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-   -   Please help with a purchase :) (https://britishexpats.com/forum/spain-75/please-help-purchase-451265/)

jandy44 May 18th 2007 7:57 am

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 

Originally Posted by spain (Post 4798599)
sorry dont know any solicitors but sounds a bit dodgy to me - I wouldnt hand over any cash just yet until an independent solicitor (not one the agent takes you to) has checked over the escritura and you know its 100% legit

If it has been built illegally I doupt it will have a escritura,I would not hand any money over,neither would I trust the estate agent,I would get a independent solicitor..........in fact Im proberley to cautious Id walk away and find something else.Better safe than sorry,you wouldnt buy a property here without deeds.

jandy44 May 18th 2007 8:34 am

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 

Originally Posted by keithwalters (Post 4799627)
Sometimes easier said than done. If I have understood the OPs situation correctly they will shortly be homeless in the UK, and would like their property in Spain asap, presumably to avoid time in rented? And looking for a property in Spain whilst you are in the UK is not easy! Fincas in particular take a lot of time to look for - so if they have found one that they like it is at least worth bottoming out if it can be legalised or not before abandoning it and returning to square one.

If I were in this situation,I would invest the money from the sale of the house in a account where it would earn interest ,and then I would rent,finca,s may be hard to come by,but to buy one that has even got the slightest chance that it could be demolished is mad :eek:I would find out first if it can be legalised,but this is going to cost and could turn out to be a lenthy proccess,from what Iv seen there are lots of rentals.Its better to be safe than sorry and lose your money...........sorry but thats my opinion :blink:

keithwalters May 18th 2007 9:10 am

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 

Originally Posted by jandy44 (Post 4799779)
If I were in this situation,I would invest the money from the sale of the house in a account where it would earn interest ,and then I would rent,finca,s may be hard to come by,but to buy one that has even got the slightest chance that it could be demolished is mad :eek:I would find out first if it can be legalised,but this is going to cost and could turn out to be a lenthy proccess,from what Iv seen there are lots of rentals.Its better to be safe than sorry and lose your money...........sorry but thats my opinion :blink:

Yes I agree, I wouldn´t sign at the Notary for a finca that isn´t legal. But I would however insist that the seller takes it upon himself to legalise the finca (at his expense of course) so that by the time you get to the Notary everything is in order. And if it isn´t, don´t proceed and claim your deposit back from the seller (doubled of course, because you have stipulated this in the reservation contract).

Nacnud May 18th 2007 7:34 pm

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 
The property has recently been vacated. It's in good condition inside and you can see it's been lived in. It's the detached bungalow adjacent that doesn't have planning, plus a pool. We've never met the seller. The agents live a few hundred yards away in a similar property and are known in the village.

They've been upfront about the planning but even so, we'd prefer to be 100% safe.

How long should it take for it to be legalised if the local council are made aware of the non permissions?

Thanks everyone.

keithwalters May 18th 2007 7:46 pm

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 

Originally Posted by Nacnud (Post 4801336)
The property has recently been vacated. It's in good condition inside and you can see it's been lived in. It's the detached bungalow adjacent that doesn't have planning, plus a pool. We've never met the seller. The agents live a few hundred yards away in a similar property and are known in the village.

They've been upfront about the planning but even so, we'd prefer to be 100% safe.

How long should it take for it to be legalised if the local council are made aware of the non permissions?

Thanks everyone.

I think that is a "how long is a piece of string" question. I´d get onto the seller asap so that he can start the process.

I think I misunderstood your original post - so you are buying two properties on the same piece of land, one of which is fully legal but the other isn´t. Is that correct?

Nacnud May 18th 2007 7:55 pm

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 
Thanks Keith. Yes, there is one main property but the owner built a small bunglalow next door and a pool. This is on a large plot of land.

We really do want this purchase but even so, we won't part with cash until we know we're safe.

We're trying to find a solicitor this week but we were hoping someone may know one that could helps us :)

keithwalters May 18th 2007 8:03 pm

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 

Originally Posted by Nacnud (Post 4801391)
Thanks Keith. Yes, there is one main property but the owner built a small bunglalow next door and a pool. This is on a large plot of land.

We really do want this purchase but even so, we won't part with cash until we know we're safe.

We're trying to find a solicitor this week but we were hoping someone may know one that could helps us :)

Can´t help with the solicitor thing...but if the main property is totally legal that is reassuring (I assumed there was only one property on the site which was illegally built). So the plot must be urbanisable at least. You just need to find out if this bungalow can be legalised - if not I guess it will either be registered on the deeds as a farm building, or simply not there at all. If it can´t be legalised (or is officially a shed) ask the seller to adjust the price of the main property accordingly.

