Here the team answer some key questions about the options open to you if you have been mis-sold an overseas property. They specialise in helping clients resolve issues with mis-sold properties and have been involved in many cases where they have successfully negotiated a refund or compensation when a property transaction has gone wrong. For example they are handling a number of cases where there have been timeshare problems with Resort Properties Tenerife.
Question: How much mis-sold property is there in the EC in your estimation?
Answer: Far too much.
We believe the figure to be in excess of 1 Billion pounds worth of property. This has been mis-sold in one way or another in Spain, Cyprus and other EC countries.
While the idea of owning a holiday home is the dream of so many people, occasionally that dream can turn into a nightmare. Land may have been sold to you that you cannot legally build on. The Habitation License has not been granted. Perhaps your house has not been Finished on Time or to your specifications and the builders won’t budge? Maybe the Developer has not banked your deposit in the correct manner and you do not have a Bank Guarantee to protect your money. You may not have received your Deeds in Cyprus.
The reasons are many and varied, however the main reason was lack of due diligence to start with.
Question: Can these disputes be resolved?
Answer: Yes in most cases.
Faced with trying to argue your case in a foreign language and trying to negotiate your way through the minefield of an entirely different legal system, it would be easy just to hold your hands up, accept there’s nothing you can do about it and chalk your losses up to experience. Don’t, the Legislation is very clear about the mis-selling of property. You are protected by EC Law, and the Local Laws in the Country that you have purchased in. My one piece of advice is, avoid Nepotism and Procrastination. When resolving any dispute abroad start with a UK firm who will act on your behalf. Ensure that they have experience and good strong relationships with Lawyers in the Country where your dispute will be dealt with.
Question: If I have been mis-sold what do I do?
Answer: Get in touch.
If you think you’ve been mis-sold a foreign property and have come up against a brick wall in your claims for compensation, call Conflict International before any other firm. We will give you good honest advice free of charge over the telephone or email. We specialize in Property Disputes. Conflict International has the expertise to help you recover your money with the aid of specialist Solicitors and Lawyers experienced and qualified to take the case.
Question: What makes you successful?
Answer: We are positive, brave and knowledgeable.
We are not afraid to upset people. We are aggressive and very persistent. We are made up of several different nationalities all experts in their own countries Property Law and we do not like failure.
Question: How long does the average case take to resolve?
Answer: How long is a piece of string?
The quickest case that we have ever resolved was an out of court settlement in one week. This is not the norm; the most important thing is the due process in your case has started, if your case is running you can’t be time barred by the Statute of Limitations. There will come to a point in all cases when the case will enter Court, should no out of court settlement be forthcoming. In our opinion most EC Judges are very bright people. I have confidence in the Legal System, and as such if you have been ripped off, or there has been an obvious Breach of contract, you will normally get the correct outcome in Court.
Question: What do your services cost?
Answer: We will look at your case completely free of charge.
We do not believe in charging for consultations. Once we have come to a sensible conclusion about the case, we charge a fixed fee. We do not believe that hourly rates are conducive to good work practice. The only thing that hourly fees promote is procrastination. So if you have a clear case of property fraud, then Conflict International is the most effective solution for you.