When things do not work out the way we expected in in the Alpujarras:

• "We have been here for over a year and we are still waiting for some papers to come through. They keep telling us this is a matter of a few days, but we have been waiting for months"
• "Its the third time the builder said he would start this week and he has not even rang to let us know what is going on"
• "The lawyer did not tell us that what it says in the deeds is different from what we signed in the contract"
• "We were told we could build a larger place and now we are told this is not the case"
• "I was not told I have to pay those taxes"

We hear these and similar things over and over again from our clients and our services aim at smoothing things out and prevent these situations

Apart form upfront fraud, most of the time these problems arise due to cultural clashes.

• Probably, the solicitor did not explain certain things because he/she assumed you knew. For example, it is implicit knowledge in the area that most deeds do not reflect the actual size of the property, so the lawyer did not think about mentioning this or tell you about the implications, which from a British point of view is outrageous. On the other, hand some sellers might exploit this to their advantage.
• Regarding planning permisions, the law is complex and changeable depending on the village. Also not even local authorities fully know sit. This fact is exploited by sellers who sometimes get the county hall to give a favorable spoken agreement, which is worthless. Some people built more that they are allowed by law because they are willing to "break" the law, providing they do not get caught. The fact that is common does not make it a legal practice. Also, Spanish regulations regarding planning and building are so complex that can be interpreted in different ways.
• Proffessionality is not measured in the same way here. It is not part of the protocol of any builder, electrician or plumber to ring you to let you know they cannot come...

What can be done?

When required, we act as the link between you and other Spanish professionals. So, you will not have to go through the difficult and time consuming procedure of matching expectations. We will work with you and the specialists to make sure your expectations are met in the most efficient and smooth way.

On the other hand, sometimes we might have to let you know that your expectations are unrealistic for the area. After all, we came here looking for a relaxed life :-)