25 Nov 2012 1:03 PM:
Hi, I´m new to Spain, and have found my self in a pretty horrible situation.
This is the second house that I rent. The first house was advertised with free electricity and free water, all included in the monthly rent. This was untrue, instead the house was powered by a very expensive petrol generator. The cost of utilities was 450 Euros the first month, and the I only had electricity for 5 hours per day. I negotiaded with the owner to terminate the contract, and the owner agreed to terminate the contract with 24-hours notice, as soon as I found something more suitable.
Desperate I walked in to a local branch of a national realtor in Oliva, Grup*90. I went in full disclosure, said that I really, really needed to find a functioning living arrangement and that I had a cuple of medical conditions that as cold related. I really needed a house with electricity and warm water and a possibility to heat the house.
I was shown great empathy (until I handed over the first deposit) and a great apartment for only 350 Euros per month, all included. I really needed to find an un-complicated living arrangement and was asked for a 300 Euro deposit to be able to move in the next day.
This was my first mistake, once I had paid the deposit I was told that I imediattely would need to arrenge a NIE-number or else I´d loose the deposit and would not be able to rent the apartment. I got instructions how to, but was sent away by the police, from the policestation, when trying to apply.
I had a really hard time convincing the realtor to hand over the keys. I spent the met upon, additional 600 Euros in agency fees and rent, a total of 900 Euros.
I´m still waiting for the keys to the mailbox, any contact information to the owner, my copy of the rental contract and information about the promised ADSL-connection (the house has no telephone line).
Only 3 weeks in to the rental my electricity went out. This was thursday night, the 15th of november. First thing the next day, when the realtor opened I went in and reported the problem.
I was very surprised when the realtor then tried to extort next months rent early from me, to have the electricity back on. I told the realtor that she, by demanding this, was comitting a criminal act against me. I told the electricity needed to be back on the same day. The realtor then told me that she would call the owner to the house (that lives in the U.K.) and then she would call an electrician. I was told that I should go back to the house and wait for an electrician. I waited the full friday, the full saturday and sunday. Monday night at 18.00 the realtor calls and says that she and the interpreter would come up to fix the electricity. But they had not brough an electrician. I was told that the unreasonably long wait for electricity was due to them beeing unable to contact the owner, wich turned out to be a lie. I was then told, that the reason for my long wait, was that the realtor lacked a car. I reported that the bathroom window in the upstairs aparment had been open for 3 weeks, making the house even colder. The realtor went up tp the aparment, but failed to close this window. I notised this when they had left and reminded them to turn back and close the window. Need I say, that´s it´s still open? The realtor did not manage to get the electricity back on and I was once again promised a technincian to the house.
I was earlier referred a lawyer by Grupo90 to help me with getting the NIE-number. I contacted the same lawyer to file a law suit aginst this criminal realtor, this was my second mistake. I had expexted the lawyer to be somewhat in the realtors pocket, but not this deep.
Now the lieing really started. Tuesday, after 6 days without electricity, I was first told that Iberdrola, the electrical company had cut the electricty for the whole street, due to a neighbour tampering with his electrical box. But I was the only one on the street without electricity. The neigbourhood assosiation also told me that it was a load of B.S.
The I was told that the owner of the house had to return from the U.K. to personally pay some fines or outstanding bills and that there was nothing for the realtor to do to make the electricty come back on, but to offer me 300 Euros back, out of 900 Euros spent. But then I would have to hand in the keys and stand there homeless. This was not an option. I had rented this house for the contracted time of one year. I was offered 600 of my spent 900 Euros rent refunded. I demanded that the realtor should get me a new place to live, without asking for a agency fee and I demanded that my costs for moving would be reinbursed.
The I was told that a technician from Iberdrola had been out to the house, but reached the conclution "that it was a piece missing, perhaps one of the neighbours had stolen it". Accordning to "my" lawyer there was nothing to do, but accept the breach of contract, the atempted extortion and the now week long harassement, loosing my money and move out. This was tuesday night.
Wednesday I took my, close to non-existant spanish and went personally to Iberdrola to ask about the problems to get down to the truth. The lady at Iberdrola was very confused, because Iberdrola had no report of the house lacking electricity. I arranged for a technician to come to the house. I had to pay the technician 50 Euros for this. It took less than two hours to get the electricity back on.
Later that night, when the electricity had been back on for 10 hours, my lawyer calls and tells me that she PERSONALLY had contacted Iberdrola and told me that there was nothing for the to do and that MY options where to either accept the low-ball offer and move out or pay next months rent, but not getting any elecrticity, because returning the electricity was impossible.
I then told her that I knew for a fact that she was lieing. The harassement was by the in its 7th day, 3/4 of the first month was only lies, dishonesty, greed, extortion and harassement.
I now need a new good lawyer, I´d love one of those pit-bull ones that can help me close down the Grupo90 Oliva office. I´m out for blood. The lack of electricty brought on loads of extra expenses and did NO favors to my health.
Any suggestions?
Regards
Dante-In-Oliva
This message was last edited by Dante-In-Oliva on 25/11/2012.
Thread:
Grupo 90 - Vacaciones en el infierno
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