community charges

Does anyone have any recent information on community charges? As we seem to have a community figure on Condado now are we soon to expect our community charges to start being due? If so how far back will they be back dated?

There's a post on another forum about these charges dated 4th Dec and relating to La Torre from a villa owner who had just received a 4month bill for 823 euro's. Now I know there are different factors here for us as apartment owners and this is Condado not La Torre but it did give us a pause. Regardless of how much I know that La Torre owners very first bills were back dated several months and so we can expect the same. It would be good to have an idea what/how much to expect.

We remember in the batch of paperwork for completion was a document we had to sign about paying Community Charges- but if for some reason someone doesnt pay what recourse does the community have? I have read on the general forum posts of problems some communities seem to have getting all owners to pay up but had come to the conclusion the document  I've just mentioned would sort that- but I'm not sure. Any info anyone?

Until all jardine sales are completed and the committee set up I don't see how anyone can set charges.  What the Brits should remember is that there are a number of other nationalities who have bought on Condado and when the committees are set up I am sure they would like representatives on it.  I believe that the minutes of each of the committee meetings have to be taken/translated into spanish - please correct me if I am wrong.  What is the hurry to have committees up and running as the sooner this happens then the earlier we have to start paying community charges and at this stage - what for?

Linda

lindaw,

Are you suggesting that they will not backdate charges to date of completion?  I would be surprised if they don't.

I am the Vice president of our community in Vera Playa & hopefully the following information might assist.

You do not necessarily wait until all properties are sold before setting up the community & setting the budget. Our developer appointed an administrator once properties started to have the purchases completed but the actual community of owners (the decision makers) was noot formed until a fair proportion of the apartments were completed on.

Owners on our development started completing from May 2007 but it was not until March 2008 that the community of owners was established, President appointed, budgets agreed etc. At that time approximately 30% of properties were unsold/not completed on.

The community fees became payable at that point, therefore some owners had 10 months where they did not have to pay anything & no backdated fees had to be paid. Prior to the community being formed, the developer took responsibility for all communal running costs.

Once the community was set up, anyone who had completed was responsible for paying their fees & the developer is responsible for paying the fees on the unsold properties.

You may not want the community set up sooner as it means you pay your fees but the benefit is that the community can actually start making decisions about communal areas without interferance from the developer. We would have liked ours to be set up sooner as we could do nothing for months about issues like awnings, pool opening times, satellite tv etc etc

The administrators run the metting & the minutes have to be produced in Spanish, listing all attendees, proxy vote holders & debtors (only after the fees start being paid). There is no legal obligation for them to be translated into any other language.

Noreen

Hi

HI FOLKS

I HAVE BEEN TOLD IT WILL BE AROUND 65EURO PER MONTH FOR A 3 BED APARTMENT 60EURO FOR A 2

BUT THAT WAS JUST A ESTIMATE

JILL

Back in the mists of time when we had our inspection vist our Polaris rep suggested we would be paying about £50 per month but whether that has risen now I dont know- things do annually, usually.

Today we'd been looking at how to budget for the year and that was the only reason I broached this is as we'd like to be prepared for any back payments, if there are to be any, so I was curious if there was anyone out there with their finger on the pulse. I thought community charges related to the gardening and pool cleaning, road sweeping, maintenance of the sports area and security and so on, so in reference to the lindaw164 comment of 'what for?' I thought we'd find its already clocking up as in the end PW doesnt pay for all of this. My megre knowledge of the La Torre set up was once communities were organised up they found themselves already owing alot to the administration that had been arranged by PW.

Obviously the communities have to represent  all the nationalities that own or reside on Condado.

Its also true that things like satelitte dishes and our famous cowshed, if they are causing concern could be dealt with.  Though I really cannot see how you persuade someone to remove something like that which has cost money to set up or build.

However, no news is good news.

I was told the same as Jill.

65E 3 bedroom and 60E for a 2 bedroom.

Julie

Hi Jan,

 You persuade them with a BIG JCB.   Only kidding.

I think, like you, that the community charge is adding up for the completed owned properties - bit if that is not the case it's a bonus.

Regards,

just to let all know, La Torre owners have formed their own community after overthrowing Polaris, who were ripping them off!! they are now paying much reduced maintenence fees and have got their own people in to look after everything

 cheers pete

Hi Pete

Yes we had heard the same & I believe there is talk of doing the same on Hacienda.

However this is not actually been confirmed as yet

Jan

whilst I am all for saving money and not being ripped off - I still think that it important to retain the vision of PW in creating a stylish and well run resort with the appropriate rules and regs that go with that.  I really do not wish to appear snobbish in any way but the last thing I would like to see is the place turning into a great big Butlins!!  One visit to Camposol with it's smelly bars and plastic chairs was enough to convince me of that (please note that I was only in 2 bars on Camposol -  Kennelly's - smelly and no aircon, full of flies and another small bar on the opposite sector - cheap plastic furniture and smoke stained, run-down interior).  I am risking being shot down in flames here, I know, but the idea of satellite dishes stuck up here, there and everywhere and canopies of every size, material and colour really doesn't appeal much to me either.  Oh, and whilst I am ranting anyway - neither does the rows of washing draped over balconies!!!  Jeez - must be PMT???.....................

