TROUBLE AT THE MILL (I MEAN MCC) - is the Huma nightmare getting worse?

Here is a message copied and pasted from a contact of mine regarding serious issues at MCC. You might be interested to read .. I will make no comment.

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email from a MCC resident circulated to owners
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If I may, I have two comments to make in respect of Sandra’s message.

1. Let’s hope for the best about our water supply. I’m sure we all want Sandra to be proved right about the water not being turned off.
2. Let’s plan for the worst!

There are a number of reasons supplies may be disconnected; not least because of Huma’s apparent financial difficulties.

IF the worst happens, it could quickly make life very difficult for everyone living here. All of us could suddenly find ourselves without water and half of us could be without electricity too.

Without wanting to be alarmist, filling a couple of buckets may turn out to be woefully inadequate. I think we need to use the next few days to put some proper contingency plans in place. We need to be in a position where we can quickly bring in alternative supplies if necessary – which means sourcing things like water bowsers etc.

IF the worst happens, we will also need to be able to publicise our plight and to get local people on our side as fast as possible

I’m willing to work with anyone on this issue and to help in any way I can. I certainly don’t want to usurp the CofO’s role and have already written to Sandra in this respect.

But we may only have a couple of days. So, as a first step, I invite all those who are (a) here on MCC and (b) willing IF NECESSARY to take part in a peaceful demonstration – like the very successful one we had at the beginning of August – to write to angels4u@btinternet.com with your name, manzana/plot number and a contact telephone number.

I sincerely hope it will all turn out to be unnecessary. But I don’t think we should leave it to chance.

John

A COPY OF SANDRA’S MESSAGE FOLLOWS:

Hi Everyone,

Note the following warning!!

Yesturday, through our Administration , Huma asked the community of owners to pay a water bill amounting to 30.847,92 euros, which they had received from Aqualia by burofax. The deadline for payment is Monday 27th October. I have refused to pay this bill for several reasons. Firstly, the bill was not addressed to the Community of Owners. Secondly, we as owners already pay individual water bills. Thirdly, by law we can not be left without water. Fourth, if the water goes off on Monday we will have to take whatever steps are necessary.

Please note that Aqualia has the power to cut off the water, but we need to remain steadfast and firm. This situation has happened in other areas. I am giving you this message in order for you to be prepared just in case the water goes off on Monday. ( in my opinion, I don't think the water will be cut off, but we need to take precausions just in case)

Thank you for your cooperation

God bless

Sandra

WARNING!!!!!

AS OF 5 MINUTES AGO (10.30AM) AQUALIA CUT OFF THE WATER SUPPLY TO THE COUNTRY CLUB.

SO PLEASE CONSERVE WATER.  MORE INFORMATION WHEN WE KNOW

FROM

28/1

I own a property on MCC and this week we have learned that huma staff are now not being paid and their own staff think that by christmas huma will go bust. This will cause big problems for owners on mcc but at least we own our houses but will be an even bigger problem for those who are owed money by huma such as almanzora buyers or oasis buyers

franked 5

Dear God

I dont think I can take much more of this . It seems to go from bad to worse.

Alfie

I am on MCC owners site regularly and there is no mention of this.

I notice Franked 5 this is your first post i sincerely hope it's a genuine one.

People on here have enough worries without some spammer.

This is the news we've been dreading. Can anyone else confim this ?  If Huma goes bust there is little chance of any of us getting our money back. Please everyone, write to your MEP's, in fact , anyone who you think could help. There is only a voice in numbers now.  If you have a bank guarantee, then write to the bank your self. A guarantee is a guarantee, and it is acting illegally if it does  not  honour it.  For gods sake , don't give up.

If that  is  true,  the  staff were still  working at Huma  on  Friday.  

How  can  any  of us  be surprised.   It's  surprising  Huma   survived  this long.   I do not  have  a bank   guarantee and  like  many  others I am  waiting to  take  Huma  to court.   I  have  to  say  that  I hold  the  Spanish  Government, the Agents  some of them British  Companies  (most of who  have  already received  commission) and the Directors of  Huma  to blame  for this.    The Directors  of  Huma most  take  repsonsbility for the  mishandling  of  our  money which  should  have been  safeguarded  and  the  false  promises of  receiving guarantees we have  all  had.   Who  are the  Directors  of Huma, does  anyone know?  They  ought  to  be held  personally  responsible.    I will never consider  buying   in Spain again.

