Originally posted by andy ramage
Hello fellow Selwo owners

I´ve just been reading the various messages and would like to add my own input. My name is Andy Ramage and my wife, Karen and I have just completed on apartment 1611 ( in the smaller section). We live in Sevilla and have recently bought a couple of apartments on the Costa del Sol, including Selwo. As we have 14 years experience of living here and forming part of a Comunidad de Vecinos I wanted to comment on some of the decisions made at the first Comunidad (Community) meeting.

The meeting was to say the least chaotic but that was almost to be expected. The upshot of the meeting was that we have officially appointed an Administrator who in conjunction with the president will take care of the daý to day running of the Community. She will organise all the maintenance contracts and represent us in any conversations / disputes with the developer , Town hall and suppliers. Her name is María Alvarez Planell and she speaks good English. She currently manages several other developments in the area. Administrators are required to be independent advisors, free from the influence of the developer. However in reality the initial Administrator is generally appointed by the developer as they have to get things up and running so they go to someone they can trust. In the short to medium term we have to ensure that she´s batting on our side at all times. I have no reason to doubt María's professionalism but everyone should know that we as a Community can switch Administrators as we see fit. Like all of our suppliers she has to come up to scratch and it´s down to the President and his team to ensure that she does.

We also elected a President , Vice president and 2 or 3 other volunteers. Their names will be circulated to all owners together with the minutes of the meeting. The role of President is an important one and carries with it certain legal responsibilities. Anyone who is up for the job should look into this and check on what they are getting themselves into. In a development like Selwo it´s important that the President is a full-time resident as he/ she needs to be available to deal with matters that may arise and to countersign cheques etc.

The biggest bone of contention at the meeting was that Proibinsa didn´t send a representative! They were under no legal requirement to do so but frankly it was an appalling lapse on their part and demonstrates an obvious unwillingness to face our criticisms regarding the gardens. As you probably know there are a lot of people who are very disappointed with the presentation of the gardens and the absence of kids pools, waterfalls etc. The fact that the gardens aren´t finished yet whilst a pain isn´t the real concern. Proibinsa have a team of guys working there every day and it shouldn´t be long before the planting, turfing is completed. What we do about the garden design is a bigger and more complex issue. The absolute minimum we all need to do is send a written complaint to Proibinsa. Moaning amongst ourselves will not get the problem solved, maybe 108 letters of complaint will!

Unfortunately those of us who have signed our contracts have legally accepted things as they stand. That doesn´t mean we can´t change things but it weakens our position. I would ask that those who as yet have not signed, make a lot of noise. If Proibinsa see that people are delaying completion and costing them money they may be more amenable to at least putting in kids' pools. A few people at the meeting said that they had no choice but to sign on a given date. That is most definitely NOT the case. Nobody is obliged to complete on a purchase until the Town Hall have issued a Licencia de Primera Ocupación - and we haven´t got ours yet. This is basically a legal document issued by the Town Hall confirming that Proibinsa have met all their requirements and that the development/service roads have been finished to the agreed standards. The only reason that Karen and I signed was that we had a time limit on our mortgage offer, otherwise we would have held out until all the paperwork was in place.

The other major piece of business discussed was the budget for maintaining the development . It was eventually approved which worries the hell out of me as the figures quoted seem disproportionally high. The first years budget is around 290,000 euros which divided between 108 apartments is €2685pa or €223 a month. In reality this figure will vary as 3 bed apartments will pay pay more than 2 beds. The charge is fixed by calculating the square metres of each apartment as a percentage of the whole development.

That is a very high community charge! We have another apartment in a very similar development in Marbella and we only pay €136. The gardens are probably 3 times bigger and the rest of the maintenance requirements are very similar to Selwo, with the exception of night time security. I would strongly recommend that all maintenance contracts are looked at very closely before signing. Experience proves that if you start off with a high community charge it will not get cheaper as time goes on. We need to negotiate the best possible contracts from Day One. We are a large Community and as such represent a juicy bit of business to the local suppliers. It is important that all contracts must detail exactly what is required of the supplier down to the smallest detail. That is the only way we will have any comeback if we deem that the service isn´t up to scratch. Part of the Administrators job is to check that all services are carried out satisfactorily. Unfortunately as time goes on a lot of Administrators limit themselves to signing cheques. It is also a sad fact of life that some Administrators get a kickback from their pet suppliers, so looking for the best price isn´t always in their interest. This is where the President and the Committee play a vital role in cracking the whip.

