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Has anyone raised the issue of external paintwork with AEA or the developers?

We noticed a couple of weeks ago that blocks are looking very untidy already as paint is peeling off exposing render underneath and in some cases cracks.  Some of the buildings affected aren't even occupied yet!  As Ros Y Falcon still have many properties to see it is in their interests to keep the place looking good so what is the usual process for dealing with this?

Also - once the community is no longer the developer's responsibility how is maintenance such as this carried out?  I notice there are lots of untidy looking developments that obviously haven't been painted in a while.  Do we have to vote at the AGM when we think it's time to spend funds on a face lift?

Caroline

This troubles me. Peeling paint at this stage is usually the result of its poor application, either because it was painted before the structure has dried out or because a diluted first coat (soak in primer) was skipped.   It's the result of sloppy workmanship and we might expect to see it appearing more generally throughout the site.

I would guess that AEA need to approach the developer to insist of a repaint but I would worry that it will just get patched over and will happen again in a short time.

This means either we get a decent repaint done by the community (under close supervision to ensure that it is done right), some time in the next 12 months or we will suffer shabby looking village.   My vote will be for the former.  From everything I've read on these boards about AEA, we may best wait for AEA to get kicked out first to ensure we get a quality, value painting job completed.

Meanwhile getting the developer to patch it up is better than nothing.  I would suggest sending some photos as evidence to AEA with a request for them to approach the developer.  Worth a try?  I will take some photos when I am there but thats not until 17th July.

It won't hurt for more than one owner to do the same.

I agree and I will also take some photos ...If I am not mistaken there needs to be a site snagging service undertaken at the end to repair these items..but who knows if it will be done.

Yes, we noticed it too, at our entrance.  Did actually mention this to AEA but haven't received a response.  Someone has to take responsibility for snagging communal areas!!

Hopefully the developer will be somewhat interested since they still presumably have a lot of properties to sell....

Caroline, I'm not sure they actually have "a lot" of properties to sell.  I believe the majority of Phase 3 are already sold and they have a couple or so in block 15, in phase 2, which are still to sell, due to the fact that those units are without garage spaces.  Again, I'm not sure, but that's what I believe.


This message was last edited by Pitby on 6/16/2007.

On the subject of paint, and not really an important question, does anybody know why there are just a few blocks painted white in Phase 1 only, which I think look really nice, and will we have a choice in future when re-painting? Not an issue just a thought.

Hi Jan,  I just guessed they must still have a lot as there are so many apts empty and obviously  not completed yet.

GR - I seem to remember all of the aps were originally meant to be white and I'm not sure why this was changed once they were built.

I think a lot of people are stretching out the completion process to suit their own diaries, like we did and you also, Caroline.  Also, there will be a lot who have completed but who haven't as yet, gone to furnish, etc.  I would also think there are a lot of people who have no intention of using their apartments and bought simply to make a buck (which obviously might not be the case!), so who will be trying to sell right now.

Hopefully, though, there will be more people there in the summer than there were at easter!!

I don't know why they didn't paint all the buildings (I quite like the terracotta and other colours), but maybe it's because certain owners had completed or were in the process of completing when it was decided to paint the buildings different colours.  Personally, I like the rustic look and think it blends into the hillside nicely!

I am in block 4 and when we did receive some correspondance from aea telling us what our new reduced charges were there was few gaps in the list of owners, preumably because they were unsold. Everytime I have been I have only seen 3 other vehicles in the car park, and not at same time. There is one for sale and if you look at the window boxes (planters) that will give you an idea of the occupancy rate. There are many in my block unattended.

We are in block 9 and I think there is only one other apartment occupied at the moment. Same with block 9 paintwork on the stairway is crumbling off and will go to the AEA office when I am there in August. Before we completed I asked about colours on the outside and was told that the decision to not paint white was because they would not look so grubby with all the dust.  The sales office told me that there should be a planned programme for redecorating the outsides of buildings.

"The sales office told me that there should be a planned programme for redecorating the outsides of buildings."

Is it worth the paper is written on? 

I was told by the sales office that the block below mine in the scale model  was no longer to be built and thus I would have a sea view from the 1st Floor.  Judging by the recent pictures the block below mind was in fact  built.
I was told there would be two full size tennis courts.
I was told that the whole site would be fully built before we moved in, so no one would suffer from building dust.
Well that was back in Aprill 2003  when the completion dates was set for something like September 2004. 
Of course I had my doubts but  when you buy off plan you take these risks.

But back to the point...  if someone went to the sales office today as a prospective buyer I wonder if  they could get more details of the planned repaint. 

If  enough prospective customers were to go to the sales office and mention the bad paintwork as a reason not purchasing then I guess a re-painting programme would proceed for at least some of the exterior.  Just a thought :0

I think what they mean by planned repainting is what the community will fund as part of the service. I would be suprised if developers repaint as a matter of course but we should try it anyway.

I agree with you, John.  I think what they are referring to is what the community administration should "plan" for once we are up and running.

That said, though, there should be provision for snagging the developer's work on the communal areas and, again, I think this is something that the administrators have to take up on behalf of the community.  The developers should put right defective works, workmanship, building, etc.  They have to be responsible for this.  They can't just put a coat of chalky paint on all the buildings and then expect the whole community to repaint it practically immediately!!

Again, this is one for AEA to raise with the developer and to have someone snag all communal areas and a point should be put on the agenda for the AGM, if not raised before.

Having walked around the whole of the development when we were last out in May, we noticed that there are numerous areas where the paint is already peeling off.

You can also see a number of places where the developer is clearly cutting back on finish and materials as he gets nearer to completion ( Molded correct paths instead of brick paving is one example)

It is completely unresaonable for the community to have to pay for overall poor workmanship, but as at present the chairman is appointed by RYF and is obviously one of their staff we are going to have a battle on our hands and I doubt AEA will side with the residents in this matter.

 

Yes, Michael, until owners/purchasers are in the majority (ie those purchasers who have completed on their apartments) I also think we will have a problem.  As long as RyF are the majority owners in the community, we will have a fight.

But I would still like to think that, under Spanish law (???), there would be recourse to enforce developers to ensure communal areas are up to the contractual standard.   And if paint is already peeling, then that obviously is not the case.

So, even if RyF are still the majority owners, if the point is raised as an issue on the agenda at the first AGM at least, once the development is finished even, we have some sort of recourse to ensure that communal snagging is carried out.

At the end of the day, AEA are the administrators of the community (even if appointed by RyF and the chairman of the community is one of their directors or something!).  Once RyF are out of the picture, AEA would obviously like to keep the position as administrators for such a large community - and doing what is best for the community and what the majority of owners wish must be in their interest!!







This message was last edited by Pitby on 6/18/2007.

I suggest that at the AGM a request is made for AEA to provide us with an up to date list showing those apartments sold and those still held by RyF as only then can we see if we now have sufficient voting power to get rid of the useless President appointed by RyF and appointing our own representatives to start putting a rocket up AEA and RyF

I agree with michael. Bit catch 22 this as the president is an employee of ryf and he is the onme who has failed so far to call the meeting. Suggest we all email aea to demand now the agm.

JC

Can we threaten to take the President to Court if he fails to call the AGM ??

Maybe we should all write to him in ENGLISH (which he appears to hate) threatening him with Court action if he fails to call the AGM in accordance with the resloution of the meeting held at AEA in March.

Regards

Michael

Michael. That's not a bad idea and I will write to him tonight on the following topics Agm - date please or advise my legal person Snagging of communial areas Paintwork needs attention now. Suggest the more people can complain the better. Then we can compare responses.