11 Apr 2014 8:42 AM:

Does anyone know where I can find statistics on the incidence of crime within gated versus non-gated communities in the Cost del Sol?

Currently, our gated community is in financial difficulties and the gates are not working.

Is it worth the expense to repair them?

Are gated communities less likely to be burgled?

Are gated communities more likely to be targeted by thieves as they appear to be more affluent?

 

This message was last edited by meb on 11/04/2014.
Thread: Crime in gated and non-gated communities

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04 Jul 2013 8:56 AM:

In the UK, if a property designed to be a dwelling (i.e. where the primary purpose of the property is for habitation) is deemed uninhabitable then it can be excluded from having a ratreable value and hence is exempt from paying council tax.

The definition of "uninhabitable" varies across councils but the general theme is

• a property in which there is no, or minimal furniture; and in particular there is no furniture suitable for sleeping on (for example bed, sofa, futon, mattress...)
• the propoerty is structurally damaged to such an extent that it would be dangerous or unhealthy to live there

I have a property in Spain that has no furniture and was so badly built that there is rising damp up to over a metre throughout all the walls (internal and external).  The terraces slope towards the property so that all the rainwater flows towards the house.  There are gaps around the door cills and in the marble terracing so that the rainwater just soaks into thesand base under the marble floor inside the property.  It is the only penthouse appartment that I know of with rising damp!

What is the situation in Spain for uninhabitable properties and the community charge?

Please note that this question does not relate to unoccupied properties which are still subject to the community charge.

Thread: In Spain, do uninhabitable properties still have to pay the community charge?

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10 Dec 2012 10:16 AM:

It does depend on the level of education to which you are referring.  Try going on to a scientific publishing company and see how many higher and advanced level text books are published in Spanish compared to the number published in English or American.  Now try and find them in Catalan, Valenciano, Basque, Catalan, Castellano etc.

I spent some time in Iceland where there was a vibrant written word culture in Icelandic.  The population was about 200,000 but there were 5 daily newspapers each having 3 editions a day.  However, all secondary and tertiary education was taught in English.

My mother was born in China as the daughter of missionaries and her first language was Mandarin.  She was taught in school in English and when she returned to highlands of Scotland to complete her schooling she was still taught in English (not Gaelic).  I went to school there too and the only class that was taught in Gaelic was the Gaelic class so I suppose what I am trying to say is that a local language has its benefits in cultural identity but it also has great limitations in other areas such as technical development.

The language of communication in the computer world is definitely English.  I worked for a large multi-national company spanning 91 countries and the requirement was for everyone to read and write English.  Every international meeting, conference call or email had to be in English but internal meetings could be in the local language.

Some posts identify the problems children have changing schools  where the language used is not consistent across Spain.  Now compound that problem by having to choose where the parents will work in Spain (and hence the language taught in the school) depending on what subjects the children want to learn because the text books are only in that language.  Where do you live and work when you have two children who want to do different subjects and the text books are not in the same local language.

You may have gathered that I am Scots not English and so I too am aware of historical oppression by a foreign power.  However, unlike the Welsh posting I believe that the age of a language compared to the age of another language is irrelevant when considering how to live for the future.  By all means everyone should be educated in their cultural heritage (of which language is a part) but cultural heritage is just one part of life which should neither overwhelm nor hold back a fuller understanding of the world's knowledge.

 

 

 

Thread: Shouldn't Spanish schools all teach in Spanish (Castilian)?

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17 Mar 2009 12:00 AM:

We purchased a property in Jan 2008, having been advised by our lawyers that it is normal in Spain for the snagging to be done after the completion.  Well, we will never do that again!!! 14 months on and the property is still uninhabitable.  As seems to be common in Spanish developments, there are three separate organisations involved in the development i.e. the development company, the sales company and the builder's company 

The biggest problem is water damage.  There are 8 areas around the apartment where the damp has risen to about a metre from the floor, with the associated peeling paint and crumbling plaster.

1. Internal water pipes leak inside the walls

2. The marble steps outside two of the patio doors are cracked (and always were) and not sealed properly

We contacted our own Buildings insurer, through the Bank Mortgage, who sent an assessor.  The report stated that all the damage was due to poor workmanship and was not covered by the Bank's Buildings insurance.  Further that we should claim against the Builders Insurance.  Specifically, we should not claim against the Sales Company, which is fortunate because we know they have no money (they owe over 30,000 Euros in unpaid community charges on unsold apartments).

Has anyone any advice on claiming successfully against the Builder's Insurance?

 

This message was last edited by meb on 3/17/2009.
Thread: How do you claim against the Builder's Insurance?

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