Mr and Mrs M, Piedra Amarilla, Partaloa
20th November 2007
January 2005: We saw properties advertised in the Estate Agents office. We were driven to the site and the first question we asked was is the land and properties legal? The Agent stated that everything was legal and they were just waiting for the paperwork to be stamped in Seville, it would be back soon.
February 2005: We arrived in the office of the recommended Lawyer to pay the deposit for the plot of land. We asked the Lawyer to confirm that everything was legal. He stated that they were just waiting for the paperwork to be stamped in Seville and it would arrive back soon. He assured us there was nothing to worry about and everything would be legalised very soon.
March 30th 2005: We met with Estate Agent and landowner in Lawyer’s office in Albox and paid the balance of the land. We showed the Lawyer an article from the newspaper Euro Weekly dated 17th-23rd March 2005 which gave information about illegal buildings in the Albox area. We were obviously very concerned by the article and wanted his opinion. His response was for us not to worry, it was just a rural newspaper trying to put British people off moving from the Coastal areas to the South.
April 20th 2005: We met in Lawyers office with Estate Agent and paid the deposit for the house build. We once again asked him if the house build was legal and again we were informed by him that there was a delay in getting the paperwork back from Seville. Once again he reassured us that everything would be legal.
June 2005: The house build had still not been started so we visited the Estate Agent to find out the reasons. We were informed that you cannot move into a house without the infrastructure being in place. This was strange because two other houses on the site were inhabited and two others were being built. She informed us that the infrastructure would be in place by September 2005, and once again re-assured us that everything would be legal.
September 20th 2006: We were informed that we would now have to buy a water tank and a generator. At this point we became very alarmed, we now believed that the house was not legal and did not want to proceed. We requested that she return our money but she refused. Everything stated above was also witnessed by two other people who accompanied us on all visits.
We are now living without electricity and have since discovered that the builder did not apply for a building licence or the necessary permits even though we were assured by the Agents that he had.
Our contract with the landowner stated that she would install infrastructure but to date she has refused, we had to pay to have water connected.
