Postal Deliveries

I don't know weather it's a legal requirement to have a block of post boxes, one for each apartment........BUT...............if you want your post delivered from the Correos you will need to hae one. Just make sure each one is numbered correctly from top to bottom...............NOT from left to right...............or they will not deliver. Also, if you have the post boxes glassed in DO NOT have locks put on cos the Correos will not longer carry keys to unlock them and you never know when they are coming !!

This info is re. Costa Blanca....................don't know about elsewhere.

I can only speak for Torremolinos - this may not apply elsewhere: after a few weeks (was it months, I don't remember?) in our new building, one of the neighbours took it upon herself (bless her) to assault the local postie and demand to know why he had not delivered ANY mail to us yet. He said "your building isn't on my round". Funny, since the buildings either side and all around us appeared to be. Our neighbour then went to the local Post Office to complain, and was told that unless we "apply" to be included in their deliveries, they would not deliver to us, because, that's right, we were not on one of their rounds! So she politely asked ("applied") to be included, and the next day we all received our mail - which mostly consisted of overdue bills, of course!

Just a warning!

Thanks for the replies.

We get our post delivered, but at the moment it is collected by our Security Guard, kept in his office and then collected by the owners. For this privilege we pay his company €32,000 per year for his 8hour day shift ! (he does little else during the day but sit in his office and let contractors in).

The idea is to get rid of the security guard and install mailboxes, but an owner has complained, firstly that the mailboxes are not legally required and secondly there will be an overflow of mail. There is a conflict between what our administrator states (legally required), and what the owner claims, so I just wanted to clarify the situation.

I should have said the urbanisation is in Costa Mijas.

You don't know the half of it.

How would you like to pay community fees of over 5,000 per year ?

Hence, my other post re Gardeners and pool cleaners. (Current total of 54,000 per year for the two contracts!).

My daughter is. Mine are 'only' 3700. Needless to say I am attempting to organise owners to revolt against these extortionate fees at the AGM early next year.

I live in an urbanisation in Mijas Golf.  Costa del Sol.

The worst aspect of all this is that there are some owners who are quite happy to pay these fees and think they are getting a good service. It is amazing that they do not believe me when I tell them the fees should be at least 30% - 50% lower than they are with no adverse consquencies.

Do you have to maintain the bloomimg golf course then??

you seem to be paying more than council tax in England..........how many of you in Urb?

Rayleer!!!!

Those community fees are daylight robbery!!!

Our President has a finger on the pulse and keeps a close watch on costs.

Your President must have a finger in the pie..................get an accountact in immediately!!

We pay a bit less than €2000 per year for the maintenance of the one lift, including the telephone line. So 15 lifts split between 102 properties would cost about the same as Karen pays in total - just for the lifts! (I must say Karen's fee seems extraordinarily low)

15 lifts (one for every 7 apartments or so!) and 3 pools seems a lot for only 102 properties, so I'm not surprised the community charge is high. But even so, €54000 per year should be enough for 4 full time employees - does it really take that to maintain the gardens and pools? Maybe, I don't know.

I would not recommend employing staff directly, as the community will then also pay their social security, and holiday pay etc., and employment law very much favours the employee, so getting rid of bad workers can be troublesome. Best in my opinion to use outside contractors. I would suggest to rayleer that you take it upon yourself to get a couple of quotes for the garden & pool maintenance, in preparation for the AGM, a) to satisfy yourself that you are paying too much for these services, and b) to prove it to the doubters in the community. Any community member is entitled to obtain and present quotes, so why not do so, and go to the AGM armed.

Good luck.

FibbyUK....you may very well think that, I couldn't possibly comment ! 

Roberto... I am already on the case re quotes etc and can show substantial possible savings. I have prepared a budget and just need to finalise a couple of things ready for the AGM.  In answer to your question re gardens etc...It is currently a two person job and no, it doesn't need to cost that much.