East Midlands MEP fights for property holders in Spain
May 2010
East Midlands MEP, Roger Helmer, was featured on regional television last weekend talking about his fight to obtain compensation for dozens of couples who have ploughed savings into property in Spain only to find out that homes were built illegally .
Local firm, hc solicitors, have a specialist Spanish Legal Services team, and have been working to help UK citizens own property in Spain since 2005. The team includes a Spanish abogado (lawyer), an English solicitor and a Spanish paralegal and they work with clients both in the UK and in Spain offering a bilingual service that understands both legal systems in detail.
Alejandro Verdu de Haro, head of hc’s Spanish Legal Services team commented: “When buying in Spain, you can ensure peace of mind by using a specialist lawyer, as you would when buying a property in the UK. Before contracts are exchanged, and certainly before completion, relevant searches should be carried out with the Town Hall, the Regional government, the Spanish Land Registries and the Tax office. If a Spanish lawyer has been instructed to this end, but, as a result of his error, the client encounters difficulties (such as some of the problems currently arising in the Costa del Azahar region), that client may be entitled to seek damages to be paid from that lawyer’s public liability insurance.”
“We understand that the different procedures in Spain can cause confusion, and leave people feeling vulnerable. However, such problems can be avoided if full and proper advice and protection is obtained at the outset of the matter. We provide this advice to clients and help them, for example, to ensure that valid Bank guarantees are obtained for purchases made off-plan, so that deposits can be refunded if the purchase does not complete through no fault of theirs.”
Catherine Sandbach, Solicitor in the Spanish Legal Services team, added: “The Spanish Legal system is indeed different from the English one. However, in Spain, as here in the UK, if appropriate advice is taken when a problem arises there is often legal protection for citizens of any country who purchase properties, trade with Spanish companies or form any other contractual relationship. We have been successful in recovering money for a number of clients who have encountered difficulties in Spain and have also helped many clients to purchase property in Spain in a problem-free way. ”
Contact
Alejandro Verdu de Haro