Community Meeting 21st December 2009

I received an email yesterday telling me the date of the 1st community meeting.  To say I'm outraged is understatement.  Who in their right mind would organise a meeting 4 days before Christmas when everyone is busy and organise it at such short notice.  I'm very suspicious that there is a tactical reason for organising the meeting at that time.  Does anyone else share the same views as me?

Caza557

hi i did not know about the community meeting date. i am staying at my property from the 18th so will be there.  i chair a local business group in liverpool so will ask for the mins of meeting. and post them

I was told b paco in september that a vote would be taken once the properties have been signed to the new owners. until then the builder has the task of making desisions.

best wishes Bill gillbanks

completed on my unit sept 22

We are due to complete soon but were not informed about a community meeting.  The first we heard about it was on this forum.  I agree with caza557 it is not a suitable date for many people.

This meeting is to form the Community of Property Owners. No, it is not a good time for some but I have heard that a few owners will be here for Christmas anyway. The water hoses were all removed 4 weeks ago (that was the cause of my bad accident as they just left the water on the corridor floor with plastic sitting on top of the water. So I presume that we are now all going to be billed for water from the date of the removal of the hoses. I am NOT standing for President. I will let Gines stand. I don't want the hassle of the first kyear.

I am however asking for support (by email to Paco please) for my aerial for wireless broadband. Just say you have no objection to this aerial or that you do have an objection!

Another point, I don't think the building should be handed over in the filthy dirty state it is in. Why should we have to start paying for a deep clean to remove what is basically BUILDERS DIRT and rubbish left by them. There is still a lot of communal work needing done but no sign of it happening. We are still needing glass replaced in our front door and a window installed. Large holes have been knocked in corridor walls to the commercial units and just left untouched. The pool area has missing/loose tiles, one of the access steps down into the pool is loose and dangerous. We have no postboxes installed, the entry round the corner (by the new road) is incomplete and I have heard some flats have not yet had habitation certificates granted.

I had a flood in my kitchen last week (3 days of dripping water) which then spread to my 2nd bedroom. I was unaware of that deluge of water onto my bedding and bed. Fortunately, Golf Invest had keys to the properties above me (they are owned by the Investor) and repair was made to the cause of the flood. There seems to be a few problems with plumbing in our building.

I have been employing a local Spanish woman to clean communal outside areas since my fall (I had a badly poisoned finger because of the dirty water which got into an open wound. She does lifts J and K and first floor areas, as well as keeps a path clear of dirt to the pool area. She is a great worker and a very trusty friend (I have known her for 3 years). If anyone wants help with cleaning of their flats when letting out, I can highly recommend her. She is thorough and quick and charged 10 euro an hour. She can also iron bedding etc. for changeovers. She came in and helped me after my accident when I couldn't walk very well.

Hope you all have a good Christmas. I am spending Christmas with a Spanish family from the village. If anyone is here on 20th I am also in the local's Nativitiy Play in the Community Centre at 5.30pm

Seasons greetings

Hola June.

Many thanks for the update.

We hope you are keeping well.

Unfortunately Jayne and I cannot get to the community meeting so near to Christmas.

We have written to Paco today to object (Only kidding!!LOL), to say that we have no objections to your aerial.

Please keep the updates coming.

Kind Regards,

Steve and Jayne.

Hi June, many thanks for your updates, they are much appreciated. Hopefully your ariel problem will come to a successful conclusion. We certainly have no objections. Enjoy your Christmas and New Year.

Mark and Jacqui

Email received today saying next meeting is on 1st April 2010, that's a bit more reasonable.  Give people time to make travel arrangements.  Charges mentioned seem excessive.  If anyone knows someone wanting to buy I'm willing to sell.

Caza557

I haven't received anything new about the meeting, only on this site, however the link below goes to a website which shows what our rights are, and the rules for a community of owners in English.

http://spainlawyer.com/guialegal/guialegal.cfm?IDCAPITULO=04070000#04051300000000

With regard to the cleaning fees - 30,000 euros a year for cleaning? In the middle of a recession!!! Someone is having a laugh!

