British government offers hope to property buyers in spain

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.

Source: Telegraph.co.uk