[Anonymous]

Has anyone bought (or thinking of buying) an apartment at this development in Benahavis?
If so, be careful.
It looks like the developer you may have thought you were buying from has now just become the ‘sales information company’ only, and some unknown company has suddenly become the developer!

This same developer, Eralia, played the same game with Claire, myself and many others.
We all thought we were buying from Eralia (a well-known, well-established developer in the CDS when we bought at a development called Green Hills, Santa Maria Golf course.
However, when problems started, suddenly Eralia’s stance were that they were only the promoting company. thinking we were buying through this big, well-financed, long-established company.
Looks like they are playing the same game with La Hacienda. Up to now they have always said that they were the developers. Likewise the agents selling the apartments.
Now devwatch is giving out that thedeveloper is Dream Hill SL and that Eralia is the sales information company!!

Question: What is a huge developer like Eralia doing then, acting as a sales information service for a tiny company like Marbella Vista Golf as in our case at Green Hills, and now doing the same for Dream Hill SL?

Of course, far be it for me to be so cynical as to think it is just their way of protecting themselves when things start going wrong (like suspended building licences…….). 😉

[Anonymous]

To the best of my knowledge Dreamhills SL is a subsidiary company of Eralia. And yes, the only reason for the setup is to protect Eralia’s interests should things go tits up.

[Anonymous]

I telephoned Parador yesterday and Sofia phoned O Estates the day before. We were both told EMPHATICALLY that Eralia were the developers.!!! I even asked..” if I were to sign a contract to buy an appartment who would the contract be with?”. I was told Eralia. This is where we were duped when signing up to Greenhills. We thought that the “well established, reputable Eralia” was the company we were buying from as did many others.(that is what their brochure said.) As you say Bert, if it looks as though the going is getting tough( I’m a lady :D) then hey presto, they set up another company. 😈

When we went to see Eralia and asked for the return of our €120,000 deposit we were told, “We can do nothing, we are only the Promoters” 😈 😈 The no.1 director of Eralia also happens to be the same director of MVG, the “toilet” company!

[Anonymous]

For anyone interested re. La Hacienda – have done a little research, and Bert – you are absolutely right!

On a company search we did months ago re. our situation at Green Hills, the ‘toilet’ company (great description Claire!) that Eralia set up to hide behind – Marbella Vista Golf – is part owned by Eralia with a 6.75% share.

Have just looked through the pages again, and guess what. Eralia has a 14% share of Dream Hill SL. So they do part own it.
Also, on these pages it comes out as Eralia being the developer of La Hacienda!!
So it’s been a case, like with our purchase ofGreen Hills……ooops, problems, all change on the merry-go-round.

And best of all – guess what….in the Directors column of Dream Hill……surprise, surprise. There are those three guys again, the same directors of Eralia and Marbella Vista Golf.
Claire: Leo, Moleon and good ol’ Jimenez Enrique must be a very busy guys…..do they have time for a family life!!!!!!! 😯

[Anonymous]

Sofia…I think we could set ourselves up as PI’s to do the groundwork for people before they end up in the “mire”( like us!) when thinking of signing up on a property.

As for ourselves, go back to 2003. We think we are buying a property from Eralia. The agents told us we were, the lawyers told us we were, and when we asked “were they financially sound?” we were told.. they were. So.. we pay our deposit, THE LAWYERS sign the contract….that we have not seen, but that’s fine because they told us they were acting for us with our interests protected and that anyway, we would have a bank guarantee…..and besides, that was how it was done in Spain. (had it been in the UK our lawyer would have the contract and go through every tiny detail with us and if anything was amiss at the signing they would contact us and tell us.) But… there are rumbles in the jungle…so Eralia “sets up” another company(a “toilet” company for when the s*** hits the fan because they do not have a building License,) to bear the brunt of any law suits, which I might add, has a TINY capital worth, and that is the company, unbeknown to us, that our contract is with, NOT Eralia. A here today gone tomorrow company. When we paid our initial €6,000 holding deposit, this was to Eralia and MVG. The receipt showed the Sifasa Group!

So, they are all the same directors! But then we guessed that…..and the Eralia lawyer has the gall to tell your lawyer Sofia…”It’s nothing to do with us”!!

[Anonymous]

So the moral of this story is for everybody out there thinking of purchasing anywhere……

When you sign your contract, don’t let your lawyer sign on your behalf until you have checked/double checked the name of whom the contract is with – regardless of what you believed up to that point.

These three directors need a damn good……….
(oops, forgot, I am also a lady….. 😉 )

[Anonymous]

Sofia and Claire, you don’t on the off chance know whether Los Lagos de Santa Maria Golf has it’s building licenses or not? It’s another “Eralia” one, and I’ve got a client wanting me to sell theirs – but I won’t touch it if the papers aren’t in order.

[Anonymous]

Bert – as things are moving so fast at the moment with more building licences being suspended by the week it seems, in my opinion the only real way to be sure ‘the latest’ is to speak and check with a very helpful lady called Monica at Marbella Town Planning.

All I know about Los Lagos is that when our development Green Hills (on the same Santa Maria Golf course) went down the tubes, Eralia offered us the option to ‘swop’ to an appartment at Los Lagos.
We dutifully went with an Eralian salesman to take a look.
First, it was NOTHING like the model in their offices, which had nicely spaced out buildings with lots of nice greenery in between.
In reality, all the blocks were pushed/crammed together (reminded me of Dartmoor prison).
Inside I couldn’t believe the finishing (especially for 450,000!!). The door architraves were white painted plastic! When I queried/commented on that, the salesman tried to deny it saying laughingly ‘no, no, trust me, it is wood’. My reply would be deleted by Mark.
However, he did concede that the wardrobe louvre doors were white PVC…
All in all a ghastly depressing experience. And to think that Eralia won the bronze awards for this development! See the following –
http://www.visitacostadelsol.com/ dev/eng/html/boletin/bol/n20/1.htm
[/url]

What I do know is that purchasers at Los Lagos have been paid compensation for the fact that the buildings and spec. did not match the original advertising specs.

If. possible, check with Marbella Town Planning – the only way to be sure…

Sofia

[Anonymous]

What I do know is that purchasers at Los Lagos have been paid compensation for the fact that the buildings and spec. did not match the original advertising specs

I can confirm this too. The buildings were closer together than they should have been.

[Anonymous]

I’ve bought a goat field in the hills in Crete, overlooking a bay of turquoise sea.

And when I get my bl…y money back from these three *!+^@* (are you impressed with my discretion, Mark….?), I look forward to building my own house, to my own spec.

(and if I win in court – to celebrate, I might just go and let these guys’ tyres down one night as a bye bye gift) 😈

[Anonymous]

Sofia,

Very impressed, especially by your now detailed knowledge of planning laws and the latest happenings on the Costa del Sol.

If you want to know which cars to target just go for the Porsche Cayennes. That’s the model of choice for wide-boy Spanish property developers.

I have a question for you – any chance you could send me a PM or email please?

Thanks

Mark

[Anonymous]

Am bringing this thread up to the top of the pile for the benefit of ‘guest’ who is involved with this development.

[Author]

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