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British government offers hope to property buyers in SpainHundreds of thousands of Britons have lost money on illegal or unfinished homes in Spain. Will attempts by the British government to help them prove successful? Many Britons have seen their dream of owning a Spanish home turn into a nightmare; especially those whose homes have been deemed 'illegal' and demolished Photo: Robert Brook / Alamy By Anna Nicholas
9:32AM BST 16 Jun 2011
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Last month when the Spanish government organised a property road show in the UK, attempting to lure Britons to invest in its saturated housing market, it was greeted with derision and angry public demonstrations. What did it honestly expect?
There are no easy solutions to Spain’s property scandal, which has affected hundreds of thousands of Britons who have either been duped into buying illegally built homes, affected by land grabs and retrospective coastal planning laws or lost deposits on off-plan builds. To Spain’s shame, corrupt councils, estate agents, property developers, builders and lawyers have all been complicit in the chain of events that have led to many losing their life savings on worthless properties, and in extreme cases having their “illegal” Spanish properties demolished.
The British government has been hugely aware of the property issues affecting British expats in Spain but has found itself in an invidious position, being unable to intervene in local property disputes which are a matter of Spanish internal law. Instead, last year, the British Embassy in Madrid appointed a temporary special advisor to get to grips with the complex issues of property laws and regulations in the country with an aim to offering comprehensive advice through its website to future buyers, as well as those encountering problems with an existing Spanish property.
In order to better understand the situation, the special advisor has already met with a number of resident groups throughout Spain and with diplomatic missions whose nationals have encountered similar problems. The findings from her report are now being used to help the British Embassy and consulates in Spain to understand how best to offer support to British expats.
In tandem with this, the British Ambassador to Spain has been meeting with key officials in the central and regional governments to raise awareness of the problems and to express concern for the plight of those affected. The issue is also being addressed through the UK Representation to the EU (UKRep) and the British Embassy in Spain, which is in discussion with MEPs, and staff from the European Commission and European Parliament offices in Spain.
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For those distressed British expats caught up in their own personal property nightmare there is no immediate solution in sight, but at least their voices are finally being heard at a national and international level. Buying in Spain might not be as safe as houses yet, but with new legislation being enforced by the country’s regional governments, and with excellent property advice being offered online, the future certainly looks brighter.
Telegraph Expat's Spanish Planning Scandal campaign is supporting the thousands of expats who have been affected by the illegal homes crisis in Spain. You can find all the latest news on the situation - and place a pin telling your story on our interactive map - here.
9:32AM BST 16 Jun 2011
5 Comments
Last month when the Spanish government organised a property road show in the UK, attempting to lure Britons to invest in its saturated housing market, it was greeted with derision and angry public demonstrations. What did it honestly expect?
There are no easy solutions to Spain’s property scandal, which has affected hundreds of thousands of Britons who have either been duped into buying illegally built homes, affected by land grabs and retrospective coastal planning laws or lost deposits on off-plan builds. To Spain’s shame, corrupt councils, estate agents, property developers, builders and lawyers have all been complicit in the chain of events that have led to many losing their life savings on worthless properties, and in extreme cases having their “illegal” Spanish properties demolished.
The British government has been hugely aware of the property issues affecting British expats in Spain but has found itself in an invidious position, being unable to intervene in local property disputes which are a matter of Spanish internal law. Instead, last year, the British Embassy in Madrid appointed a temporary special advisor to get to grips with the complex issues of property laws and regulations in the country with an aim to offering comprehensive advice through its website to future buyers, as well as those encountering problems with an existing Spanish property.
In order to better understand the situation, the special advisor has already met with a number of resident groups throughout Spain and with diplomatic missions whose nationals have encountered similar problems. The findings from her report are now being used to help the British Embassy and consulates in Spain to understand how best to offer support to British expats.
In tandem with this, the British Ambassador to Spain has been meeting with key officials in the central and regional governments to raise awareness of the problems and to express concern for the plight of those affected. The issue is also being addressed through the UK Representation to the EU (UKRep) and the British Embassy in Spain, which is in discussion with MEPs, and staff from the European Commission and European Parliament offices in Spain.
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16 Dec 2010 - Expats in Spain struggle to sell properties
05 Jan 2011
For those distressed British expats caught up in their own personal property nightmare there is no immediate solution in sight, but at least their voices are finally being heard at a national and international level. Buying in Spain might not be as safe as houses yet, but with new legislation being enforced by the country’s regional governments, and with excellent property advice being offered online, the future certainly looks brighter.
Telegraph Expat's Spanish Planning Scandal campaign is supporting the thousands of expats who have been affected by the illegal homes crisis in Spain. You can find all the latest news on the situation - and place a pin telling your story on our interactive map - here.
