3 III
October 2019
Fast track
TOOLS DOWN
NEARLY two dozen estate agents have taken part in an organised cleanup at Fuengirola beach. The employees of Swedish agency Fastighetsbyran, which has several branches on the coast, helped make the beach a tidier spot. The team mucked in and disposed of used cans, cigarette butts and plastic. The day was part of Fastighetsbyran’s new green initiative, with many more projects to come in the future.
THE number of people employed in the Spanish building industry still remains under half pre-financial crisis levels, new figures have shown. Just 1.28 million people were employed in the construction trade during the second quarter of 2019, compared to 2.68 million people in 2008, before the global crash. Andalucia employs around 213,000 people in the building trade, more than any other region in Spain. However, this is still less than half the 441,300 people in the region working in the trade before the crash.
Brit couple see light at the end of the tunnel in illegal homes saga A PAIR of British pensioners stranded in Spain for 16 years after buying an illegal house can finally move home. Rodney, 76, and Beryl Webster, 77, bought their €176,000 Andalucian villa from a crooked estate agent who failed to tell them it was built illegally, effectively making it worth nothing. They and an estimated 40,000 other British property owners have now won a battle for their houses to be
Home at last By Robert Firth
recognised, after a new Andalucian regional government passed a law granting legal status to 327,000 illegally built homes. “It means we can finally go home to Britain,” Mrs Webster, 77, said. “Without the house being legal we could not sell it. We have been stuck here for so long, we felt like hostages.” Maura Hillen from cam-
paign group AUAN, which has pressed the Andalucian authorities on the issue, said: “It has been a long road. We were lucky that a change in government took us over the finish line.” Problem Gerardo Vazquez, a lawyer who has been helping affected British owners for 15 years, said the problem had blighted people’s lives for years. “Many people did not have
basic services such as water and electricity. They were basically ignored as this was a problem the authorities
Palatial buy
TWO iconic Malaga buildings are being put up for auction. The well known Correos building next to the river, a structure valued at €16.8m, will go to auction in December (right). Currently the home of various Junta departments, as well as the tax authorities (hacienda), the new buyer will have to at least partly use it for public services. The second building, the Palacio de la Tina (left), a complex also known as the Palace of Ink, is valued at €12.45 million. It is currently being used by the Junta.
thought was too big to deal with.” See Leaving the Third World, page XVI
Cranes back AROUND 10% more building licences have been passed this year in Malaga. So far 5,850 new homes have been approved in the province, which is reflected in a sharp increase in cranes towering over the coast.
Casting call
HIT Channel 4 show Sun, Sea and Selling Houses has returned to Spain scouting for a new cast of home buyers. The programme follows British estate agents hoping to find UK expats their dream home in the sun. If you are currently house hunting in Almeria or Alicante then producers at Ricochet are waiting for your call. “We’re looking for people house hunting in November and December,” a spokesperson told the Olive Press. “Whether their budget is €50,000 or €5 million, or the house is a holiday home or a permanent one, we would love to hear from them. “It’s a really lighthearted, fun show.” Those interested should email spain@ricochet.co.uk or call 00 44 1273032190