Fredbargate

Or people left destitute on the street

Horlics

Zee German couple in zee Cotswolds would disagree.

Fredbargate

Link?

Lenox

The AUAN is an active organisation in Almería, joined up with SOHA in Málaga and the AUN in Valencia (which concentrates more on 'land grab'). See their sites for updates (they were together this week in the Senate in Madrid reporting on the difficulties of the home-owners: losing their houses without compensation).
Helen and Len Prior, from Vera in Almería, have been living in their garage since their house was demolished seven years ago (January 9th 2008). I was having coffee with three local funcionarios from the Catastro just this morning. One of them thought the Prior's house was legal, another disagreed...

dfjordan

I read recently that another 17 houses have been condemned. How awful!

Costa News - More demolition gloom in Cantoria

lostdirection

Thank you for this thread. I am in the initial stages of planning a move to Spain in a couple of years time as my partner wants to retire somewhere sunny. We have already had our fingers well and truly burned by leaving the UK and moving to NZ. Now its a move to Oz for a couple of years before settling into retirement. It is refreshing to find a forum where people can speak the truth as we newbies genuinely need to hear the facts to enable us to make informed choices.

Fredbargate

It's sunny in NZ when it's not raining

Clean green NZ

lostdirection

I see you are familiar with our clean green hype in the land of the long white shroud.

Fredbargate

Yes

It's clean because it gets washed so often

It's green because there is an abundance of water for the plants.

Redr0bb0

Hello all- newbie here

We are really close to making the final decision to relocate to Almeria. We fancy an established build in a town- something like an old terrace or cortijo.

Reading about the horrendous things that have happened to other expats with new build properties I am confident that we wouldn't be demolished (at least I would hope not!) but I wondered if there was any simmering animosity between expats and locals because of this ridiculous, tragic and unjust situation.

Thanks

Kentishladd

We are considering renting, any potential pitfalls would be appreciated. I realise that the landlord may appropriate our deposit (this could be possibly be dealt with)) and provided that the contract is okay, is there anything else that could go wrong?
Your comments would be appreciated.
Thanks.

amideislas

I agree fully with that sentiment.

But I'd point out that the higher potential not only to be swindled, but to be left without any relief, is something that is far less likely in most of the rest of Europe, let alone in the UK, and to presume that because it doesn't happen elsewhere, that it can't happen to you here, is something that all expats need to be especially vigilant of.

Spain has an especially high number of so-called "illegal" properties, and the definition of what is "illegal" is oft left to the eyes of whatever bureaucrat sits in the chair that day, not necessarily on the basis of legal documentation. Add to that the historical propensity for nepotism, and the risks are even further elevated.

There are numerous examples of where build permits were indeed legally issued, but later, some bureaucrat decided that permit was not legal for whatever reason, and it's the current owners who are victimised with the consequences, not those who are actually responsible.

I for one, find it completely deplorable that eviction and "demolition" without any compensation, rather than sensible compromise with a path to "legalisation" could ever be considered an appropriate solution, nor that it ever benefits anyone (except for perhaps a developer who simply wants the property for their own self-serving interests, or to protect the political status quo).

concerned 1

Hello all does anyone have a opinion or tips does or dont's about buying in the Albox area thankyou

bxpuser24710519

You are kidding right ? Concerned 1? read the local forum for Albox, join and read the website of AUAN. You will be a lot more informed then as to whether you want to buy in the area.

Moses2013

I meant regions in Spain. In Girona (Costa Brava) where we own a place, I've never heard anything. It seems to be more in the South of Spain, but then again it's probably because more Brits buy there. Of course there are always cases were things were legal and things went wrong, but the majority of Brits who bought in Spain never used a solicitor. Funny enough, they would in the UK.