Words: Ashley Rigg
Published: 18th January 2011
British couple jailed for flaunting Spanish planning laws
For the last few years, overseas property stories from Spain have focused on the plight of the unwitting buyer; a victim of the corruption of local government officials, contradictory planning laws and unfulfilled developer promises.
However, a story in the
Spanish press today illustrates that overseas buyers sometimes only have themselves to blame for running into legal and financial difficulties on their purchases.
A British couple living in
Torrox, Malaga were handed an eight month jail sentence last week for consistently ignoring legal warnings that they were building on “non-buildable” land.
David and Janet H were granted a licence to renovate a 24 square metre ruin on the 1,451 square metre land plot they bought in 2000.
Ignoring the details of the licence, the couple constructed a huge detached villa, with a new floor, basement, swimming pool, and tarmaced exterior, to an area of about 240 square metres.
Despite being warned by the local town hall in 2004 to halt construction, the couple continued with the building which completed in July.
In addition to their prison sentence and the order to demolish the property, the couple have been fined €73,092 by the Magistrate.
Source: Global edge
User Comments
It never ceases to amaze me that people come to this country and either forget to pack their brains or seem to assume that rules are for everyone else but not them. Many of those currently bemoaning their fate with illegal homes were very aware at the outset that they were bending the law. Its rare however to see such a blatent disregard.
Roy Hayes,
Kasas Royale