The government of Spain is introducing new measures in a bid to ensure that nothing like the recent expat property scandal happens again.
Currently, thousands of expatriates are stuck in a murky mess over properties they bought in good faith, that the Spanish government later deemed as illegal and worthy of demolition.
The issue lies with corrupt officials and unscrupulous property developers who let the constructions go ahead, knowing there would be legal problems. A situation of great unease was created, with angry expats furious that their homes, most built on foundations of life savings, are in line for demolition. The situation is yet to be resolved, and much legal haranguing is underway.
However, a new initiative has been launched by the government of Spain to try and eliminate future scenarios of the same type.
A new ‘Land Registry’ certificate has been created that will give expat property buyers full details of the property’s history, and future, with regards to legal matters such as fines and regulation compliance.
This way expats will be able to fully examine the standing of the property without having to rely on help from third parties.
While these new measures are a positive step, the afflicted expats still need a resolution of their won, as HM Ambassador to Spain, Giles Paxman explains: “I welcome these initiatives. Communicating essential information in English, combined with the measures announced in the decree, should help to ensure buyers are accurately informed of any legal issues connected with a property. However these measures will not, of course, do anything to help existing homeowners who have been experiencing issues with their properties. We will continue to work with the Spanish authorities to ensure these problems are addressed.”