papriv

I viewed a site under construction by Procoal / Clover Villas in Arboleas Almeria recently. They showed me some lovely completed properties then some new plots that had been cut out of the mountainside ready for development. I chose the one I liked and we went back to the office. When I told them that I had my own solicitor they started to show signs being unhappy with this. I was due to pay several thousand Euros as an initial deposit. But I told them I wanted 24hours to think about it. I went and saw my solicitor who did some searches for me and the result was that he said steer clear of this development by Procoal - Clover. The developer did not have a builders licence for the site and should not be selling any of the plots until they had one.

So the advice I had before looking about finding my own solicitor before I started was the best you could have. NEVER use a developers solicitor. If they try and insist on it stay away from them. Chances are the build will be illegal.

jackytoo

Well done

Mitzyboy

Sound advice indeed

jandy44

Hi papriv, welcome to BE OMG you had a lucky escape there,I would never buy a offplan myself but I would not use a solicitor other than one Iv chosen, sound advise given,Iv heard so many horror stories,lets hope a few more people read this thread and steer clear of them ,you have to be so careful..........hope you go on to buy something nice and legal..

papriv

Oh yes, I certainly have found a great place. Fully legal all the right documents in order and the bank have done a check too and given the go-ahead. There are genuine builders out there but it seem that some the larger ones are the rogues. I know I have alread said this above but to confirm it. My advice is to get a solicitor in place BEFORE you meet ANY developer. Tell the developer at the outset that you have one if they start to try and pursuade you to use their's go elsewhere. They are crooks.

rowlandsbb

If you use professional people to help you find the right property and assist in everything about buying and moving to Spain you will avoid problems such as this
Treat buying in Spain the same as you would in Uk and everything should be OK
Most of the good developers prefer to sell via agents and want their buyers to have good advice to ensure a smooth sale
When you read adverts stating ' buy direct from the builder for a cheaper price' ' 100% mortgages' '10% deposits' be wary!!!
The best buys are usually from the best developers in the best locations with all the guarantees you would expect in UK
Brian Rowlands BSc FRICS

Big Pete

I would say more than Sound i would say Rock solid double walled advice

papriv

Trouble is this developer is one of the largest in the area. One would expect that such a large company would have some form of respectability. But selling plots without build licenses is disgraceful. They have left many many owners in the area frantically worrying about whether their house will ever be legal and have a full escritura (deeds). Several are wanting to move but cannot because they cannot sell without this.

tallbob

I play league cricket for Albox, and most of the guys I play with either own or work for various businesses in the area,EVERYONE says do not touch this company with a barge pole
various laws forbid from saying a lot more, but a chat with anyone in the local area should be illuminating

CarolineW

Out of interest I have been looking up the plots they are selling and I would like to put in my two-pennyworth. The sites are on what in the Uk would be green belt and to me are cutting into what was lovely countryside. Surely if we are to protect the countryside and the coasts in Spain then we should refuse to have anything to do with developers and developments which are doing so much damage to the environment. May be then, with a collapse in demand, these sorts of developents will no longer happen. It really is awfully sad that the environment so mismanaged by everyone concerned.

cidshock

I live in Alfaquia, and have also heard alot about these companys, you did all the right things, Always use youre own Solicitor.

papriv

Whilst I agree in part to what you are saying. What grieves me most is that this company blatently cut out half a mountain and set out plots for building when they do not even have pernission to build on this land. Yet the local authority lets them get away with it. They had persmission to build just 12 houses now it is looking like over 50 will eventually go up, if people are foolish enough to buy from them.

That aside, there is little room in any of the towns to build but there are huge swathes of land available. Consider this, The UK population is about 10m higher than Spain but Spain is about 3 times the size. Thus much more land to build on. The environment should be looked after but there is a need for development as there is in the UK. What there needs to be in Spain is stricter controls and penalties for companies like Procoal who blatently flout the law. Sure they employ a large number of people but they could do that without breaking the laws.

Mitzyboy

Its 20 million more actually and twice the size, but the point is still valid. The developers in Spain have no thoughts about the environment. Trouble is at the end of the day its the punter that suffers eventually not so much the developer, as we see so often with stories on here

In the sixties in the UK they knocked down beautiful buildings in the name of progress and built boxes. I see that in Spain now.

Lionda

Well done for pointing this out, more people should expose any rougue developers to warn innocent purchasers before it's too late.

Darren

Thanks for sharing. Procoal, they advertise alot. MMM.

Yes 3 step security system
1. Good agent
2. Good independent lawyer
3. Bank finance.

3 steps and your own gut feeling will be good security.

I think people should be able to sue these unofficial, illegal sellers.

A note of caution to all people.
All plots dont have a building licence.
You have to present a project to the town hall. The project, ie. a house then gets the building licence.
So unless it is a plot with a house which you can not modify, all plots dont have licences!

You must know the process before buying.
If you are buying an apartment, then the project has probably already been given the licence, if you are buying a villa with 100 or 400 of the same, then possibly it has a licence already.

No licence no money.

Remember the process.
Plot
Design project
Licence
Build
Finish hand over keys.

Big, small, medium it is all the same for everyone. They must all go through the process.

Big developers tend to have got through Plot purchase, Designing project and a licence then they sell. Some not so good ones get plot, design project, and then whilst waiting for licence they sell.
That is ok, if a nominal fee is put down eg. 3000 euros in an eskrow or a lawyers account, to be paid on receipt of licence.

KNOW THE PROCESS AND YOU ARE SAFER
GET A BANKS MORTGAGE THEN YOU ARE SAFER, AS THEY DO DUE DILIGENCE AND WONT LEND IF THERE IS SOMETHING WRONG WITH IT.
SOME AREAS ARE RIFE WITH PROBLEMS, EG. COSTA BLANCA SOUTH, ALMERIA, MURCIA, COSTA DEL SOL, MORE THAN OTHER AREAS.