On a practical note Community minutes are circulated to individual apartments. If you are a permanent resident there´s no problem but if you live overseas you may not get to see them. I would recommend that you ask the Administrator to send copies to your home address. Her details are as follows:

María Alvarez Planell
Rivera Abogados, c/ Real 72, 3ª planta
29680 Estepona
Tel: 00 34 952 798080
fax: 00 34 952 798210

I agree that this forum is a great place for keeping up to date and for sharing opinions. I am going to write to María and ask her to notify all the owners of the existence of this forum. The more communication we enjoy the better for all of us.

On a final note I would ask everyone to think hard about employing full-time security guards. It is a huge expense and on a personal note I really don´t think it is necessary. I got the distinct impression at the meeting that there are a lot of paranoid people about - time to stop reading the Daily Mail / Express!!. We´ve lived here 14 years and have never been burgled. Our apartment complex in Marbella has no security apart from locks and common sense and one year on we haven´t had any break-ins. Obviously it could happen but I really don´t want to live in Colditz. If you are of a nervous disposition, get an alarm. As more and more people settle in to the complex we can keep an eye on our own security. How many of you live in gated community in Britain?

Now that I have set the cat among the pigeons I´ll sign off. I look forward to a lively correspondence.

Best Regards
Andy Ramage

Originally posted by ed nazarko
Here is a copy of an email I sent today to the administator. Her email is [email protected]

Dear Madam,

I understand that you have been appointed administrator on a temporary basis. I believe that at the recent residents meeting, which by all accounts was noisy and shambolic, that a rate was set for the community charge of 289,000 euros! This is more than twice the budget of similar communities in the area where my friends live peacefully in ungated communities with large and well appointed gardens. Are we to have a security guard? I heard that even armed guards were proposed by some. I feel very strongly that all that is required at present is a gardener and cleaner for the complex, with maybe a maintenance man on a when required basis.

Selwo 1 is gated and fenced, totally secluded from intruders. I for one would never have bought into a complex that required security guards.Selwo is not a prison, nor is the surrounding area crime ridden. If residents are worried about their security then they have the option to insure and if so wish alarm their property. Also I'm sure all the residents will keep an eye on neighbours apartments during times of absence.In fact the biggest threat to security is probably within, from people letting their apartments to total strangers who will have free access to the entire complex. I do not wish to pay for a guard who will probably spend most of the night asleep anyhow.
I am surprised at a Muller/Probinisa employee being appointed as administrator in view of the difficulties which we're experiencing with both companies. I feel greatly let down and think that on the gardens and facilities have been mis-sold. Where's the free form pool? Why is the existing pool so deep? My small boy will be unable to use the pool as the "shallow" end is above his head! I thought this was a family complex.Where are the splash pools? where are there promised waterfalls? Why are we not having turf laid, but tufts instead? The lack of grass will make the pool totally unusable due to mud and soil on peoples feet. What action is the committee going to take on these points?

Finally I think that it is important to circulate contact numbers for all the residents so that every bodies view can be shared and heard. I understand that the meeting held consisted of about 30 residents and that the budget and other proposals were voted in by a majority. As you know there are a 110 residents at Selwo, and so the budget that you presented has been approved by a small a small minority of residents. I live in London and at 6 days notice could not attend the meeting, I'm sure that applies to most residents. And so I feel that the very first thing that the committee should do is to circulate contact numbers and only then will we have a farer representation of peoples wishes and concerns.

Yours


Ed Nazarko
CC. President and vice president Selwo resident's association

Originally posted by andy ramage
Hello fellow Selwo owners

I´ve just been reading the various messages and would like to add my own input. My name is Andy Ramage and my wife, Karen and I have just completed on apartment 1611 ( in the smaller section). We live in Sevilla and have recently bought a couple of apartments on the Costa del Sol, including Selwo. As we have 14 years experience of living here and forming part of a Comunidad de Vecinos I wanted to comment on some of the decisions made at the first Comunidad (Community) meeting.

The meeting was to say the least chaotic but that was almost to be expected. The upshot of the meeting was that we have officially appointed an Administrator who in conjunction with the president will take care of the daý to day running of the Community. She will organise all the maintenance contracts and represent us in any conversations / disputes with the developer , Town hall and suppliers. Her name is María Alvarez Planell and she speaks good English. She currently manages several other developments in the area. Administrators are required to be independent advisors, free from the influence of the developer. However in reality the initial Administrator is generally appointed by the developer as they have to get things up and running so they go to someone they can trust. In the short to medium term we have to ensure that she´s batting on our side at all times. I have no reason to doubt María's professionalism but everyone should know that we as a Community can switch Administrators as we see fit. Like all of our suppliers she has to come up to scratch and it´s down to the President and his team to ensure that she does.

