Update: ITV's Tonight will fly British would-be property buyers out to Spain to view €600 plots

Update: ITV's Tonight programme are filming in Spain next week and are looking for British would-be property buyers interested in viewing inland village plots to be auctioned at prices starting at £500 next month. The programme will fly individuals interested out to Spain! Brits already in Spain are also of interest. Contact Jackie in Spain on or 96 579 3842 or James Bolchover on 0161 952 1028.

Jackie

Dear Sirs

I was very interested to learn of your programme encouraging British Citizens to invest in Spain.  Maybe you are unaware of the thousands of Britons who have fallen foul of the corrupt system within Spain which has led to us losing tens of thousands in lost deposits.  Many of us have won lengthy and costly court cases and awarded judgements against developers which are unenforcable due to the slow and corrupt system.  Many of these deposits were lodged over 10 years ago and no help is available from UK or European Courts.  Our Euro MP has stated that the UK are aware of these problems but felt unable to assist due to the economic situation in Spain which would be further weakened should they be forced to play fair and return monies illegally obtained!

Maybe any would be purchasers of any spanish property/land investments should be made aware of the above before proceeding and your company may like to investigate commissioning a progamme to highlight this unacceptable and unfair situation which has resulted in many Britons who acted in good faith and abided by the rule of law only to lose life savings with seemingly no redress of support from anywhere.

I await your response with interest

Kind regards

Chris Dilks  (aka MEGA)

Hi Mega. What an excellent idea for a programme. It would be good if the makers of the programme could then help you to try and obtain justice. This would not just be programme-making, but a greatly needed contribution towards a battle which must be very hard for you all to fight. Some newspapers take on this kind of campaign-role, so perhaps the television companies could do the same. I'm sure they could find loads of people who've been ripped off and would be glad of the opportunity to air their views.

However, it seems that the agenda for this programme is very different and based on something they think of as quirky - buying a really cheap place in the middle of nowhere. It's the usual search for little stories they think will appeal to the masses.

On the other hand, it would be good if the Spanish housing market could recover and apparently there are signs that the foreigners are returning to buy. The Spanish authorities have to pull their finger out and help ensure that the terrible rip-offs don't recur, whilst at the same time supporting people who have been cheated in their aim to obtain justice.

Mega, the element of the programme featured in this brief post was just one small part of the overall programme. I did expand on it further in a later edition to the thread. We have filmed individuals with ongoing legal problems and have been in close contact with those representing individuals encountering these problems in Spain.

However, with regards to our personal enquiries, we have found that overwhelmingly most of those responding are concerned that we will be negative about the Spanish property market, as they say there has been too much negative media focusing on property buyers finding themselves the victims of corruption and arbitrary land laws.

  Even those who had long-standing legal problems that have now been resolved, were concerned that we would report anything which would put off British buyers. Therefore we walk a fine line.

I would welcome any programme that would expose the problems of expats who have had a particularly unsatisfactory experience buying off-plan.

I purchased off-plan on Camposol originally in 2003; the property was completed in 2006 but by the time I had completed payment and before the escritura was available to sign I discovered that the Certificate of First Habitation would not be available for a very long time - and still is not. I instructed lawyers and the case was eventually heard in 2010 which I lost but won on Appeal in 2012. However, at the present time there is no sign of repayment of my money; although the Court has apparently indentied Assets to be seized they state these would not be sufficient to cover the debt and they are searching for more Assets so far no list of these Assets has been provided.

Although the contract of sale for the property was with Justo y Manoli all other references were with Grupo Masa, however, it appears that the Court will only consider Justo y Manoli.

I notice that the BBC are also looking for people interested for their upcoming Escape to the Continent programme - I have emailed them but I assume they do not necessarily read all emails in depth.

I think that if broadcasters could showcase these types of situations it would at least expose the problems and developers involved. Also any purchasers buying completed properties should be aware of the many properties on the market that do not yet have Certificates of First Habitation. Purchasers of parcels of land will need to be especially careful that the land has all the necessary permissions.

MJWE

We too bought off plan but With Polaris on Condado De Alhama & though it has taken a few years for businesses to open up on the site I have to say that most purchasers are very happy. All roads etc. completed. Swimming pools nag Gardens are looked after to an excellent standard.

Yes the financial status of the word prevented any further development but unlike many sites all buildings were completed & not a crane in sight

We are not far from Campasol & am saddened to read of the experience of one of the purchasers there.  Campasol has a great supermarket & some really good restaurants too. Hope all is resolved very soon

Happy purchaser

Is Camposol in Murcia?

When the TV crew interviewed the consul in Alicante, he said only 1% of buyers ran into legalities. It seemed an underestimate.

Yes Campasol is in Mursia.

A short derive from Mazarron

1% , therein lays your problem........You have fallen into the trap of believing what you are told !

Legalities do not just end on completion of purchase in Spain, developers don't seem to pay fees etc on unsold properties to their communities or entities either causing a supposedly finished urbanization all sorts of financial problems.

I think 1% is very probably an underestimate of the owners with legal problems. On Camposol (second phase) the lack of Certificates of First Habitation applied to all the properties. Also after completion I discovered, quite by accident, that the poligono on which my house was built had been designated 'turistica'; this also applied to several other poligonos. It appeared to come as a surprise to most owners.  If the information had been available at the time of signing the sales contract I would not have purchased. It was these facts that led me to take legal action to cancel the contract. However, retrieving the funds is another matter!

MJWE

Good moring,

                   You are all talking about delays and problems with paper work after the properties were completed,weare talking about after 10 years the properties not even started.There are hundreds of us in this position and our deposits should have been protected under Spanish law (lay 57/68 from 1968) this never happended in hundreds of cases hence 10 yrs on they still have our deposits,this is not right ,fair or legal.My develepor was Aifos but there many more ther is an estimated 185 million euro of deposits lost in just 5 devleopments all we are asking for is justice not a hand out. It would help if every body who finds themselves in this position to come forward and post it os this forum or any other promanent media.

                                                                        Sorry for going on but I myself have up until now have lost most of my daughters inheritence as the appartment was for her when she lived in spain,she is now in england,Iam now coming up to 70 and still hoping the law and right will come through.I await with interest you replys if any.

Mega

                  ,

Good moring,

                   You are all talking about delays and problems with paper work after the properties were completed,weare talking about after 10 years the properties not even started.There are hundreds of us in this position and our deposits should have been protected under Spanish law (lay 57/68 from 1968) this never happended in hundreds of cases hence 10 yrs on they still have our deposits,this is not right ,fair or legal.My develepor was Aifos but there many more ther is an estimated 185 million euro of deposits lost in just 5 devleopments all we are asking for is justice not a hand out. It would help if every body who finds themselves in this position to come forward and post it os this forum or any other promanent media.

                                                                        Sorry for going on but I myself have up until now have lost most of my daughters inheritence as the appartment was for her when she lived in spain,she is now in england,Iam now coming up to 70 and still hoping the law and right will come through.I await with interest you replys if any.

Mega

                  ,

MANY MORE OF US HAVE MONEY OWED TO US.

MY DOWNFALL WAS  PALMERA PROPERTIES, GRUPA URBASA AND BANK PASTOR

The finished programme was broadcast last Thursday (3rd Oct). I tried to post the link, but I`m still not allowed to! So just google ITV and Tonight and Bargains in the Sun.

As the researcher, I made sure the 1% quote was removed from it!  Overall the programme was pretty positive.