Hi Jan!

Must admit, I am with you all the way and respect what you have said in your post!

We must keep Condado looking 5*

I really can't see  why people can't live without a television for a week or two?

Surely we go out to enjoy the sun and surrounding areas of such beauty

Pam

Firstly to AJW.

I couldnt agree more. My husband wants to buy a telly but we used to holiday in a lovely villa in portugal that belonged to a friend of a friend. there was always six of us  aged between 2yrs & 65 yrs. there was no telly but there were cards  & games suitable for all the family. the lady also had a great bookshelf & if you had read your book & started to read one of hers & your holiday was at the end before the book was , you just swapped your book for one in the book case. often people would write smsll coments  inside saying where theyhad bought the book some were returned the following year which meant the books were well read.

Yes we are surounded with beautiful scenery & fantastic places to visit. If people want english bars & fish & chips, instead of trying local food & learning a new language then buy a place in England

Having visited most of the PW resorts over the past few years the one thing that impressed us against similar resorts was that there was uniformity, all buildings were the same colour & though people often chose a slightly different  shade  or design of sun shade they all differed only slightly

If you go to places like Lanzarote builders have strict guid elines to follow re the painting of the wood work & height of the buildings so that propertys  do not over shadow the scenery.

Sorry Iv`e rattled on a bit

...before anyone jumps joyfully into wrenching the general resort maintenance, etc off PW take a look at a few other web sites (and the La Torre section on EOS). They couldn't wait to get rid of PW and appear to have ended up in a right mess after so much wrangling and in-fighting. I'd suggest people give it time and see how PW manage the resort over a period of time rather than wanting to ditch them completely.

Hi Kev

The idea of moving away from PW`s management structure was certainly not on our minds.

We have a friend who lives on La Torre & was 1 of many who voted to stay with PW.

Unfortunatly (in some ways) She & those who voted a she did now have the last laugh.

Self management sounds great on paper & I know of lots of incidents where this has been tried.

It very rarely works. Leave it to the proffesionals I say.

But Please lets keep Condado as nice looking in the years to come as it does now

Jan

agree about the tv.the only thing i want to watch on tv is the odd game of soccer and prefer to do that in a bar when on hols.tv is a british disease.i wouldnt mind if it was any good.as for the kids they prefer dvds to watch anyway.

Afraid the tv  will always be an important addition to our holiday/ apartment.  3 footy mad sons and a husband plus his dad who are even worse (championship tiddlywinks would even be on their agenda) none of whom can stay out in the heat and sun 12 hours a day. Add to that they wouldnt want to spend ages in a car touring about when they feel we have ages to get to know the area- one of our sons is staying a few nights in the Sierra Espuna before coming to the apartment on their next visit. True they will catch the occasional game in a bar but lots of time they'll be wanting to be near their own beer cooler and bbq and able to sit back and relax, especially if they are over with a group of friends. So they are all impatiently awaiting the tv  coming on line and as we are a 2 bed a sky dish could be inconspicuous on the roof terrace (I agree not particularly attractive though). A tv is often important to elderly visitors and families with children too.

Getting back to the theme of the thread we hadnt thought that we'd be moving away from the PW administration either, its probably far to soon for that to be a consideration. I believe La Torre was in great debt to the community administration before they even stared to pay their commuity charges. Hopefully our administration will have learnt from problems elsewhere

Hi all, One quick thought about bars etc on camposol, with cheap plastic furniture, I wouldn't exactly call the bar on our resort tasteful, looks very cheap, but charges hotel prices, When I was over I went into the bar, nobody in there, except the barman andthe security guard, they didn't even say hello! very welcoming. Went for a drink down on camposol, made to feel very welcome, chatted to people, and the drinks are half the price. And for the future having stayed at La Torre, and seen what prices they charge for food etc, I really hope that on Condado we at least have a better choice of places and a better range of prices. I agree we have to have rules but I do not agree with big brother telling me how to live, Residents solely running the management will never work, to many people will have there own agendas, you need neutral proffesionals to run it with consultation with residents.

This is a really interesting Forum, and reading the messages, none of us seem quite sure on how things are going to work going forward. When we were last over, early November, we went to the La Torre site to see how things had improved since being there in Oct 2007 and to our astonishment we found the site looking 'tired'; there was also an awful smell lingering in the air around by the restaurants and I am hoping this due to some work being done on the lake which was half drained rather than sewage The other thing that stood out was the number of for sale boards or letting boards hanging off the apartment blocks.