We also elected a President , Vice president and 2 or 3 other volunteers. Their names will be circulated to all owners together with the minutes of the meeting. The role of President is an important one and carries with it certain legal responsibilities. Anyone who is up for the job should look into this and check on what they are getting themselves into. In a development like Selwo it´s important that the President is a full-time resident as he/ she needs to be available to deal with matters that may arise and to countersign cheques etc.

The biggest bone of contention at the meeting was that Proibinsa didn´t send a representative! They were under no legal requirement to do so but frankly it was an appalling lapse on their part and demonstrates an obvious unwillingness to face our criticisms regarding the gardens. As you probably know there are a lot of people who are very disappointed with the presentation of the gardens and the absence of kids pools, waterfalls etc. The fact that the gardens aren´t finished yet whilst a pain isn´t the real concern. Proibinsa have a team of guys working there every day and it shouldn´t be long before the planting, turfing is completed. What we do about the garden design is a bigger and more complex issue. The absolute minimum we all need to do is send a written complaint to Proibinsa. Moaning amongst ourselves will not get the problem solved, maybe 108 letters of complaint will!

Unfortunately those of us who have signed our contracts have legally accepted things as they stand. That doesn´t mean we can´t change things but it weakens our position. I would ask that those who as yet have not signed, make a lot of noise. If Proibinsa see that people are delaying completion and costing them money they may be more amenable to at least putting in kids' pools. A few people at the meeting said that they had no choice but to sign on a given date. That is most definitely NOT the case. Nobody is obliged to complete on a purchase until the Town Hall have issued a Licencia de Primera Ocupación - and we haven´t got ours yet. This is basically a legal document issued by the Town Hall confirming that Proibinsa have met all their requirements and that the development/service roads have been finished to the agreed standards. The only reason that Karen and I signed was that we had a time limit on our mortgage offer, otherwise we would have held out until all the paperwork was in place.

The other major piece of business discussed was the budget for maintaining the development . It was eventually approved which worries the hell out of me as the figures quoted seem disproportionally high. The first years budget is around 290,000 euros which divided between 108 apartments is €2685pa or €223 a month. In reality this figure will vary as 3 bed apartments will pay pay more than 2 beds. The charge is fixed by calculating the square metres of each apartment as a percentage of the whole development.

That is a very high community charge! We have another apartment in a very similar development in Marbella and we only pay €136. The gardens are probably 3 times bigger and the rest of the maintenance requirements are very similar to Selwo, with the exception of night time security. I would strongly recommend that all maintenance contracts are looked at very closely before signing. Experience proves that if you start off with a high community charge it will not get cheaper as time goes on. We need to negotiate the best possible contracts from Day One. We are a large Community and as such represent a juicy bit of business to the local suppliers. It is important that all contracts must detail exactly what is required of the supplier down to the smallest detail. That is the only way we will have any comeback if we deem that the service isn´t up to scratch. Part of the Administrators job is to check that all services are carried out satisfactorily. Unfortunately as time goes on a lot of Administrators limit themselves to signing cheques. It is also a sad fact of life that some Administrators get a kickback from their pet suppliers, so looking for the best price isn´t always in their interest. This is where the President and the Committee play a vital role in cracking the whip.

On a practical note Community minutes are circulated to individual apartments. If you are a permanent resident there´s no problem but if you live overseas you may not get to see them. I would recommend that you ask the Administrator to send copies to your home address. Her details are as follows:

María Alvarez Planell
Rivera Abogados, c/ Real 72, 3ª planta
29680 Estepona
Tel: 00 34 952 798080
fax: 00 34 952 798210

I agree that this forum is a great place for keeping up to date and for sharing opinions. I am going to write to María and ask her to notify all the owners of the existence of this forum. The more communication we enjoy the better for all of us.

On a final note I would ask everyone to think hard about employing full-time security guards. It is a huge expense and on a personal note I really don´t think it is necessary. I got the distinct impression at the meeting that there are a lot of paranoid people about - time to stop reading the Daily Mail / Express!!. We´ve lived here 14 years and have never been burgled. Our apartment complex in Marbella has no security apart from locks and common sense and one year on we haven´t had any break-ins. Obviously it could happen but I really don´t want to live in Colditz. If you are of a nervous disposition, get an alarm. As more and more people settle in to the complex we can keep an eye on our own security. How many of you live in gated community in Britain?

Now that I have set the cat among the pigeons I´ll sign off. I look forward to a lively correspondence.

Best Regards
Andy Ramage