Nacnud May 18th 2007 8:07 pm

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 
As soon as I get some more info I will report back :)

chrisw May 19th 2007 9:52 am

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 
Hi all! Please excuse me butting in on this thread. :blink:I can't advise as haven't yet bought property in Spain. I noticed that there was a large plot of land but don't know the size. I seem to remember reading somewhere that if there is a legal property on a plot of land, and an illegal build is then added to the plot, that there is still a requirement that permission for the illegal build could only be post granted if the plot of land is sufficiently large, as there can only be one dwelling for so many thousand metres square in relation to rural land. If there is a sizable plot it seems likely it may be classed as rural. I don't wish to put the damper on but this thought is something which has just occurred to me and is worrying me now. I would certainly however, get an independent solicitor to confirm the property's legality before parting with hard earned cash. Is it possible to make a solicitor liable for any loss? :blink: Could a clause be added? If so, at least you know they are sure to do their job properly. Anyway, good luck and keep us posted, as we may be in a similar situation ourselves in the future! Who knows! :blink:

Ambre Solaire May 19th 2007 9:16 pm

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 
Word of warning, we made an offer on a property over 5 months ago and the property is still not registered and therefore we are unable to proceed with the purchase as yet

Our Lawyer sent us a contract - in Spanish for us to sign and pay the 10% deposit. Even with my lack of the Spanish language I could read that the house measured 18 sq metres !Fortunately,we ignored our Lawyers advice and did not pay the 10% deposit. Take care and do not let your heart rule your head - I know I have been there several times in our endeavor to purchase a Spanish property

angie mccready May 20th 2007 2:03 am

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 
hi, i live in salinas, (next door to sax)
i dont know of a solicitor but if i can help in anyway i will. Maybe u could tell me whereabouts the finca is and i can make some enquiries! also if ur stuck for somewhere to stay short term while it gets sorted or while u look for somewhere to rent im happy to put u up. got 3 bedrooms going spare at the moment.

rowlandsbb May 20th 2007 8:11 pm

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 
This is the type of purchase which you see on TV....buying an illegal build
However nice, however cheap do not do it
The fact that first they have asked for 10.000 € deposit [when the normal reservation fee is 3000 €] and wanted to reduce the price to cover the lack of a licence clearly indicates that it may be very suspect
You would not buy a home in UK without planning permission so the same applies in Spain
The old days in Spain have gone with EU and the Madrid bombs......play by the rules

This is however is often the situation when buying Finca's
You may well find out with a good lawyer that everything can be sorted in due course and if so enjoy your Finca
I do know re sales of Finca's where all the paper work,water rights,land grab prospects have been sorted out but not easy to find and generally not cheap

If you are looking to live in a Spanish environment then you do not need to buy a Finca.....there are new builds/re sales outside Spanish Market Towns with all permits which you can buy

billgates May 20th 2007 8:40 pm

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 
I wouldn't pay any deposit if it goes directly to the seller. It's just crazy. The seller will spend the deposit and if you have to claim it back (never mind even thinking about trying to claim double back) you will have to sue the seller and try to get your money back through the Spanish legal system. At your cost. And how many years will that take? This "double your money back" clause that they put in isn't worth the paper it's written on.

And another thing - don't for a minute think you will be able to make any claim against your lawyer, or the seller's lawyer. Lawyers in Spain operate under a code of conduct whereby they refuse to sue another lawyer. I've been told this by a lawyer.

Buying a finca even with all the paperwork in order is still a gamble. It just depends how much you want the finca. Is it worth the hassle? Ours was (and still is worth the hassle), and after four years we're still trying to finalise the paperwork.

mrs teapot May 23rd 2007 9:59 am

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 
Apologies for not reading the entire thread, but I get the gist of it (sorry im too busy for my own good right now).

I just wanted to say, I dont know which area you are dealing with but I found an incredibly amazing solicitor who leaves no stone unturned and wont let you sign or pay anything until its all legally sorted. I cannot recommend highly enough. YOu will have to PM me if you want the details.

good luck.

mrs teapot

Darren May 23rd 2007 10:52 pm

Re: Please help with a purchase :)
 
Sounds like you are buying something dodgy from the word go. Sounds a nightmare, never buy anything illegal. It is very crazy.


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