desperate for info and help on dispute with atlas/aroca/builder and lack of deeds....all replies welcome

Hi,

I hope someone can help me. My mum and i bought an apartment in la murada, orihuela, 3 years ago in cash and in full through atlas/aroca and the builder servicios y proyectos mojica.s.l  and have not received our deeds...surprise surprise!!!!! All the other atlas customers who live on our urbanisation have yet to receive their deeds. We have just found out the seriousness of our case and went to atlas who denied all responsibility and we managed to get our contract of compravenda from aroca with our solicitor and the power of attorney from aroca which we signed so that aroca could sign for our deeds whilst we were still living in the UK at the time. However, we have appointed a new solicitor in albatera to start legal proceedings against the builder as it seems that atlas blame aroca and aroca blame our builder, SPM.SL, as SPM have a mortgage on our property even though they have received our cash payment in full. I have no idea what has gone on as yet as have only started proceedings against the builder and would like anyone in the same or similar situation to contact me as i am willing to take this as far as it goes.... albeit, with not many more life savings left but will do anything and everything physically possible that we take this to the highest attention of the authorities! i look forward to all your replies!!!!

Good luck!

Maria

Hi cattywoman - I'm afraid there are a lot of us in the same situation. Bought through Atlas - used Aroca - paid cash and still no deeds. I have been in my house for 4 years now and the urbanisation hasn't been finished. We still have builder's supply water and electric which we have to illegally pay for as we have no certificate of habitation. The builder in our case is Tecnologia Urbanistica. We have tried everything but the law seems to be a complete ass in Spain. Corruption is so bad here that I wouldn't bother wasting your money on any more lawyers. All they do is take more of your money. At least I have a house but not the one I originally bought in 2003 as it was never built. The Coastrider Newspaper has been following our plight as has the OC PSOE party. Some residents are complaining to Brussels but at the end of the day only Orihuela Townhall can lay down the law and they don't seem willing. Good luck with getting through to ' highest attention of the authorities' - whoever they may be. Fly

Oh, dear.  Lots of us in the same boat with Atlas and Aroca.  It took me 6 (yes, six) years to get the deeds from Aroca after purchasing with Atlas.  Our builders were also Technologia Urbanistica who haven't gone bust but used mortgages on our land to buy further land.  Kept getting bills from solicitors until I called it a day and told them no more.  They should have done all the work at the beginning and only got my deeds recently (even had a cock-up on that as Aroca hadn't put our nationality on them which delayed them another 3 months). 

Went to another solicitors but they wanted thousands more to chase them up so stuck it out and pestered Aroca on a very regular basis.  Atlas was worse than useless and did absolutely nothing even though  I got platitudious emails saying they were doing something about it.  Don't listen to the Aroca blaming Atlas and vice versa argument as they are the same company.  They may deny it but they are intertwined.  If you send money to Aroca the account is in the name of Atlastaxinternational.

Hope yours goes quicker than ours did.  Ordered the house 2000.  Moved in in 2002 (March) got the deeds (corrected) in October 2008.  And everyone who had paid cash and went with Atlas/Aroca on our urbanisation were in exactly the same boat.  I understand some are still waiting.  Those who had mortgages (therefore checked by the bank and not Aroca) or with other agents all got their deeds on time.

Hi