01 Oct 2010 12:00 AM:

Following my earlier posts re Roda Golf and 'Lost the Lot', I drove down there with a dire old Transit and emptied the almost  a quarter of a million pound apartment, and drove back. Trip was fairly boring, but what a joy! Sent the keys back to the outrageous, overcharging bank with a letter to the branch and another to the head office. I did not play their imbecilic games with Dation el Pago because it would have cost many more thousands, firstly enriching the solicitors and then a Notary, (1% to start) followed by an endless court case with attendant delays and yet more sky-high charges. Two years was mentioned as normal!. In the meantime mortgage repayments would have been suspended, but not the crazy Communidad charges (£1500 pa), the new 'entity' costs (£500) plus a new 'council tax'  (?)and all the  utilities. What'll happen now I neither know nor care, but I'm not paying them another cent. So it joins the million or so other unwanted and uneconomical properties standing empty all over Spain, not to mention all the unsold second-hand  property for sale everywhere which has ALL lost about 40% apparently. If you want a holiday in Spain, and believe me there are very many better destinations, stay in a 5 star hotel,- it'll be miles cheaper than owning a fancy apartment on a usually almost empty golf course. The whole place is virtually deserted for 8-9 months a year.  I reckon I've lost about £60,000 but I've put a smile on the face of MRI and Roda's owners, and now at last I'm free!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!, home, close to broke but happy because the cash haemorrage has ended thank F. Rollo

Forum thread: FREE AT LAST!!

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12 Jul 2010 12:00 AM:

Hi everyone. Thanks for all your generally kind and understanding comments on my Roda postings. I'm about to bail out and hopefully skip the dacion pago stuff as I have already lost pretty much all my life savings, and with no realistic end in sight. The other costs and charges are still running at way over £60 per week, plus the mortgage and it's all simply unsustainable. I've read all about the dacion scheme and even there, rip-off continues, so I really don't intend to play that particular game. Big question is, "What happens if you just give them the keys back?" Maria kindly suggested a form of letter which I understand obviates the dacion performance, and I hope she'll arrange to do one. Still a few weeks to go. Have an almost new Air-con system and meter for sale, will suit Roda 2 bed apartment.  Can arrange installation. Cheers, Rollo

Forum thread: what happens if you ignore dacion en pago and just chuck the keys in?

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09 Jul 2010 2:15 PM:

Thanks Debbie.

    You're right about reposessions, but I don't have any figures. In a nutshell, these aptmnts can NEVER cover their ongoing costs even with 3-4 months of bookings, due to the fact that we all paid far too much in the first place and ongoing maintenance costs are crazy. Roda's owners/managers simply could not care less about we Brits, we're simply milch-cows and, having paid, we're now expendable. As a place to go on holiday I suppose it's OK for once or twice, more if you're a golf ball basher, but if I never see it again, it'll be far too soon! I'm arranging the big clear out and have just received some excellent pearls of wisdom re the the 'Big Goodbye'. So It's a van to Roscoff, 1100 miles, load up and cruise back thru La France spending some time on the way back. Except for all the bad bits, Roda COULD be OK, but it will take many years and a collapse in the euro to make any real improvement, plus contract prices per se must drop dramatically. So no hotel, no saunas, no supermarkets,- nothing, not even an access from phase3 to the clubhouse. Plenty of forgotten, broken promises. I view the whole thing this way.- For years I have been carrying a large and expensive sack of rubbish around, ie a Roda apartment, and when I finally put it down, the relief is pure joy. My £50k+ is history, the Roda clever B*****s have it  all and now I haven't. It's worth far more than that to be FREE.

          As an aside Communidad P21 is blessed with Snr Ruiz and Snra Ballate who have kicked out the likes of Thyssen, who not only underperformed, but even failed to turn out to release a trapped lady!!!, ( No spik eengleesh, you call security- they have key!) and they charged £40 maintenance per lift per week!. When booted they wrote to all the owners squealing about how good they were. The new lift people are EXCELLENT, substantially less expensive, and responded to a call out in MINUTES!! The gardening also improved dramatically and most of the imbecilic lights under every tree are now OFF. If all the communidads had  a Snr Ruiz costs would fall very rapidly, but nearly all the others have simply renewed the existing contracts and continually get shafted, preferring the status quo and to not 'rock the boat'. Daft. Cheers Rollo

Community thread: Lost the lot!

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08 Jul 2010 11:48 PM:

What are the chances of being pursued for a 'shortfall' if one ignores the banks preferred payola route, empties ones dwelling, and just rides away? The bank has already absorbed, very quickly, our so-called 'profit' by shafting us at 6% interest for the first 18 months mortgage payments or so. Then they grossly overcharged for property and life insurances etc. As far as I'm concerned they have had the great bulk of my life savings, other costs and charges have soared to the extent that getting the hell out is a very attractive option. Has anyone here just handed the keys back with a cheery 'Adios'? What was the upshot? Would greatly welcome any advice and/or opinions. Thanks, Rollo

Forum thread: Dacion el pago - handing back the keys

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08 Jul 2010 11:26 PM:

Thanks Carole. Will get into the postings. Not sure quite how to copy and paste stuff as it usually vanishes!  You're dead right about sh*t in all corners. Greece, spain, Portugal, then Italy,- all b*gg*red by gross over borrowing and simple idleness relying on only tourism. They don't actually make anything, bit like here in GB now, so we're probably up the same gum tree albeit not quite so high!! Cheers Rollo

Community thread: Lost the lot!

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