Seems your UK rates bill can be slashed. Check it out with YOUR local council.

I attach an extract taken directly from the MLH website. The independent snagging inspection is being removed!!!!!! I for one am not prepared to accept this. The history of this company preparing properties for snagging is woeful. We have all been hearing stories of how bad people are finding things and that is AFTER Cardiff Smith (the snagging inspector) has been involved. Just how bad is it going to be now that he is not involved at the earlier stage. What this means is that we are all going to be asked to waste airfares visiting a property not yet ready and with plenty of mistakes, bad finishes, broken items etc. They really don't care how much they offend us. We should all refuse to attend a snagging meeting until an independent inspection has been carried out. Of course we could always pay for our own independent snagging company to do that but why should we when it has been provided to others for nothing. Not that this was such a magnanimous gesture but more was forced on MLH because complete anarchy was erupting as a result of the poor standard of presentation. Well what has changed!! Do we really think that they will now be better than they were before?

Refuse to attend unless a professional snagging is carried out before you visit!!

This is the extract from MLH website

Update as at 24/10/06 - Following a further review of the snagging procedure, and due to the fact that virtually all blocks now have the first occupancy licence, it has been decided that the Developer will pre-snag the newly released apartments and that the independent snagging company will support the rectification process of any snag items once the purchasers have completed their inspection visit.

You may be reassured to know that people in Phase 1 either had to travel to CDS to do their own snagging or retain the services of an independent.  We paid Cardiff Smith to do this for us - it had benefits in that we didn't have the expense and time required to travel to Spain. Apart from that, my knowledge of good -v- mediocre workmanship is limited; I could identify a loose tile or something else obvious.

When we took possession and stayed in our apartment we identified other things requiring attention, these were rectified immediately.

Although I agree that the "luxury apartments set in tropical gardens" haven't yet arrived on site I think, to be fair, MLH are not ripping you off over snagging. It appears that there were so many problems through poor workmanship they brought in Cardiff as an independent to oversee putting things right.  So long as MLH do a thorough job with pre-snagging and leave little for you to find then that's great.  My advice is hire the services of someone who knows what to look for.

The point I am making is that originally MLH were doing a poor job of pre snagging. What has happened to make anyone think they will now do an acceptable job! Secondly why should purchasers now pay an independent snagging firm when many others had the cost funded by MLH. A cost that was met because the developers they were in business with were so poor! I agree those in phase 1 had to fund the cost themselves but that is history now and nothing can be done about that, what I am complaining about is a complete about turn from a statement on their own website guaranteeing that all future properties will benefit from this service. I think they have a legal obligation to meet these costs, I attach the relevant extract from the website.

"With the aim of maximising customer satisfaction, we are happy to agree an enhancement of the current completion process by which the contractor undergoes its snagging list, and the developer instructs a further snagging list prior to receiving the flats from the contractor.

Before your clients are invited to inspect their finished apartment, Interlaken will invite inspection by an independent specialist inspection company.

Only when the independent specialist agrees that all faults have been rectified will your client be invited to inspect their property. The additional cost of this independent specialist is to be borne by Mediterranean Luxury Homes.

let's face it; we've all been duped into paying top prices for total crap