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Hi there,
We are in desperate need of advice on the following problem.
We purchased an off plan property two years ago, from a small agent in north Torrevieja, after visiting a Spain on Show exhibition in the UK. The viewing tour was very good and the level of service from this company was exceptional. lovely hotel in Guardamar, wined and dined, all very impressive. We saw a lovely property in Fortuna, Murcia that we liked but was over our budget. We did not want to sell our UK property to fund this but the salesman told us that we could get a guaranteed self cert mortgage in Spain.
They even said as a sales plug that they would buy back at any time. (This has also been said to other clients who have purchased.) What could we possibly loose? We paid our deposit . Reluctantly used their solicitor, as it was suggested that there would not be time for us to get our own, and that they were totally independant. WRONG.
We paid 50% of the total price within four weeks as agreed and waited for the property to be built. We had several issues with this company along the way, as many things that we had been told seemed very inacurate to say the least. When the build was complete and on time, the solicitor began to organise the mortgage and arrange completion. We were shocked to find out that the mortgage monthly repayments were 3 times more than the figure they initially gave us. Shock horror! but ok we will have to sell our UK property. We immediately put it on the market.
We moved to Spain for completion in October 2007. There was a delay with the mortgage but we were given the keys and moved in. To date we are still waiting. The mortgage is not available and we cannot complete.
The agent is ignoring my repeated request for help and the UK branch of the company fail to reply to my e-mails. It seems that there is no after sales whatsoever when things dont go to plan. I have informed the developer of our situation as they have been quite good so far but of course they want us to complete and we can't. Sale of house now priced for quick sale. the solicitor has told us that we can loose all our money nearly £80.000 in total so far. Fortunately I have the only keys to the property and I am going nowhere. I did not come to Spain to get ripped of by these unscrupulous operators. The solicitor is a fiscal representative not a lawyer and is not working in our favour.
The cars continue to bring new clients and it is very difficult to remain silent while they continue to treat us in this appalling manner. Of course the salesmen hang on to them like glue so that they do not speak with other buyers. Their selling is based on total lies. We foolishly believed the glossy brochures and sales patter to our detriment.
Any advice from anyone out there would be very welcome.
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Hello,
I, like many others who purchased off plan, have been duped by this company OVP. They are a franchised operation with no afterservice whatsoever. If you look at your original documents they were called the "Operator" interpret as AGENT for the company in Spain who were investing in the land and then subcontracting to a builder.
Like you and many others we did the tour and were sold the high life of the yachting centers, good restaurants, etc. and five and a half years later we now have two properties which we were told they would buy back from us but within a couple of months couldn't or wouldn't do so. They said the original owners changed the rules.
Building didn't take place because of all the construction and as there is no "OUT" of the contract there was nothing we could do to get out of this contract. We used OVP's own tame Conveyancing Company, Attorney, Snagging Company, etc. only now the snagging company is useless and cannot bring the builder to complete the work on our behalf.
Although we have two mortgages on these properties the rates are horrible and expenses to complete a nightmare. We worked out that if we want to rent through OVP that we couldn't make any money. Take into account the furniture pack costs and the Association fees, Insurance and then take your 10-12 weeks rental, car pack, starter pack and maintenance fees, cleaning, etc. and you end up letting someone stay free of charge in your apartment! Oh I forgot contract fees, and key holding fees.
If you intend to live in your apartment then you need to ensure that you have all the legal papers and if that means changing attorney out there then do so. Find someone who deals with nothing but the type of work you need to have done. If necessary go back to your original Conveyancing person in UK and ask for their help.
I personally wish someone would put a stop to these people because they are most definitely selling a bunch of lies.
Looking at the property market now we have 2.2 million homes for sale in Spain and they prices are dropping faster than a stone! It will take some 5-6 years before many of these will sell.
I hate to paint gloom and despondency but I have been writting e-mails and forum notes, etc.for a long time now because I want these people stopped trading the way they are and leaving not only the public stranded but the banks in the country too who will have all these properties as foreclosures.
My advice is find another good attorney to deal with if you have lots of money tied up in your property.
Take care and good luck.
