We live in Spain - 6         June 2006

WE LIVE IN SPAIN – and invite you to do the same

Brian and Debs Martin own and run their own estate agency located just outside Malaga, Andalucia. Having come through the trauma of buying and settling in Spain - and advising clients - they offer their experience to visitors to laterlife.com .

How safe are you in Spain?

Much has been published about the security of both your property and your money when buying in Spain. Scandals have been reported in the English and Spanish press over the last few weeks because of actions by the Marbella council.

Several developments have come under close scrutiny, not least the Banana Beach project, consisting of 238 apartments, in Marbella. It would appear that this edifice, pictured here, was built, sold and occupied without the correct paperwork, on land allegedly zoned for other purposes.

Hundreds of families now live in this not insubstantial property. Needless to say, there are ongoing investigations by the police, at several different levels, and so the story continues….. Several members of the local council have either been carted off to the local jail, or are under investigation.
 

What measures can reasonably be taken to reduce the risk, as much a possible?

Buying an established property would certainly be an option. Developments which have been in existence for several years with nothing untoward coming to light are unlikely to produce the sort of problem outlined above.
 

If your dream villa has been bought and sold a few times over its lifetime, it is probable that most of the snags have already been dealt with. Of course it’s the big cases that hit the headlines. Newspapers sell on sensational stories, so you don’t hear much about the thousands and thousands of British, French, German and other nationalities from all over the globe that successfully buy their properties here in Andalucia.

It is possible. Here are a few rules about buying in Spain:

• Always use the services of a solicitor, or abogado, when buying.
• Do not use the one offered by the developer or estate agent assisting you.
• Ask friends for personal recommendations; question them for details of their own  experiences when buying.
• If your Spanish is not up to the task, make sure that your new lawyer speaks English at a good level, not just the odd word. This is not the time to economise on quality or to pretend your Spanish is better than it really is.
• Don’t sign anything until your lawyer has agreed to it. And don’t pay out anything either.
• Don’t buy off-plan without a guarantee from your bank.
• Check with the town hall that the property is authorised and planning for the purpose is agreed.
• Never use the same law firm or lawyer as the vendor.

We’ve been working in Andalucia for more than 5 years, so we have some experience. Do let us have your questions.

Please email brian@lacasanova.com  or phone (0034) 610 827 330

Brian and Deborah Martin own and operate lacasanova.com, a family-run estate and insurance agency based just outside Malaga. If you have any questions or comments on the above, please email brian@lacasanova.com
 

laterlife interest

The above article is part of the features section of laterlife.com called laterlife interest. laterlife interest contains a variety of articles of interest for visitors to laterlife.com written by a number of experienced and new journalists.

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