British expats to get legal aid to combat real estate fraud
British residents in the Valencia region will be able to get a
helping hand in legal matters as of next month when the
British Consulate in Alicante employs a Spanish civil servant
with expertise in law to advise on home ownership, education,
health and social services.
A similar position is to be introduced in Málaga.
The move is the fruit of an accord between the Spanish
and British governments and the Valencia and Andalusia regional
administrations. The primary aim of the agreement
is to prevent a repeat of the Llíber urban fraud scandal,
where the local mayor, José Mas, was charged with granting
licenses on 300 illegally built homes. A similar case
has erupted in Albox, Almería, where eight homes belonging
to British expatriates are due to be bulldozed before April 9.
Chris Bryant, Britain’s secretary of state for Europe, was
in Málaga to finalize the details last Sunday. “The housing
market in Spain is not going to recover if pictures of bulldozers
knocking down expats’ homes are appearing in British newspapers,” he said.