I hope franked5 is wrong.

The  'workers' who were complaining about non payment were the ones digging up the pavements and laying the new electric cables - I should imagine that they are working for a subcontractor.

Peter 

We have had many emails last night about Huma going bust  friends of ours who

live on MCC said admin staff / gardeners ect ect are all owed wages from Huma

and wont work,     the builders have told them they will not be back after xmas.

The feeling is that Huma will go bust very soon,   all buyers should contact their solicitors.

Geoff Wright cant post because he is classed as spam but agents can post with their website addresses on !!!!

Never mind Geoff, have a Happy Christmas and thank you for your contributions, they made informative reading.

I have managed to make contact (thanks to help from some MCC  residents) with an English lawyer specialising inb residential who knows the Mazarron area and has dealt with Huma in the past.

There are a couple of interesting comments she made in an email I received this morning    ...

"Huma have never been one to pay their staff on time, that is why a lot of them leave but it seems to be a Spanish thing...  No one will ever know whether they are in financial trouble or not as I am sure that they will not discuss this with anyone."
 

seems Huma could not care less about their own staff - let alone clients. I also am led to believe they owe many Agents money (my heart bleeds for them!).   So maybe they are not actually going bust - who knows?

"It is not an easy process putting an embargo on a house, you would have to have a good case against them to obtain this.  I have friends who bought a house over 6 years ago which they have been trying to get an embargo made against another person (not Huma) and to date despite several Court appearances have not been able to do so. It has cost them a lot of money to date and with still no end in sight.  It is also a long process to get this lifted once it is in place."
 

so I think the lawyers that are saying that asset embargos are the next step - may not be totally up front with the timescale and the possibility of success.

I hate to post this second point  (as it is not encouraging news) - but if Huma ignore any court judgment - it appears - it is not going to be quick or easy to get the money by other means. Spanish solicitors are too keen to encourage to give our money up front and then we are just left frustrated by the Spanish judiciary.

So be careful about what any solicitor says they can do with money back for people without BG's! 

Happy Xmas and New Year to everyone  (in your other parts of your life)

John

Hi John

I have a place on MCC and transferred from Almanzora 2 years ago now. I fully understand everyones stress who still have there money tied into ACC and acknowledge that Huma are not in a good financial position. However I do not feel you posting this copy of happenings at MCC helps peoples stress as this posting was from approx 2 months ago and is indeed one persons opinion and not the general feeling of all who own on MCC. It makes not very good reading and does not reflect life on MCC. Yes there are problems and yes Huma may go bust but its all if and buts. I hope they survive going bankrupt and are allowed to finish ACC after obtaining planning permission but even if building commenced now would everyone be happy sending the rest of there monies to Spain at 1.05 where as when ACC collected all deposits in 2005 it was 1.45 or more. i think they are in a no win situation.

MCC is a nice urbanisation and if Huma start building more properties here then consider transferring as I have no regrets.

Bill & lisa

Hi Bill & Lisa

I am truly happy that you are happy. You are right about the stress! It is massive!

Unfortunately your reply has pushed an important message down the listing (please any  ACC buyer see my post further down)

However - there could be  500 people (we estimate) that are owed money by Huma  for payments without BG's (never mind those that are legally owed deposits/interest - that have gone for ever) and we want our money back - as simple as that. If we wanted to transfer we would have done so - but there are few options @ MCC and many do not like the idea of OTCC.

Since Huma developed MCC & are developing OTCC - everything that is happening around Huma is important to us - to try and assess what is happening with Huma finances is paramount - to try and judge whether we are wasting more money on legal fees - we have all lost enough to date!. If Huma go bust - we are dead & have lost more money with legal fees!

We all try and swop info as best we can - as we are all at the end of our tethers!

I am not knocking MCC - you are wrong - it is situations like Huma not paying the water bill on time that is very worrying to us - not necessarily the life on MCC. We are trying to assess the real possibility of Huma going bust or the state of their current finances.

