back on sale.

Hi ,If anyone out there put a deposit on these properties and lost as we have. They are now for sale through the bank at a greatly reduced price ,and we have just purchased the appt we put the deposit on 6 years ago,Anyone wants any info leave a message.

 We are in the process of buying at the moment. Do you intend living there or just as a holiday home? What time scale will you be looking at to move in? Has Barclays given you any assurances about the main entrance access control? 

I'm in the process of buying as well. For me it will be just a holiday home.

I asked questions about lifts, no anwer yet... I will ask again and check about main entrance access control as well.

Do you know whom we pay community charges? Which company is responsible for maintenace?

Any idea how many apartments have been sold?

 Hi, When I was last over (August), there were 21 sold. 17 to contract and 4 in the process. We bought that week and another couple bought the next day, which would have taken it to 23, so it is heading in the right direction.

My main concern on the access control is that to resolve this properly and make sure that it is doing what it should do you need to have access to every flat, and this is easily achieved at this stage but a logistical nightmare if it's left. My business is CCTV and Access Control, so I know what problems they will face, and the hefty bill that this could be, so I am keen that this is sorted out in advance; after all they have advertised it as a secure gated development. With the remote location that this has, I would view this as a priority.

With regards to the lifts, there were changes in regulations and if these have not been certified before the change then they will need to be re-done with adjustments on the doors and a landline connection (not a sim card as some are), and connection to a call centre. This can be a minefield and if they are condemned then the bill for that will be telephone figures to put it right. They may be OK, there is no way of knowing without the correct information and this has not been forthcoming from Barclays to date.

The management company is a company that Barclays have appointed and they are in Madrid. My understanding is that there has never been anyone from the company set foot on the site, but of course it is all about the interest of Barclays from their point of view, so all the strings are being pulled by the bank at this stage.

From looking at the site and common areas, it is hard to say why the maint fees are as high, but most of this will be going to Madrid for this year. I think it is essential that we completely analyse the books at the first AGM and get to grips with getting the maint to a level where it is correct and appropriate for the level of service that is being provided.

Food for thought.

HI All

We completed on 10th August 2012 - 6 years from first setting eyes on the developement!  Phil & I will be over between 4th November and 9th November and then from 20th December for 2 weeks, please feel free to pop bye and say hi if you are there we are 9A !  I understand Brendan Malony in block 7 is the vice president and he has been very helpful , I am sure you probably will have met him at some point. I also have been intoduced to Coco, Spanish/French lady who has the two block at the top of the developemnt on the same side as the pool, she speaks ENglish and introduced me to Paco (Handyman) & Anna (Cleaner) a great team with excellent work, charging 10 euros per hour - everyone is very helpful and eager to get the developement up and running. Brendan and Inga and their son Tony has been the sole occupants on the developement for the past 4 years!!!!! Hope to meet you all in Spain soon!

 Hello Pieters3153,

Our lawyer has been trying to get an answer back on these issues for weeks and it has been like trying to nail jelly to the ceiling.

The latest on this that we have is that the lifts are supposed to be serviced and repaired by 15th October, but will not be legally switched on until a phone line is installed in each one. Trust me on this, that will be no mean feat, and certainly not cheap.

They are still trying to sort out the access control, and have no resolution in sight yet. The longer they can fob you off with this the less likely it is to be resolved in my opinion.

There also seem to be some issue with the store rooms, and they are withholding the keys because they do not seem to be on the deeds. I am looking into this now.

On top of that the bill for all this is to be met by us and not Barclays. Maybe it's just me, but these apartments are being openly marketed by Barclays as being a secure gated community with functional lifts; in reality their intention is to charge us who knows what to have these facilities restored after they have sold the property to you. 

I think Barclays should be paying for this before the properties are sold because they are advertising one thing and selling another. Nuria in the meantime is very skilled at smiling and playing dumb.

Is it just me or is everyone else getting the same runaround from them?

It seems that regardless of all the unanswered questions, people seem keen to purchase.  Hopefully Barclays will get the security issues and the lift sorted.  Hope that the new purchasers are happy and looking forward to meeting up with everyone.