The Leader 22 1 2010: British Ready to buy again in Spain - but legally!

http://www.theleader.info/article/21427/british-ready-to-buy-again-in-spain-but-legally/

Dave Bull / 2010-01-22 14:36:51


News that many of the people visiting international property shows in the UK last year were still looking to move abroad, specifically Spain, indicates that while the downturn has made a difference, there are signs that things are beginning to happen and that the green shoots of recovery, although sparse, are starting to make an appearance.

Spain's main competitors were the USA and Australia and New Zealand, which have been offering immigration packages at some shows. But the survey results from these shows are especially good news for Spain, which is confirmed to be the favourite destination of potential property-buyers still with over 60 per cent of visitors indicating an interest in Spain. France came a poor second despite its familiarity and geographical proximity to British buyers.

Surveys of the public attending the show indicated that many buyers have been waiting for the right moment, and are now thinking about making a move, as the thinking is that house prices are unlikely to drop any further.

The reasons for choosing Spain, were, as one would expect, the climate, the friendly people, and previous holidays in certain areas in the past. It was also noted that buyers were now more aware of the problems now facing property investors who had chosen destinations that were not offering many flights in and out.

Some places have even cancelled flights altogether while others have cut drastically during the crunch but locally, Malaga airport continues to be served by numerous airlines with dozens of flights every day to the UK.

However, what is it exactly they can expect when they get here? As more and more we about cases hear concerning expats duped into buying illegal properties or falling foul of a law that has previously been ignored. The case in  Albox, Almeria where nine British home owners stand to lose their homes following a demolition order has now developed into a diplomatic row with Ambassador Giles Paxman getting involved and asking for a meeting to try and resolve the situation.

President of the Junta de Andalucía, José Antonio Griñán, told Press last Thursday that he had not received 'any notification or letter' from the British Ambassador to Spain, Giles Paxman, regarding the demolition of the nine British owned properties but British diplomats are insisting that Ambassador Paxman has written and sent a fax, but speaking to journalists in Córdoba, José Antonio Griñán, said that the building licences for the properties had already been contested by the Junta at the time as not being considered as legal. He insisted that the Junta had therefore met its obligations regarding the matter, and that the properties were illegal.

the Junta's Councillor for Housing, Juan Espadas, has now made a call for calm from the nine property owners insisting that his department would be looking at the matter 'case by case' and that problem had arisen because of the 'speculative interests of professional defrauders' who had attracted foreign investors by offering the chance of building on non-buildable land without explaining exactly what any problems could be.

AUAN, the Association against infringing people's Property Rights, said in a statement released on Friday, 'We are protesting against legal and planning uncertainty, against bad administration and corruption, against the failure to respect citizens' human rights and against the failure of the administration to comply with European Parliament resolutions'.