View Full Version : Can anyone recommend a good solicitor in San Eugenio for buying property in Tenerife?
sitl2011
12-06-2011, 23:28
Hi everyone,
If anyone could recommend a good solicitor in San Eugenio/Las Americas area that would be much appreciated. We are planning to buy a property which has been reposessed by the community by the court because of debts and im dealing with the community directly and they only speak spanish so i didnt understand properly who the owner is in that case etc. I need a good solicitor who can deal with these kind of cases and understand spanish perfectly and can help with the buying process.
Thank you very much.
José Escobedo, whose office is in San Eugenio CC (beside the Notary office) has worked wonders for me in a very difficult situation - perfect English and of course, fluent Spanish. I will pm the office number to you.
I fully agree with Doreen, he saved me from alot of expense and if he had not been so vigilent I would now be living in a shed looking at an empty house.
Hi Doreen
Can you please also PM me his number? I need a good lawyer over in tenerife, who can sort out the mess the incompetant lawyer has made!!!!!
Thanks and regards
katie
Not sure if I'm allowed to do this, but I'm sure the administrator will put me right if I'm not. We used Tenerife Solicitors to buy our property. They were .. and I'm not exaggerating .. an absolute nightmare. They do NOT keep you updated, they only do the bare minimum required of them, they do NOT answer emails the same day. Nice people do NOT scream at clients on the telephone because they have raised a complaint. I could say much more but, if anyone would like to know more about our experience with John Hatrick and his sidekick Ruben please feel free to pm me. We are both so angry about the way we were treated by this company and we feel that others should know about their poor service.
Maria Rosa Solano in Edf. Eden Los Cristianos. Did a very good job for me and has done a lot of work for friends of ours.
Frankiebabe
10-07-2012, 19:34
Mrs.Solano is excellent....We have bought three properties through her office....Her staff such as Masu and Cristina are excellent as well and always keep you fully updated.........really recommend...!!
Hi All (especially sitl2011 for starting this thread),
I'm looking for a UK (south east England) based property solicitor who can handle a house purchase on Tenerife or La Palma. If anyone can recommend someone or point me in the right direction, I'll be much obliged.
Many Thanks
Steve
Hi All (especially sitl2011 for starting this thread),
I'm looking for a UK (south east England) based property solicitor who can handle a house purchase on Tenerife or La Palma. If anyone can recommend someone or point me in the right direction, I'll be much obliged.
Many Thanks
Steve
Steve, you really are better with a locally based lawyer - trust me, the system is very different in Spain compared to the UK
Steve, you really are better with a locally based lawyer - trust me, the system is very different in Spain compared to the UK
Hi Doreen,
Thanks for the advice - especially the prompt nature of it! I'm actually buying on La Palma and the general consensus is that house buyers there normally don't bother with solicitors. It seems that an estate agent independent of the seller's agents can act in the buyers' interests, at least to some degree, and then a notary oversees for both parties. But my purchase has become more complicated. The reason I'd like a UK solicitor involved is that if something goes wrong, I would prefer to deal with the repercussions locally in the UK, rather than deal from afar with legal people in the Canaries.
Of course, my ideal is a UK based solicitor who is fluent in Spanish and deals with Tenerife property purchases regularly and has a lot of experience. Please do say if you think that even despite this, there are other reasons why it's still better to have a solicitor based in the Canaries.
Thanks
Steve
True, many do not use lawyers in the Canaries - not always necessary if it is a newish construction from a reputable builder .... however, if you are buying a rural property, then certainly I would want it investigated locally ... and equally if it is off plan and being delivered to you, you need to be sure various paperwork in order ... and as an aside, having a lawyer acting for you doesn't always mean you get the best advice as I know to my cost :(
EDIT: I should add that yes, some agents can act in your best interests instead of a lawyer... then again, many of us could tell you disaster stories
True, many do not use lawyers in the Canaries - not always necessary if it is a newish construction from a reputable builder .... however, if you are buying a rural property, then certainly I would want it investigated locally ... and equally if it is off plan and being delivered to you, you need to be sure various paperwork in order ... and as an aside, having a lawyer acting for you doesn't always mean you get the best advice as I know to my cost :(
EDIT: I should add that yes, some agents can act in your best interests instead of a lawyer... then again, many of us could tell you disaster stories
Yes, Doreen it's a tricky call. I've kept solicitors out of it this far because I wanted full visibility of what was going on - and we all know how much they can hold the process up as well. I've got an estate agent over there who I think is very good, but I think he can only go so far with legal stuff and he might not have professional indemnity if there is cause for recourse.
Incidentally, it's an old house in town, so not a new build or off plan. Although it isn't rural, it's still exposed to some of the kinds of things that can go wrong with, say, an old farm house.
Thank you so much for taking the time to post your words and advice. And feel free to get any of your own experiences off your chest.
For an old house I would want a locally based lawyer to check all is properly registered - I don't see how a UK solicitor would be a help regarding title deeds in a different jurisdiction. Has anyone talked to you about the electricity connection - will be hard to transfer the account without a new certificate (boletin) after the now necessary rewiring.
For an old house I would want a locally based lawyer to check all is properly registered - I don't see how a UK solicitor would be a help regarding title deeds in a different jurisdiction. Has anyone talked to you about the electricity connection - will be hard to transfer the account without a new certificate (boletin) after the now necessary rewiring.
It is my first overseas purchase, so I've done a fair bit of research into what is required and the pitfalls specific to Spain and the Canaries and clocked things like the electricity and what is necessary to get the account switched over. No doubt I'll miss something else, though. Unknown unknowns, if you like. But I always keep my ears open to any advice that people offer, as you never know what nugget might be offered which saves you a whole heap of aggravation.
