Not yet having recovered from its reputation of corrupt building practices and bulldozing houses, the Spanish government is now being accused of promoting illegal houses to potential expat buyers.
At present, some estimated three million houses in the country are still without owners since the market crashed in 2007.
Not yet having recovered from its reputation of corrupt building practices and bulldozing houses, the Spanish government is now being accused of promoting illegal houses to potential expat buyers.
At present, some estimated three million houses in the country are still without owners since the market crashed in 2007.
A good number of these, and some estimates run as high as one million, may have been built illegally, and many will be scheduled for demolition.The Spanish government has a website which is dedicated to promoting a number of the vacant homes.
According to a report by the Daily Mail, the website fails to disclose that some of the houses appear doomed for demolition. The Mail found a remote three-bedroom villa in Andalucia on sale for £64,300, which was due to be knocked down.
Legal experts said it was often impossible to know if a house had been built illegally. An estimated 100,000 European expats have bought houses that could come under the bulldozer.
Even with the problems well known, interest is moving to Spain remains high among the British. The Foreign Office reported that two-thirds of enquiries made at a recent property abroad conference concerned Spain, followed by 24% about France.
The FCO website contains guidance of helping Brits avoid being ripped off.
Official data showed foreigner buyers formed 12% of all home purchases between June to September this year. Britons comprised the largest proportion (15%), followed by the French (11.5%) , Russians (9.35%), Belgians (7.25%) and Germans (6.9%).
Spanish house prices dropped 5.4% on a year earlier, although this was an improvement from last year when prices were falling at an annual rate of nearly 14%.
The Spanish government said it had taken steps to ensure that "irregularities in the property market are finally settled", noting that some reforms are already in place and that further legislation would protect potential buyers and those who already own homes in Spain, according to the ambassador, Federico Trillo.
The Spanish government has also insisted legislation is under way to legitimise tens of thousands of illegal properties.