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Hi Again,
I forgot to say that you should go outside when you see the cars arrive and tell people what is going on and to make sure they find out who is going to help them sort out problems. I would most certainly get their ear someway. Maybe with a computer flyer stating your case and just hand it to everyone you see there who is in the car or bus load visiting to buy offplan.
Just a thought.
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Legal help highly needed here. Any independent lawyer with an expertise in civil and criminal law used to deal with Real Estate issues, some background on Consumers Law will help too.
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Maria L. de Castro, JD, MA
Lawyer
Director www.costaluzlawyers.es
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Hi Ozneo, we bought throught the same company as you (Spain on Show exhibition only deal with one company in Spain!). They gave us a pack of lies too.
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Go on Ozneo name and shame them!
It may hit where it hurts them - in their order books.
Mariadecastro is right, legal action away from the "company" firm is the best line of action!
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Ozneo. Is this company Atlas ?
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Despreocupado
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Wow! what a response I have had from everyone ,thanks for your support.
The company is Euro Anglo Sur and they are the parent company of prestige villas in the UK and spain on show. I have just looked at their website and iI can honestly say that none of their promises are familiar to me. At the exhibition, I asked if they sub-contracted to small builders. They quite proudly claimed to be the developers and said they employed all the builders. What a shock I had in October 2007 to find out that even the promotor subs to builders.
They even state that they are 100% legal and yet I have just found out that the escitura for my property is around 44.000€ less than actual price. My friends and neighbours have all experienced this. I even wonder if their false claims contravene British Trading Standards Laws. This could be another avenue for us if we are unsuccessful in Spain. Surely if these British companies are sending people out here, they should be held accountable.
One very good piece of advice in a private message to encourage a reply was to paint it black. How fab is that? Although I don't think my good neighbours would approve somehow. Watch this space...................
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OZNEO.
have your spoken to the developers? as it seems that Euro Anglo Sur are brining thier name in disrepute.
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Despreocupado
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Hi folks,
I am in the process of designing a suitable flyer to hand out to new visitors to Las Kalendas. I would like to encourage them to buy a property at this wonderful location and assure them of a warm welcome from the many genuine and very helpful and friendly people who already live here. Hopefully it won't be too long before we have more units occupied and many shops to browse around.
It is my intention to encourage interest in the many resale properties that are available and of course, to the developers who have some lovely properties. We deal directly with the developers anyway following completion, as there seems to be no after sales available for the people who buy through agents. I will also add details of this fab website.
If anyone has any other ideas then please contact me
A big Thank You to the EOS team for allowing me the use of this magical tool. Who needs discos and nightlife when you can sit up all night and have entertainment like this at home.
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Hi ozneo
We are friends with Paul & Pauline (PVP) who post both on EOS & on the Kalendas forum. Last month, my husband & I, along with Paul & Pauline, drove from our own place outside Guardamar to go to see how their villa was progressing. We saw just how many key ready properties there are there & I well understand why you feel the way you do. It was a bit like a ghost area. We called at the little bar for a drink. There wasn't any beer unless I had a litre (I think it was) bottle of San Miguel. Paul & Pauline rarely drink alcohol & my husband was driving so no booze. We all paid a euro each for cans of Coca Cola.  If we go again I'm taking a cold bag with drinks in. We met Dennis Mundy, what a pleasant man.
Anyway good luck with what you are planning to do.
Just a word, read forum rules which say
DON'T MENTION COMPANY OR EMPLOYEE NAMES - Please do not use the forums to complain about companies or individuals. We are not in a position to be held liable for defamatory content on our site over which we know nothing about. Therefore, please do not mention any company names or their staff if you have any compaints. This is not the place to vent your anger.
You chose to do it on 08 Apr 2008 12:27 PM. Justin will be after you.
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Hi there morerosada
I have not met Paul and pauline yet but we have spoke on here, and Dennis is my neighbour and so we in the same boat, if you get my drift. I'm glad you liked it here at Las kalendas but I am sure that had you have walked around and spoke with the people here, then you would have been invited in for drinksand nibbles, F O C. No need for a cooler bag, just post on here when you are coming.
I take note of your rules and regs and apologise most sincerely to Pinochio whom I named here on another thread.
