19 Apr 2011 8:30 PM:

Hi all. We have a similar problem with the requirement for a Licence of First Occupation (LFO), but with an electricity supply problem, not water (we only have well water). My husband and I brought a house in a rustic but not isolated area of Alhaurin de la Torre, Málaga in 2003, the house was built about 10-15 years before. The English couple we purchased from extended the property some years before we purchased. They said fines were paid for this before we purchased. We employed a local well known firm of solicitors to complete the purchase for us with full power of attorney (we were in UK at the time). The solicitors were to check all was legal in every way and change utilities to our name. All appeared to go well. Then in January 2011, this year, we received a letter from Endesa saying we only had temporary electricity... for over 15 years?? Between Endesa and the Town Hall we are now being asked for the LFO together with every document under the sun from the property's original construction plans. Our solicitor insists that he did everything correctly in 2003 and that the FLO was not applicable then. We have been told that we will be cut off in May 2011 if we can't produce these documents. Some are possible (we pay IBI, the house is in the Land Registry, has an esctritura etc and we have had a new electic boletin prepared at a cost of over Euros 2,000.00), but because so many properties have some aspect of illegality about them in rustic areas here LFOs are not being issued. (We have applied for one now, but been told it will not be issued - administrative silence will not be happening as the Town Hall have written to us, so have not been silent!)). We have heard that some families locally and in nearby Coín have in fact now had their electricity cut off, even though they have paid their bills. There is complete uproar here with no common sense prevailing with the authorities and over 400 families affected now. Surely there should be some transitional laws to capture cases like ours? We are continuing the battle with our solicitor and sometime battling with him. We have a beautiful house which we believed to be legal when we purchased which will be virtually inhabitable if something as basic  as electricity is removed. Anyone else having this problem or found a solution?

Thread: License for First Occupation in established property

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