moebaj

Is there anyone I can go to if I have a problem with a lawyer that has sold a property that is not legal

Red Eric

We might need a little more information here.

Was the lawyer you refer to the owner / seller of the property, acting for the seller or acting for you in the purchase?

moebaj

he was acting for me as the purchaser

Red Eric

Sorry - forgot to also ask whether the problem with the property is comparatively minor or rectifiable and how you came to be aware of it.

There are professional bodies to whom one can take a complaint about malpractice but I'm not sure that's necessarily what you'll want to do if you're looking for some kind of redress from somebody. It would appear that might result - at best - in some kind of disciplinary action but not automatically in any compensation for your damages without some separate action. And you'd want to be sure that the lawyer (solicitor presumably?) has acted improperly or negligently before laying the complaint.

I've had a quick look about to see if there's a more obvious place to start but without much success so far. Was the property sold through an estate agent or was it a private sale?

Here's a recent-ish thread from someone asking how to complain about solicitor negligence in a property purchase - post #11 contains some useful observations from him although they're not of any practical use to you now. The OP hasn't updated the thread to say whether he got any satisfaction but he did complain to the Provedor de Justiça, whose website is here : Provedor de Justiça

moebaj

We went through an estate agent and selling now. When new buyer asked for plans it showed no licence for pool or garage

Red Eric

I've no experience myself of making official complaints or going throught the courts, although it's something that pops up from time to time on the forums. My general impression from that is that it can be lengthy, costly and ultimately not guaranteed to have a satisfactory outcome, so it might depend how aggrieved you feel about the matter, how much you stand to have to lay out to put things right and how much time, money etc you have to pursue the matter in an attempt to get some sort of redress as to whether you're going to think it worthwhile.

I'd have thought the path of least resistance might be the one to follow initially. Have you investigated whether the pool and garage can be legalised, how long it might take to get the approval and how much it might cost? And has the prospective purchaser been completely put off or is he still interested on the proviso that everything's squared up?

And have you made contact with the solicitor who handled the purchase for you to discuss this matter at all?

moebaj

I have contacted the lawyer but he is giving me the run around and doesn't contact me. The buyers have taken the house however at a very reduced price