Court orders Brits to purchase illegal properties

[Lavanda]

I'm not sure I understand, Frank. Why would you want to ensue that the legal status of your house was granted illegally? Better to ensue that it was granted legally, surely? If you buy a house with all the paperwork in place and you have an escritura and a notary's signature and have your house registered then why ensue all that was granted illegally? Just assume it's legal and live your life. Should someone come along later and tell you it's not legal just produce a bigger pile of paperwork than they do and let them prove your house isn't legal WITHOUT them breaking their own law of non-respective practices. Bet they can't!

[Beachcomber]

This is why, if the Junta want to have the authority to declare an apparently legal property illegal, there should be a telephone number or facility on their web site to enter details of the property (and all its paperwork) in order to receive a definitive, irrevocable reply giving the legal status of the property.

This certainly is not the case at the moment. I have spent hours on the telephone to the Junta being shunted from pillar to post trying to obtain such information in respect of a specific rural property which a friend would like to purchase and it is just not available.

[Laslomas]

I wonder how many people who agree that "all illegel houses should be demolished" would change their mind if they discovered they were the owner of one, and it was the only home they had, and all their money was tied up in it?? And they had taken advice when purchasing it, followed all the rules, and used an abogado.

As Katy says there should be recompense - if the government came up with such a plan, how long would that take? Where would the homeless folk with no money go?

[Lavanda]

Is Spain a signatory to the EU Human Rights Act? Isn't one of these Rights, 'The Right of People to Family Life in Peace and Quiet in their Own Home' or some such thing? I'm getting a bit fed-up with Spain's chaotic disorder - and the willingness of Spanish people to put up with it. They are either the craziest people in the World or the most phlegmatic when dealing with officialdom.

[Jool]

YES Spain has signed up to the Human Rights Act but flouts it at every turn, usual thing, says it adheres to these things but in reality does not................ the system is full of opportunities for illegality and there is no clear unequivocal information anywhere.

I love your re-definition of non-retrospective as non respective as this it exactly what it is in practice!!!!

I am sure there is another law that allows you to declare as illegal anything that was believed to have been obtained legally but later found to be illegal...................

[scampicat]

I personally do not know of ANY non-smoking bars. I only recently realised the law actually applied to Spain; I thought they could please themselves.

I am not a smoker, but my friend is; one of the reasons she likes Spain is because 'you can smoke in all the bars'.

I must admit one of the nice things about the UK was being able to go out and not have to put my clothes straight in the wash when I came back.

As regards illegal house, this is just another example of the powers that be making the laws up as they go along; it has terrible consequences for some people, but it happens in all walks of life here in Andalucia.

(edited to say: my post sounds like I'm saying I agree with it - I don't, just stating that this is how they do things and however much you do to ensure legality someone can always come along and declare it illegal.)

[markwilding]

I've heard that in July next year the no smoking law's going to change again to come in line with the rest of Europe
It'll be interesting to see if the bar owners will respect the law and not allow smoking inside the bars
and if the police will enforce it