Last Wednesday in Malaga was the scene of an unprecedented expat demonstration, with property owners from all across Andalucia protesting against perceived property rights abuses and demolition threats that have placed a number of homeowners in precarious positions.
Parts of Malaga city centre were brought to a standstill as hundreds of predominately British expats – many retired, all property owners – voiced their anger over a proposed local government scheme to demolish as many as 11,000 illegally-built properties in the Malaga region and surrounding towns of Mijas and Axarquia.
Many of these homes earmarked for demolition were snapped up by British buyers between 2001 and 2006, at a time when prices were low and the desire to purchase a property in Spain was at its highest. The local Junta (council) has since approved a law allowing fast-track demolition of these illegal homes, and any properties that are deemed ‘manifestly incompatible with town planning laws’.
The protestors’ anger was directed towards the local town halls and governors, many of whom approved the construction of these properties, turning a blind eye to legality issues in order to meet the demand for homes that was being fuelled by British and Irish buyers, and also make themselves a tidy profit in the process.
Tags: Expat Homes, Living in Spain, Malaga demonstrations, Property in Spain