I actually think MCC looks very nice - (if you ignore certain undeveloped areas of the site) - and the people who bought in the early days have some really nice locations and  properties. However even you must admit there are issues at MCC - see the MCC Forum. The way Huma act is also relevant to those that are buying at OTCC and if ever ACC happens. Do we want to buy a Huma home?

I have visited MCC and talked to residents there - and there are concerns.

However I am sorry I have upset you - but this forum is really for ACC buyers and by definition will always be anti-Huma and very negative to what is going on around that company and their interests.

You are very lucky to be content in your decision! I do not begrudge you are happy. I wish we could all resolve our situation. Just have a thought for those that are owed tens of thousands and maybe now face a major recession in 2009  in the UK and may lose jobs, savings and homes - again not our fault!

Have a merry Xmas & Happy New Year.

You have my best wishes for the future.

John

Well said John,

I think everyone wants the best for themselves and everyone else involved in this whole sorry state.  We also visited and stayed at MCC and were very tempted.  However we felt this was not the first choice for us with the properties available at that time.  I only wish we had felt happier about it as it would have made our situation so much easier.

It is so important to the people awaiting court proceedings that we keep in touch.  It does seem all doom and gloom at the moment but we can only hope that all comes good at the end.

We have since purchased elsewhere and are delighted with our property but we desperately need to get our money back from Huma so we need to stick together on this.

I would like to wish everyone interested in this forum a very happy and peaceful new year and if we are successful with Huma that will be the icing on the cake.

Very best to all.

Chris.

This particular developer has an incredible amount to answer for and currently seems to be totally untouchable. They ignore you / me, lawyers, court judgments, anyone in authority and the entire property buying fraternity etc.. etc... 

why ?

But, the ‘Net’ is surely closing in on this company and their untrustworthy activity.

It will not be long before they are forced to stop trading, accounts frozen and then re balance the books with refunds to every single client they owe money.

The EU and trading standards are all watching them and I hope just waiting to strike. They have also done immeasurable amounts of damage to the Spanish property sector in the area of ACC / Vera (in their own Country no less) and at determent to their own economy. 

Remember, this developer (WITH THE AGENTS) sold 1300 propertise on ACC and were taking stage payments from Jan 2004 - Nov 2005, OK, some transfered to another property, and a few lucky ones got refunds in the early days. So they still had an considerable amount ot money belonging to US.

Judgement day will arrive soon my friends.......

Phil

You are right --

Huma certainly act as if they are untouchable. They ignore the law because they know that they are getting away with it. Your positive post is encouraging.

Huma are ignoring court decisions, making appeals which buys them time, and generally messing around . No-one seems to be able to force them to pay up. I suspect that they have 'friends in all of the right places ' , what do you think ?

I am more concerned about the banks behaviour. How on earth can the bank issue a guarantee, then refuse to pay ?

However, I doubt whether the EU are really interested in what is going on , otherwise they would have done something to help the Priors who are still without a home in Vera one year after their villa was demolished. The MEP's are a waste of time ( just my opinion ) I often wonder what the situation would be like if any of them had money invested in Spanish property.

Glad to see you mentioning the agents who have scarpered with their commision, we shouldn't forget that they were involved in this at the beginning and should take some responsibility.

I hope that we do see judgement day very soon, but sometimes it is difficult to have any more faith in the law, and what is morally right, because every time our hopes are raised, we then get disappointed.

Have a great Christmas and New Year everyone, here's to some good news for all of us  in the New Year.  

A partial translation of the Spanish consumer protection law that makes bank guarantees obligatory:

Article 1.1  states - the promoters must guarantee return of money plus 6% in case building does not start or is not finished in the agreed timescale whatever the cause (por cualquier causa).

Article 1.2 says the money must be in a separate account with an authorised institution.  It is the bank or savings account provider's responsibility to provide the guarantees (Para la apertura de estas cuentas o depósitos la Entidad bancaria o Caja de Ahorros, bajo su responsabilidad, exigirá la garantía).

Should we be pressurising the banks a bit more?

On that note, Merry Christmas - Bah! Humbug!