British Expats Risk Losing their Spanish Dream Homes

British Expats who bought property in Spain at the height of the property development boom there risk losing their dream homes altogether.  It would appear that some lawyers and local officials were involved in granting planning permission in return for bribes, and homeowners have been caught in the crossfire as developments have been declared illegal and the Spanish government is intent on knocking them down.  

The British Minister for Europe has witnessed the plight of some expats first hand and   is pushing Spain to resolve the impasse as soon as possible.
Chris Bryant has declared ‘Obviously it’s not for the British Government to tell the Spanish what to do. But I’m pushing the message hard at all government levels that I meet here that they have got to put political willpower into these problems, whether it’s an amnesty, whether it’s a change in the law, whatever the solution is that is needed. There is an enormous difference between the Britons who just make a cursory legal deal — that is always ill advised — and those who have done everything they should or could have done but still find themselves in deep trouble,’ he added.
People buying property abroad need to take twice as much time checking that everything they are doing is completel legal, and are always advised to enlist the services of an independent lawyer. Unfortunately for some who bought in Spain, it would appear that some supposedly independent lawyers were actually tied up with the developers whose aim was to achieve quick sales.

It remains to be seen whether there would be any compensation programme if expats were to have their holiday and retirement homes bulldozed to the ground.