Brits face ‘demolition derby’ in spain

Brits in Spain could face the shocking demolition of their dream homes…

The Spanish government has announced its decision to protect Spain’s beaches from construction by demolishing homes that contravene the 1988 Coastal Law. The law states that the Spanish Government controls a coastal strip of 106 metres of which none can be dedicated to private housing.

Technically any property built close to the shore after 1988 could be torn down, which some estate agencies feel that demolishing private homes may be taking things too far.

Adam Gale, Managing Director of Duchy Estates says, “While I applaud the environmental sentiment and feel that in certain isolated cases the bulldozers should be brought in, I cannot see this widespread demolition taking place for a number of reasons. Coastal property owners will not see their life-savings or permanent place of residence razed to the ground without a fight. These cases could easily end up at the European Court of Human Rights, and the legal costs would be astronomical.”

Fighting the decision

Since demolition plans have been released, around 2,000 property owners have formed a platform to fight the decision, protesting that the doomed buildings seem to have been chosen at random.

Lino Brydges, Head of Overseas Mortgages at NatWest International Personal Banking says, "Recent reported action taken by Spanish Authorities to demolish properties on the Spanish coastline has obviously caused quite a lot of concern for people who own property in Spain.

“Homeowners should not panic, but those who are worried should speak to their professional and legal advisers and make sure that all relevant checks were followed when their property was built or purchased to ensure all processes when obtaining their property were legal and carried out correctly.”