Let;s say 40 hrs a week - 7 euros an hour -x 52 weeks = 14560 euros .

I think this needs a serious challenge.

I will do it myself for that price. Might as well pack in the Works Managers job in the UK, buy myself a few mops, buckets, sweeping brushes and dusters.

We also have recieved the info about the meeting .  Was that some kind of miss print about the cleaning fees !!  They might get that amount a year not a month  !!     

no way is that  going to happen we thought it was a joke !!   We were also going to retire and become cleaners ... will be at the next meeting for certain .  We have been to community meetings before  in other properties and have never come across these crazy charges ..carnt wait for meeting in April ...

 Also the lifts do not need maintence every month this is crazy . Why do we need a  cost for maintence company to  maintain our aerials  . This is all cost that is not needed .   

 This email is also sent from another couple as well as us we all dont agree!

Lindsay Tony Christine John

Buenas noches,

The cleaning is twice a week all the 14 different stairs, not twice a month. (Anyway the community can decide to clean only once a week each stair, that would be cheaper). The cleaning also has to include the communal areas sourronding the swimming pool. I have calculated 2500 € a month according to prices for cleaning Communities that i have checked, and that is a aprox. amount.

To clean 14 stairs twice a week and the communal areas around the swimming pool is not a work only for one person (that would be inhuman). 

The costs could seem high, but you have to divide by 174 apartments.....  (Honestly i think is not a big amount for a building like ours)

The maintenance charge of a lift is obligatory, and if the Community wants the lifts working we have to pay. The Regional Administration ask for the certificates of maintenance, and that work has to be done by proffessionals. The actual charge that we are paying is 140 € per month and per lift every month.

Anyway we are going to be able to discuss all the costs at the meeting in april, and all good ideas will be helpfull to save as much money as we can. Until them all the costs are going to be paid by the promotor with no charge to the owners.

Ginés Avilés   

We said the very same thing.  "We will do the cleaning ourselves for that amount". Some one is having a laugh or they think we are living in Monte Carlo. .LoL I done a quick calculation and if I am correct this is working out at 1,098 euros per week to clean the staircases, maintain 14 lifts and maintain the pool.  I do not think that we need ariels and sat dishes maintained very often. 

Hi Gines, I did not read your post until after I had posted my own.  Some people have not completed yet like ourselves and the only information that we receive is on this forum. Thank You for clarifying the cleaning charges.  I know this is divided by 174 units.  If you can keep us updated with any information it will be greatly appreceiated.

The reason I enquired about maintenance of communal arials is because I have had to request an engineer out at least 3 occasions. If this becomes a communal problem we may find that the costs will mount up but it doesn't necessarily mean a contract, but just finding someone reasonably cheap, but knowledgeable, to repair possible problems with reception and I know one person who gets no reception AT ALL from the roof top communal aerial. We are looking at getting the problems resolved BEFORE they are handed over to be paid for by the Community.

The current aerials are very tall with only 1 bracket to attach them to the building or have been very badly installed according to my TV engineer . So when satellite dishes are fixed to the current TV aerials (I think there are quite a few small satellites), any wind means the aerials bend and those with normal television LOSE their reception.

Anyway, the engineer who installed my wireless broadband aerial also does community satellite dishes. I am obtaining a quote from him for ASTRA tv. Those with Torresat/Teleast sats. should be aware that this is an illegal re-broadcast system which if challenged by authorities could possibly be shut down in the future. A whole community in Costa Blanca lost their UK channels last year with another illegal re-broadcast company.

The cost for ASTRA will be a one-off installation fee of over 1100 plus a communal communications box and each household will need their own FreeSat box. Thereafter there is no monthly charge. I have asked for written details.

The cost of a call-out is 35 euros (which includes the first hour labour). This is reasonable, I think.