrace with glass curtains works the same way as for any owner: site visit, quote, permits and installation. Three things change: the language of the community and the town hall, the months you spend away, and a climate that lets you use the terrace in Alicante almost all year round.

This guide is for people who spend a few months a year on the Costa Blanca, for those who have just bought a home and do not yet know how a Spanish community of owners works, and for anyone who has moved here for good. The rules are the same for everyone, but living far away or in another language makes some steps easy to miss or leave too late.

If you are still choosing a system, start with our page on glass curtains, which explains how they open, stack and get cleaned. Here we focus on what changes for an expat: the climate, owners meetings from a distance, permits and looking after the terrace while the house is shut up.

Because the terrace gets used almost all year. The AEMET climate averages for the Alicante station for 1981 to 2010 give a mean annual temperature of 18.3 °C, 2,851 hours of sunshine and only 311 mm of rain. January averages 11.7 °C, with average lows of 6.3 °C. Winters are mild, but mornings and evenings are cool.

That contrast is what makes an enclosure worthwhile. On a sunny January day a glazed terrace warms up and becomes the best spot in the house, while an open one is left cold by the wind. People from northern Europe often spend exactly the winter months here, and a terrace sheltered from the wind gives them many more hours outdoors.

What changes is the upkeep between stays. Closed glass curtains keep sand, leaves and rain off the terrace while you are away, and you come back to a clean space. But an area left shut for months without ventilation builds up damp and dust, and the bottom track is the first place to show it. It is worth getting it ready before you leave.

If the house is right on the seafront, salt adds work, which we cover in the article on glass curtains by the sea. Rubber seals age in the sun even when nobody opens the panels; when they need replacing, the parts are in seals and spare parts. Whether LUNEKS offers checks or maintenance while the client is abroad

• Clean the bottom track and check that the terrace drain is clear.
• Leave the panels closed and locked, with plants and furniture away from the glass.
• If you can, ask someone you trust to open up and air the terrace once a month.
• When you return, stack the panels once while dry before using them every day.

The Horizontal Property Act requires every owner to give the community secretary an address in Spain for notices (Article 9.1.h). Without one, the flat itself counts as the address, and if delivery fails there, the notice goes on the community noticeboard and takes effect after three calendar days.

For anyone who spends months away, that matters: the notice of the meeting that votes on your enclosure can end up in an empty letterbox. Enclosing terraces needs a vote of three fifths of owners and shares (Article 17.4). You can attend by proxy with a signed note (Article 15.1), so it is enough to leave your authorisation with someone you trust or with the administrator.

• Give the property administrator (administrador de fincas) an address in Spain and, if they accept it, an email.
• Ask whether the community has already approved an enclosure model before you order yours.
• If you cannot attend the meeting, sign a proxy authorisation.
• Absent owners’ votes can count in favour if they do not object within 30 days, with exceptions (Article 17.8).

The same as any other owner. Nationality does not change the procedure: what counts is the municipality, the building and the type of enclosure. On the Costa Blanca a responsible declaration or a minor works licence at the town hall is usually enough, plus the community’s agreement if you live in a block of flats. The details vary from one town to the next.

We cover the rules of Alicante, Valencia and Murcia in the article do I need a permit to enclose my terrace, and more briefly on the page about enclosure permits. One point helps if you spend months away: under Article 69 of Law 39/2015, a complete responsible declaration lets the work start on the day it is filed.

This LUNEKS website is in Spanish, English and Russian, so you can read how the systems work in your own language before asking for a quote. Paperwork for the town hall and the community, on the other hand, is in Spanish or Valencian, and it is wise to go through each document with someone who knows the language before you sign it.

Languages LUNEKS uses on the phone, on WhatsApp and at the site visit

How LUNEKS organises the visit, quote and installation when the client lives abroad part of the year

The right system depends on when you are here. If you come mainly in winter, you want to block the wind and keep the sun’s warmth; in summer, shade and air. People who live here all year usually combine both. You can compare the options at your own pace on the system comparison page, which also shows what combines with what.

• Winter: insulated glass curtains, which keep the heat in better than single glazing.
• All year: glass curtains plus a retractable roof for rainy days.
• Summer: a bioclimatic pergola to control the sun, with curtains at the sides when the wind picks up.