Dee_dee

Hi folks,

We've heard that buying an old finca to rebuild is absolutely fraught with difficulties & financial pitfalls. Had so many stories told to us of what happened to a friend of a friend and how they lost everything etc!!

Is it as scarey as that, what are the likely pitfuls,?.. warts & all please, would prefer the absolute facts if anyone knows them.

Thanks all

bil

Be absolutely CERTAIN that you can get permission.

There are stories of people doing this and then either discovering that they can't, or they shouldn't have and are instantly an illegal dwelling.

Dee_dee

Yep aware of that one, thanks Bil

TheLostPhotographer

I'm afraid I've heard all sorts of horror stories. Far to many to list. Much comes down to local corruption which is now being addressed far more seriously by local authorities.

Most common error seems to be people thinking they're buying land that is not actually part of the property.

An other common mistake is people handing over large amounts of money in trust to dodgey agents and solicitors.

Structural problems that are well hidden are fairly common. I heard one story of a brand new kitchen simply falling into the ground.

And, water! Very, very dry at times in Southern Spain, but when the rain comes it can come big style. Flooding and inadequate drainage is a very common issue with old fincas. The water can suddenly decide to rise in the most unexpected of places like your second floor bedroom for example.

There's plenty of advice in the 'free beer' thread. My First rule would be to employ a solicitor from well outside of the area you intend to buy to minimise and chance of local corruption and make sure you get a very thorough structural and land survey completed.

There are sadly far to many horror stories and people often find themselves trapped in a legal situation that may take several years to resolve, or they lose absolutely everything.

You need to be far more careful here than in the UK. Unfortunately many people seem to do the exact opposite and let their dreams rule their minds.

Perhaps the first question you should ask when buying a ruin is 'why is it empty?'.

Fred James

Building anything on rustic land is a potential nightmare although there are slight differences in the rules depending on the region.

It does depend on what you mean by "an old finca". If it's just an old but habitable building then you can usually get a licence to renovate it. If it's not habitable it will be classed as a ruin and that can get more difficult.

In Andalucia you can only rebuild a ruin if it has an existing roof and you must build to the same footprint as the existing building and only exceed the original built area by a maximum of 20%.

Be very, very careful and above all do not believe the agent if he tells you it will be OK. Get a good independent lawyer or gestor to check it out with the town hall AND the regional planning department.

bil

Always remember that there are other ways....

Had I the problem of a limited footprint, I would go down and dig out a basement.

You can always tell them it's a water store

Hey presto extra floor. I'd stick a flat roof on it, as that is easier to maintain, simpler to construct and gives you an area to play with solar power and catch water. I'd also dig a real water store too.

jurdyr

Why not buy a plot off land and build new and clad it with old stone
ask loacl builder and that fill you in what happen and as at you loacl town hall that many help you out what to do as the building is coming to stand still , been told town hall will be letting people build again , but not a 20 story hotel in back off you graden
if you got plans and all the info you need from water to power then town hall will be very helful

pete_l

Two things I'd like to add:
First of all, there are no more bargains. If a place was going to turn a profit by being renovated, it would've been done by some enterprising person before now. Ask yourself why someone hasn't already snapped up the finca you're looking at - it's absolutley guaranteed that others have looked at it before you and since it's still on sale, have obviously turned it down.

Second, have you done a renovation job before - even in the UK? If not, then undertaking one in a country who's laws you don't know, in a language you can't speak, with building techniques and regulations you are not familiar with, problems you'll never have seen before and builders who may just have got off the plane the day before you (Ryan Air is the best training scheme in the world. People get on a flight in Stansted knowing nothing, and get off in Malaga as master plumbers, brickies, electricians etc. - amazing!) is fraught. Since you won't know the price of hardware or the rates for local trades, you're just asking to be taken to the cleaners.

I looked at the possibility myself, when I first started looking. After seeing a few, my instincts were screaming at me to stay away from them.I'm very glad I did.

bil

I'm always amused by the people on those Place in the Sun progs who start off saying they want a renovation project.

By the end of the prog they are looking at almost ready tyo live places and saying 'I don't want this, I'll have to paint it.'

Rotor

Never buy land without at least a registerd dwelling on it else you could be waiting for years for permission to build,if not for ever!!, if you get a ruin with a roof you can ususally get permission to restore it, stay very friendly with your neighbours else they may denounce you and create a nightmare, the more remote the better!!
Also check rights of way ,these can be another nighmare.

Rgds

Rotor

toyboy23

There’s a book called ‘Finca’ by Alec & Erna Fry, that makes good reading.

If you are going for it, there’s ‘Constructionary’ which is a Spanish/English dictionary of building terminology.

bil

I think I've read that, or something damn like it. A most interesting read.

poshnbucks

Only yesterday a friend of Mrs Posh was hit over the head with a lump of wood whilst putting shale down to make their access road easier to pass its only about 30 meters long. Their next door neighbour wants them to access their house from land belonging to another on the other side of their house. Police were called twice took no action and said he must denounce him...... or in english make a complaint about the assault. The land dispute has been to court and permission for the road repair given. Spain is a minefield unless you know what you are doing or know and trust someone who does,Leave well alone.

entrepinos

As with any purchase, do your homework! We found that the same finca could be on the market with at least half a dozen estate agents and vary between agents by as much as 10k!
If you know the area you want to buy, a good idea would be to initially drive around and look for the se vende signs. Once you have found that ideal property, make an offer of 10% below the asking price. By looking around various
properties you will get some idea as to what a 'reasonable' price should be. The other yardstick is a gut feeling.
Personally, I would not take on a ruin unless you live there and speak the language, and even then you will be struggling. One example, last time we went over to Spain we ordered 15 tons of pebbles for our driveway from the local builders yard. The chap at the counter was referring to pebbles as chinos. I could not think why he was calling pebbles chinese? Then it registered, because there were so many of them! Good luck.

bil

Are you sure of that? A slingshot or catapult is a tirarchinas, and china is also a word for pebbles.