Fun and games with utilities

Hi all,

We completed on a 2 bed in block 3 portal 8 back in November 2010. We still haven't got our utilities sorted due to 'problems' (not with us).

Is there anybody else in the same block who has encountered issues with setting up utilities ? Also does anybody in other blocks have the same issue ?

If necessary please feel free to PM me.

Regards,

Mick and Janet

 We seem to be in the same situation. Apparently we all need to keep badgering Salvador in the Romanber office.

Regds

Yes, I also have the feeling that Salvador is the key. He needs to put pressure on the utility companies to get through their bureaucracy.

 We now hear that there ia a problem with the gas supply, that Romanber are trying to solve the problem in the short term with butane cylinders?

Has anybody heard anything different?

Hope to know more when we visit next week!

Regds

Nigel

We are off to Jerez for a flying visit tomorrow to visit our apartment in block 3 to check sizes for furniture and will be visiting Salvador (to pick up our keys)

We will try to find out what the problem is re utilities and what we can all do to move things along.

Hopefully post again on Sunday with some more information

Ruth and Trevor

Hi there where are you flying from ?Stansted seem not to be going there still....

We flew out from Stansted to Jerez - Friday morning and back from Seville Saturday night

I think nats-lads-dad is going out on Wednesday?  So hopefully things re the utilities may have moved forward. But as explained to us by Salvador on Friday;

The water  should be sorted this week but that may have been said before!

The electrics need some work doing before they can be signed off and Romanber have got a new person booked to do this. When it will be done, not sure.

The gas -  Romanber say it's not their fault, waiting on the monopoly provider to get themselves sorted, although the gas company have said no- they are waiting on the installation being complete.

So who knows where the problems are but I think it's up to all the affected owners to keep the pressure up on Romanber as they are responsible to organise the physical installation and certificates to allow the utilities to be connected.

I know Paul Shoulders has been trying on his clients behalf to move things along but the more of us who also complain or cajole the better

There is electric and water being supplied by Romanber by temporary pipes  but no gas, just this plan to provide at their cost cylinders with butane, not sure about whether the boilers will need to be adapted or the insurance concerns.

Some things we are also concerned about are the communal areas such as the lighting to the storage rooms and in the garage certainly in block 3 we couldn't see into the corridor where the lockers are or into the garage area.  There was an area of flooding going through to the garage and on the outside the planting areas between block 3 and 4 and I guess elsewhere are full of weeds and water plus the swimming pool that makes the whole outside look derelict.  

Now on the whole Romanber have done well to get to this stage of  the development in the current situation but it's not a finished product. There's not a lot to be done to hand over to the owners a completed site but no work appears to be going on to finish off the final details.  One of the problems with the utilities appears to be the numbering of the units with their permanent number ie Block 3 portal 7  and then on the apartment it's number to allow the gas or whatever to be connected and checked that all is ok.

But it seems that Romanber have stopped working on the site other than to clean an apartment when they know an owner is coming to visit.  We met a couple of chaps who are in the opposite block who said there had been a bit of activity in our block last week preparing our apartment and the entrance to it.  (Sorry I've forgotten their names already -apologies)  Likewise not sure what happens regarding the community, is it best that each block is separate or should all the blocks of apartments form one community and therefore the common areas are maintained together.  As an owner we would like the area to look good both for ourselves, visitors and people who rent.  The swimming pool is there with all the infrastructure but un-useable, it would be good to move forward on all these and I'm sure on other fronts.

Sorry a bit of a long post this time but it seems that we all need to apply pressure to move things along.  It's easy when your not there to forget and hope things have improved but when you visit or I guess if you live there it's disappointing that things haven't moved forward as well as they could.

What do you think?

Ruth

 I think, Ruth, you have summed up the current state of the development really well.  We too are worried about the lack of finishing off there has been to the communal areas, both inside and outside, and wonder exactly what Romanber's plans are.  As you say the main eyesores outside are caused by the flowerbeds becoming waterlogged and making muddy splats on the white walls.  This could be righted quite inexpensively and would make a huge difference to the attractiveness of the place - all-important if Romanber wish to sell more properties.  They don't seem be trying very hard here, which is what concerns and puzzles me.

The services is something that we must also keep pressing Romanber about.  As you say, Ruth, it is impossible to rent or use properly ourselves right now - and I really don't understand how Romanber got away with completing on our properties without all this in place.  I wonder where we stand legally? 

We do need to keep the pressure on Romanber and maybe act together to get a more immediate response? Also I don't see why the new apartments cannot join the community already formed and up and running.  There is a legal requirement to have a community and I would think Romanber are responsible for this, so again pressure and nagging needed.

Regards and please keep airing your thoughts, it can only be to our advantage if we work collectively rather than individually.

Bridspain

We have just come back from Arcos and have little more to add.

We have been told that Romanber have decided to make each block a separate community with each apartment having one vote within each community. Each community will decide separately when they want to pay for things like a gardener.The builder, Romanber, will hold the majority vote until each block has over fifty percent occupancy. I think that bigger things like the pool will require over half of the communities voting for it to be opened. If I guess right then half of the complex could be full and the rest be half full and Romanber could still (in theory) block the opening of the pool because they would still have 50% of the votes This will obviously save them money. We all need to keep up the pressure on them.

On a separate note we have also been told that there are solar panels on the roof (installed by law) for everyone's use. Does anyone know how this will work and how to go about making use of these?

Thanks to those that suggested Leroy Merlin for lights – very pleased with the quality and price.

Finally, it was T-shirt and shorts weather last weekend in Arcos and very pleasant but we spent the time inside with Ikea flat packs - Here's to next time.

Regds to all

This message was last edited by nat-lads-dad on 30/03/2011.