WHETHER they’re buying Greek Cypriot properties or not, British home buyers in the north claim they are being cheated left, right and centre and have decided to take drastic action.
From tomorrow, members of the Homebuyers’ Pressure Group (HPG), which has 1,000 members, plan to stage daily 10-hour demonstrations outside the ‘parliament’ in the north in a bid to force action on property related issues.
The group says members’ dreams of a home in the north have become a nightmare due to some lawyers, builders, developers and estate agents taking advantage of lax property legislation.
Some of the problems faced by buyers, many retired, include missing funds amounting to millions of pounds, laws being ignored by lawyers and builders, double and triple selling, properties half built and abandoned, homes built with no electricity and water, properties sold off-plan and never built, and properties paid for in full with nothing built.
The lengthy list also refers to properties being built on ‘government and disputed’ land, and properties built without any title deeds, all of which have resulted in people losing their life’s savings.
The pressure groups says buyers are living in fear because of threats and intimidation by builders, being ignored when they complain, and having to live in third world conditions detrimental to the health of many retirees.
Marian Stokes, the founder of HPG told a recent meeting of members that the people who could improve their lot “either don’t listen, are impotent and are puppet figureheads or just don’t care”.
“After all this effort, new people are joining every week and there is a steady trickle of people leaving the island for good, their dreams shattered. In many instances, I think the problems are getting worse!” Stokes said. “We live in a country where the laws are ignored and broken with impunity and nobody does anything about it”.
Stokes said talking and continually stating that they want to work with the ‘government’ had “borne a poor crop”.
“And I for one am fed up with it. The time has come for direct action and I propose we become more visible and start demonstrating,” she added.
NIGHTMARE TALES
Couple 1 decided in 2005 to buy a home in the north, signing a contract in August that year. In January 2006 work began but by August, a year later, “just a few bricks had been laid”. In October they were informed the company would be closing down. They emailed the developer and received back an abusive response “threatening to have friends of ours arrested if they were seen taking photographs on our site.” Up until this month the couple has still heard nothing.
Couple 2 found a partly built property in 2002 and were asked for 20,000 sterling to finish the job. They handed over 5,000 and were then asked for 2,000 more for two air conditioning units and a fridge freezer he had found for them. The couple later found out he had paid only 700 for them. After work started with no clear completion date suddenly the price went up with another 4,000 for unspecified extras and the couple discovered the builder wasn’t even registered. They found another builder but the first one then sued them and the case went on for four years.
Couple 3, aged 76 and 72, decided on a property in November 2004, paid the deposit and were offered a ten per cent discount if they paid in full early. As pensioners, this was a huge saving for them so they mortgaged their home in Wales and paid 134,950 sterling. In October 2005 all building stopped without explanation and to date the couple have not heard a thing. Now the husband has cancer, is unable to work and pay the mortgage. They have already had their car re-possessed and now stand to lose their UK home.
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