Buying a home without planning permission

Some stories never go away. This is one of them. Every few months you hear about a group of foreigners who have bought a house, villa or apartment in Spain only to find it doesn't have planning permission.

I'd be the last to say: "I told you so." There but for the grace of God go I. Buying a home in the Spanish sun is a nightmare. I know. I've done it.

Planning regulations here in Spain seem to be designed for corruption. In many places it's basically down to the local mayor if a place is given permission. There's also a rule that essentially says that if something was built more than seven years ago and nobody's complained or issued a "denuncio" then it's legal. I'm told it's often cheaper to use this method to put in a swimming pool than to go the legal route. Scary.

Although you can never completely eliminate the risk when buying property in Spain, there are sensible precautions:

• Get to know the area where you're thinking of buying a home. Try to see it in a variety of seasons.
• Talk to people who've already bought a place there. They may know the pitfalls.
• Get a good lawyer. Recommendation is the best way - another good reason for meeting locals.
• Use the internet. A Google search may throw up stories of dodgy dealings in the area where you're thinking of buying.
• Join internet discussion forums. You don't even physically need to be in a place to find out from the locals what a place is really like.

Here's the original story from the BBC's website.