zads

Hi ,
My mum and dad are looking at moving to Costa de la luz, Chiclana area, does anyone have any info on Chiclana or surrounding area. They are old hats at costa del sol but not costa de la luz. Any help would be good.

Chiclanagir

We are also moving to Chiclana hopefully by the end of this month. It is a lovely area, we were there in January and it was 22o. Very beautiful and very Spanish, no high rise or Irish pubs etc. We will be renting for at least a month to get through all the legal docs and most importantly find a house! Would be interested in their e-mail address to see how they are getting on and to swop tips.

pathfinder

Chiclana really is one of those little forgotten corners and I hope all has gone well. Just a word of warning to anyone else and that's to make sure that all your papers are in order because there are more and more properties sold without permission in the area.

Chiclanagir

Hi pathfinder

Do you mean the land has been sold without permission? Is that permission of the council?

pathfinder

Hi Glynis

First of all if you are buying a plot of land which already has a building on it, then you need to get a NOTA SIMPLE...

This is simply a document that states exactly who owns the property and whether or not that property has any debts. Only then can one have a valuation carried out.

If the nota simple considers the property to be rustic then it must also say that the property has been registered as being a vivienda. i.e it is a property legally deemed to be suitable as a dwelling.

If you are buying just the land then you really need to make sure that the land is being sold by the person who OWNS the land.

If you go around anywhere there is building going on in Chiclana, you will see a chain of men dotted along the road leading right up to the site with mobile phones. These men are employed simply to warn of officials. Should any appear, the site is quickly vacated.... sounds like something out of a film but it is a reality!

They are trying to take advantage of a loophole that says that if the property is not inspected after 6 weeks of application, it can go ahead. However the Urbanismo dept is wise to this now and are clamping down. Buyer beware!

Best of luck

Danny

Chiclanagir

Hi Danny

This sounds really scarey!! We are looking at a new build outside of the urbanisation of Chiclana with the usual septic tank and well water so I would imagine this is "rustic".

Nige

You really should employ a reliable lawyer before buying anything. Don't believe anything your Agent tells you unless you are 100% sure and this is checked thoroughly. An Agent is trying to sell. Just like a used car salesman except the stakes are very much higher. If you find a disaster on your hands, there is little you can do to recoup your money. :lecture:
Think of some of the checks that a solicitor in UK has to make before saying that it is safe to buy a property in UK.
:scared:
Nige

jeanette

My Husband and I are thinking about retiring to Costa de la luz in the very near future, if your parents are undergoing the move to this area I would be keen to know how they are going about it and any informative contacts that might be useful to me such as estate agents, lawyers, transport movers etc.

Thank you jeanette
[email protected]

Dolphingirl

The other thing is don't sign anything before your lawyer sees it either, the agent who sold me my house, she screwed up in that the contract which was in spanish I was meant to pay her the commission on the sale, because she screwed up, and got us both to sign it, both mine and the vendors laywers tore her contract up.

Make sure your lawyer is good also, I was lucky I had a good one and was recommended to me, but a friend of mine the house she sold five years ago the buyers lawyer hadn't put it into their names. Just because you use a laywer does'nt mean they are any damn good. The lawyer I used since I hired him, speaking to different people, I found out alot of expat used them and also found him good, some had had nightmare experiences with others they have used........so ask around independently, the ones who have good reputations should come up with different people..... but saying that do your own homework also.

The other thing before you buy, make sure you can get a telephone, it was part of my contract to buy, the agent made sure I had the telephone line in, but she paid black money, first sign of rain and it didnt work, it took me months to get it working again.......

Hope this experience helps someone.......

mitzipurr

I strongly advise anyone who is contemplating moving or buying a property in the Chiclana area to consult my thread SPANISH BUYERS BEWARE.

mitzipurr

Please be wary of English so-called builders working illegally, of course, in and around the Chiclana area. I was left with a half-built garage/storeroom and bad workmanship with an English builder and his "workers". Unfortunately he was paid almost all the money agreed and asked for more to buy materials which NEVER arrived.

The name of the builders can be supplied as I would not want anyone else to be duped by them.

You can contact me at [email protected]

mitzipurr

Guess what after spending over 2 hours with a Lawyer in Chiclana I learned that my escitura does not mean anything it is what is verbally said about the house and land that matters????????????

elgestor

Chiclana is still a lovely area I go there on some weekends with my children. The area has recently become very much in demand, and to meet the need for properties there have been a few rogue deals and corner cutting.

As a previous poster stated make sure that all paperwork is up to date and that what it says on paper matches what your eyes see.

Picking a lawyer or gestor from the phonebook can be a risky business, and avoid the lawyer or gestor your friendly estate agent recommends. Ask around for recommendations, meet their clients if they're happy then it's almost certain that you will be too.

It is truly a lovely area and with a few well placed steps and checks you will have a wonderful property at a price far below the equivalent on the Costa del Sol.

mitzipurr

First lets put the record straight I am not saying anything against the area of Chiclana. I too moved here from the Costa Del Sol.

What I am saying is that I was unfortunate enough to get involved with a rogue "un-registered" estate agent (she has a contact in UK involved who turns out to be her elderly Mother) who was hand in glove with the seller and the Lawyer. I have been reliably informed since dealing with her that she taught the Lawyer his English!!

I have to disagree with your comments about a "few" rogue deals that unfortunately is a gross understatement of what is actually happening in Chiclana now. For example a vast number of new properties for purchase are totally illegal, they have no metered connection for the electricity as the builders will not pay their taxes. The connection is direct to Endesa (Sevillana) this situation can only go on for so long therefore many people buying these properties will eventually find themselves without any electricity. New properties account for the majority of houses for sale in the area - it is quite difficult in fact to find a re-sale....and this is the reason why they are cheap!! Any house that is urbanised and legal will be a lot more expensive...

People will know who have read my thread that I was conned into buying a horizontal divisio which was divided into 3 parts. Now apparantly you are not allowed to divide into more than 2 parts. Unfortunately most of these types of divisions now with new constructions on them the plots are only 500 metres and by "law" you should have at least 1000 metres to be able to segregate and fully legalise. It is obvious from this that all the new houses built on this size of plot can never be legal.

I was informed by a very well-respected Cadiz Lawyer "anybody that buys a property in Chiclana needs to think twice"!!! According to him Chiclana has its own rules and regulations peculiar and non-conforming to the rest of Andalucia Spain.

Further comments appreciated!!