So how old is the boletin on your house ? One way round, if you need to rewire (and you cannot change the account to your name until it is done if it is deemed necessary), is on closing, to pay in advance, say, the equivalent of 3 months electricity bills to the old owner and get them to keep it in their name until you have had the work done & signed off.
EDIT - of course, you need to trust the old owner to actually pay the bills when they come in :)
So how old is the boletin on your house ? One way round, if you need to rewire (and you cannot change the account to your name until it is done if it is deemed necessary), is on closing, to pay in advance, say, the equivalent of 3 months electricity bills to the old owner and get them to keep it in their name until you have had the work done & signed off.
EDIT - of course, you need to trust the old owner to actually pay the bills when they come in :)
My agent hasn't established the age of the boletin yet (it could be quite old) as there are other problems he's trying to work around first. There are major issues with the escritura, for example, including unregistered construction. I know it'll sound daft, but I actually like getting my teeth stuck into horrendously complex things like these. Most people would run a mile. And that would be sensible in this case. I suspect I will have a very different perspective when I have no teeth left. :D
My agent hasn't established the age of the boletin yet (it could be quite old) as there are other problems he's trying to work around first. There are major issues with the escritura, for example, including unregistered construction. I know it'll sound daft, but I actually like getting my teeth stuck into horrendously complex things like these. Most people would run a mile. And that would be sensible in this case. I suspect I will have a very different perspective when I have no teeth left. :D
You'd be surprised just how many properties in the Canaries have illegal/unregistered construction involved - so many garages converted into living space etc. I understand much of it can be registered/notarised on the escritura after 4 years if there have been no objections from neighbours in the meantime - that is presuming it does comply with certain basic standards. In the meantime, you will not be able to borrow against any illegal square footage.
Good luck with it, Steve :)
You'd be surprised just how many properties in the Canaries have illegal/unregistered construction involved - so many garages converted into living space etc. I understand much of it can be registered/notarised on the escritura after 4 years if there have been no objections from neighbours in the meantime - that is presuming it does comply with certain basic standards. In the meantime, you will not be able to borrow against any illegal square footage.
Good luck with it, Steve :)
Thanks, Doreen. In the interests of reciprocity, let me know if there's anything I can help you out with in return.
golfcrazy
18-04-2013, 18:30
as doreen says steve local is better, who are you buying through. all agents will have their own. if i was buying again i would use visa verde they are based in san euginio bajo and are dealing with a lot of bank reposesions they have all the advice and they are not british
worth looking up
If you want to know more about that property just forget what community members have to say. Its the courthouse or the bank itself who deals with this matter. If you know the Complex and the number of the Flat ( or the Finca Nš ) just go to the registry and ask for a nota simple. It cost you just 5 and you should be up to date. If you want to take the risk and go to a subasta ( auction ) there is funny games played by those who do this kind of business daily. Donīt need to spend lots of money for Lawyers where you can get all Information needed yourself.
as doreen says steve local is better, who are you buying through. all agents will have their own. if i was buying again i would use visa verde they are based in san euginio bajo and are dealing with a lot of bank reposesions they have all the advice and they are not british
worth looking up
Cheers, golfcrazy. And thanks for the tip - I'll have a look at Visa Verde.
- - - - - - - - - - merged double post - - - - - - - - - -
If you want to know more about that property just forget what community members have to say. Its the courthouse or the bank itself who deals with this matter. If you know the Complex and the number of the Flat ( or the Finca Nš ) just go to the registry and ask for a nota simple. It cost you just 5€ and you should be up to date. If you want to take the risk and go to a subasta ( auction ) there is funny games played by those who do this kind of business daily. Donīt need to spend lots of money for Lawyers where you can get all Information needed yourself.
Very interesting, Gym 50+. I will most certainly look into those suggestions.
We used Jose Escobedo when we bought our apartment. He and his team were so helpful. communicated by e-mail- always answered promptly and kept us fully informed. We could not fault him.
Not sure if I'm allowed to do this, but I'm sure the administrator will put me right if I'm not. We used Tenerife Solicitors to buy our property. They were .. and I'm not exaggerating .. an absolute nightmare. They do NOT keep you updated, they only do the bare minimum required of them, they do NOT answer emails the same day. Nice people do NOT scream at clients on the telephone because they have raised a complaint. I could say much more but, if anyone would like to know more about our experience with John Hatrick and his sidekick Ruben please feel free to pm me. We are both so angry about the way we were treated by this company and we feel that others should know about their poor service.
Some say they are a little bit confused with the Holiday rental Laws as well.
Hi, can anybody recommend a good solicitor to use when buying an apartment, our Spanish accounted recommended somebody and arranged an appointment for us at 5:30 Thursday. Seems to be a single solicitor in a small practice (which
Is not a problem). They told us that they would email us all the info we discussed so we had a record of it, sounded good but as of tonight nothing has been sent. I need to have complete confidence in somebody before I will use their services so not impressed as she said it would be emailed by today. Also been recommended Jose Escobedo as mentioned earlier, we visited what we thought was their offices as on internet to find the pace closed and up for sale. I emailed him with his reply saying they have moved to La Caleta, plan to pay them a visit next week.
Holy thread resurrection?
End of next week, I will need fluent English speaking solicitor near Christianos, Americas for many issues to handle, including purchase of intended to buy property 1 or an alternative (keeping open mind).
If under the same restrictive rules- I'd love a PM please?
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