Regards, Di
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Hi Di
We got to know Paul & Pauline last year. Paul was a member of a very small forum I had been in but I had left as it was dull & boring. In that forum there was an area where members could post their email addresses &, because I knew nothing about forums then, I foolishly put my email address on & Paul saw it & emailed me. (I had to rejoin forum to go remove my address  ) He asked me if he could pick my brain & we started chatting on messenger. Later it transpired he & Pauline have a mobile caravan & they take it to a site not far from us here in Weston. Paul comes alone to fish sometimes & they both spent two weeks last September there. That's when we met them. We saw them one week & again the week after. We got on great, they're such a sociable pair. They're very excited about their villa & wanted us to see it too. It's almost finished & Paul keeps me updated with photos.
Basically Paul & Pauline had been in the Kalendas area for a week together at The White House with Paul staying alone in a nearby campsite, before Pauline went over. (Paul drove from Birmingham area but Pauline flew into Alicante). They then drove to a hotel in Guardamar for a week, calling on us on their way to the hotel. We arranged to drive over to Las Kalendas on March 20th & it was a very pleasant drive, around an hour I guess from Guardamar. There are some gorgeous looking bungalows there. Loved Dennis', is yours the same ? I loved the tiles that are around the bungalow near the top of walls, really sets property off. Certainly my OH & I will return, likely once Paul & Pauline have completed, around Xmas I understand it may be. We've been invited & have chosen the bedroom we want to stay in.  Hope to meet you one of these days.
EDITED TO ADD : THEY ARE NOT MY RULES.  I'M JUST ANOTHER FORUM MEMBER, LIKE YOURSELF.
This message was last edited by morerosado on 4/30/2008.
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Hi rosardo, (Sparkling).
The villas are very well designed, and the people & area are great, try to have a look at the photos from Las Kalendas site.
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Despreocupado
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Hi chelseadel
I have looked (there are quite a few too) as Paul asked me to join that forum & help him with something in there once.
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Hi Morerosado you will have to let me know what colour curtains I have to fit in your bedroom lol, ur very welcome as are most peeps c u soon Paul and hi to everyone on site at Las Kalendas
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A MIRACLE HAS HAPPENED,
Following 8 months of anguish and despair and several nervous breakdown's, we have finally completed on our property against all the odds (and great expense).
No thanks go to Euro Anglo Sur, presitge villas in Bournmouth and magnate villas in wolverhampton or spainonshow.com as they now call themselves, who all did a runner on us when the going got tough. So much for their promise that they hold your hand all the way. As soon as they knew that they had failed us in getting the guaranteed mortgage, they just didn't want to know and just sat back, totally ignored our desperate pleas and waited for us to loose our money so that they could re-sell our property.
We found out on the day of completion that we didn't actually own anything, and yet when you purchase from these guys they tell you that your 50% deposit means that you own the land and there are two sets of deeds. Well that is another lie as we found out when the builders issued us with a letter and date to leave the property.
Anyone going on an inspection trip with these people, beware that nothing they said to us was honest and truthful. There are far better quality properties about if you have a look, as they are not the top quality builds that they state in the brochures. Also don't just look at the show houses as our house is nowhere near the standard of the show house. On valuation, the property was worth 24500.00€ less than we were paying. But at this stage you cannot pull out without loosing all of your money.
Had we have not bought through this agent then we could have saved around £50000.00. Not to mention the need for plastic surgery to have the bags removed from our eyes due to the endless sleepless nights. What an absolute nightmare and a total waste of our hard earned cash. But, hey ho!
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Hi there,
This is my first time on the blog, and I also live in Staffs UK.
I am currently in the process of buying with EAS and therefore read your information with a vested interest. I am purchasing a property in Los Urrutias Aldea Beach and am awaiting the final completion date. (Should have been ready last August).
I must say I have not , as yet been treated in the way that you have, but I shall now be aware of their downfalls.
I shall certainly discuss with the solicitor the negative equity situation you find yourself in immediately.
Thanks for your information.
Wendy
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Well done Oz, enjoy  . We went on a trip with themlast Jan but did not feel comfortable about things. Now buying on Lo Crispin from a smaller agent
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If you're going through hell keep on going, you might get out before the devil even knows you're there.
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