Most people buy a house in Valle del Sol or Monnegre without thinking about which municipality it is in. Then a letter arrives addressed to Alicante when you thought you lived in Mutxamel, or the other way round, and the question starts to matter.
Two councils, one estate
Valle del Sol and Monnegre are urbanizations that lie across the boundary between the two municipalities: some plots are in Mutxamel, some in Alicante. In June 2011 the mayors of both towns signed a protocol to stop residents falling between two stools. Under it:
- they agreed how to pay for part of the drinking-water works then under way in Valle del Sol, with the supply entrusted to Mutxamel;
- rubbish collection and street cleaning in both estates were shared between the two councils;
- building licences for a plot are dealt with by whichever town hall holds the larger part of that plot;
- a joint standing committee was set up to deal with whatever came next.
So the honest answer to “which town hall is my plot in?” is: the one whose term covers most of it. Your deeds and your IBI (council tax) receipt say which.
What the line changes on a night you are shut out
For a locksmith it changes nothing: both estates are covered, all of them. What causes trouble is the address. A street in Valle del Sol may be written down as Mutxamel on one document and Alicante on another, and a sat-nav given the wrong town can send a van the long way round.
When you call for help, give:
- the name of the urbanization, Valle del Sol or Monnegre, before the street;
- the street and the number, or the house name if it has one on the wall;
- a location pin on WhatsApp, which ignores the question of municipalities altogether.
The same goes for the police, an ambulance or a delivery. On 112 it does not matter which side of the line you are on: tell them the estate and they will route the call.
At night
The estates are quieter and darker than the town. Wait somewhere lit, by the street gate if it is yours, and keep the phone on so the person coming can ring when they reach the entrance. If your house is out in a partida rather than on the estate, this guide explains how to describe it. And if the keys are simply ten kilometres away on a desk, read this first.
Every urbanization and partida covered is listed on the areas page.