A British family who have lived on the Costa del Sol for the last five years have been able to make the step up from renting to owning a property in 2008, it has emerged.

Tracey Stratton-Smith and Richard Choo got on to the Spanish property ladder for the first time when they bought a four-bedroom villa close to Marbella for €690,000 (£525,000), reports Easier.

With a bit of help from Duchy Estates, the couple - who are from Polperro and London respectively - managed to purchase a property they are particularly happy they were able to find.

Commenting on their new home, Ms Stratton-Smith remarked: “The French architect had opted for 600 mm-thick walls and at nine years old the property had had plenty of time to settle so anything structural that was going to fail would have already done so.”

She added that the West Hampstead couple who owned the villa before had looked after it well, meaning no major renovation work was needed.

A number of Briton are attracted to living in the Costa del Sol, with the 300-plus days of sunshine every year playing a part in many people’s decisions to relocate from the UK.

Tags: Costa del Sol, Marbella, overseas property, Spain, Spanish Property