AUAN: It could have been you
Donation protected
UPDATE 7th March 2019
YESTERDAY, IN THE PARLIAMENT OF ANDALUSIA, THE NEW GOVERNMENT HONOURED COMMITTMENTS MADE TO THIS ASSOCIATION, BY JUANMA MORENO IN 2018, WHEN THE MINISTER FOR DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND TERRITORIAL PLANNING, MARIFRÁN CORAZO, ANNOUNCED THE GOVERNMENTS INTENTION TO REFORM LEY 6/2016 TO ALLOW PROPERTIES AWAITING LEGALISATION VIA THE EXECUTION OF A TOWN PLAN TO MEANWHILE HAVE ACCESS TO WATER AND ELECTRICITY AND TO REGISTER THEIR HOMES AT THE LAND REGISTRY.
WE BELIEVE THAT THIS MEASURE, WHEN IMPLEMENTED, WILL BENEFIT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HOMEOWNERS ACCROSS ANDALUSIA AND WILL ALLOW THEM TO LIVE, AT LONG LAST, IN HUMANLY ACCEPTABLE CONDITIONS AND WITH PEACE OF MIND WHILST THEY WAIT FOR THEIR HOMES TO BE PROPERLY LEGALISED.
THERE IS MUCH WORK TO BE DONE. WE NEED TO WORK WITH THE GOVERNMENT TO ENSURE THAT THIS LEGAL CHANGE WILL BE AS USEFUL AS POSSIBLE AND WILL BE DELIVERED AS FAST AS POSSIBLE FOR YOUR BENEFIT.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO DO SO. SO, PLEASE DONATE TO OUR CAMPAIGN FUND SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE OUR WORK. IT WOULD BE SUCH A PITY TO GIVE UP NOW BECAUSE WE CAN'T AFFORD THE PETROL TO GET TO THE PALIAMENT IN SEVILLE!!
(Statement from Juanma Moreno, now President of the Junta de Andalusia, in 2018)
Who are we?
This is an appeal on behalf of AUAN, an association of homeowners from the United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium who had the misfortune to unknowingly purchase an illegal home in Andalusia, Spain thanks to that regions poorly enforced planning system.
Like many others we moved from our home countries to Andalusia to enjoy the excellent quality of life that this part of the world has to offer. It´s a great place to live but what has been broken needs to be fixed so that we can get on with our lives and future buyers can be confident that they too will not suffer our fate. We need YOUR help to do so.
What happened to us?
We spent our life savings on a home that was subsequently declared to be illegal either because the regional government revoked the planning permission issued by the local town hall or the development was allowed to proceed unchecked, in plain sight, with no planning permission at all.
We all used lawyers.
There are an estimated 300,000 illegal houses in Andalusia. One of them could be YOUR home.
(Demolition without prior compensation in Andalusia, 2013)
The consequences of discovering that your home is illegal are daunting. We faced the prospect of expensive and lengthy court cases, being denied access to water and electricity, being unable to obtain title to the property and last but not least the prospect of demolition without compensation.
How we fought back
Rather than living in denial or giving in to despair, we united under the banner of AUAN in 2006 to get to the truth about our situation and to campaign for solutions. It has been a hard and expensive road but not an unsuccessful one. Using around €230,000 of our own money a small group of people (600 at our peak) has, to date,been instrumental in bringing about the following changes to the laws of Andalusia and Spain:
• In 2012 we were instrumental in a change to the planning laws of Andalusia which introduced the concept of an AFO, a document which allowed isolated illegal houses to obtain a form of legal recognition, services and freedom from the threat of demolition. In 2016 we were again instrumental in expanding this legislation to incorporate a larger number of illegal properties.
• In 2015, as a result of a campaign by AUAN and likeminded associations, the Senate of Spain recognised the concept of a purchaser in good faith and introduced legislation to ensure compensation prior to demolition in both the criminal and administrative courts for those who could prove that they had acted in good faith.
In 2016, the President of AUAN, Maura Hillen, was awarded an honorary MBE for services to the British community in Spain in recognition of the work of the association on behalf of those affected by the issue of illegal houses.
By working together for the common good we have not only helped ourselves but others as well. Maybe even YOU.
We need YOUR HELP to do more
We want to continue to give a voice to those who otherwise would be crushed by the unaccountable power that is the planning administration in Andalusia. We are seeking ways to make the property market in Andalusia a safer place for purchasers in good faith so that the trauma inflicted on the victims of its failings becomes a thing of the past. To do so we need money to fund expert legal and planning advice and to lobby government at both a regional and national level.
We are currently campaigning to expand the concept of an AFO to houses awaiting legalisation via a town plan so that these houses can also have a form of legal recognition whilst they wait for the legalisation process, which can take a decade or more, to be completed.
In September 2018 the Parliament of Andalusia rejected this latest proposal and we must now regroup and try again.
We want to complete this work and we want to do more but we are running out of funds and need your help to continue the work. The survival of this association is in your hands. Please do not let us down.
YESTERDAY, IN THE PARLIAMENT OF ANDALUSIA, THE NEW GOVERNMENT HONOURED COMMITTMENTS MADE TO THIS ASSOCIATION, BY JUANMA MORENO IN 2018, WHEN THE MINISTER FOR DEVELOPMENT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND TERRITORIAL PLANNING, MARIFRÁN CORAZO, ANNOUNCED THE GOVERNMENTS INTENTION TO REFORM LEY 6/2016 TO ALLOW PROPERTIES AWAITING LEGALISATION VIA THE EXECUTION OF A TOWN PLAN TO MEANWHILE HAVE ACCESS TO WATER AND ELECTRICITY AND TO REGISTER THEIR HOMES AT THE LAND REGISTRY.
WE BELIEVE THAT THIS MEASURE, WHEN IMPLEMENTED, WILL BENEFIT TENS OF THOUSANDS OF HOMEOWNERS ACCROSS ANDALUSIA AND WILL ALLOW THEM TO LIVE, AT LONG LAST, IN HUMANLY ACCEPTABLE CONDITIONS AND WITH PEACE OF MIND WHILST THEY WAIT FOR THEIR HOMES TO BE PROPERLY LEGALISED.
THERE IS MUCH WORK TO BE DONE. WE NEED TO WORK WITH THE GOVERNMENT TO ENSURE THAT THIS LEGAL CHANGE WILL BE AS USEFUL AS POSSIBLE AND WILL BE DELIVERED AS FAST AS POSSIBLE FOR YOUR BENEFIT.
WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO DO SO. SO, PLEASE DONATE TO OUR CAMPAIGN FUND SO THAT WE CAN CONTINUE OUR WORK. IT WOULD BE SUCH A PITY TO GIVE UP NOW BECAUSE WE CAN'T AFFORD THE PETROL TO GET TO THE PALIAMENT IN SEVILLE!!
(Statement from Juanma Moreno, now President of the Junta de Andalusia, in 2018)
Who are we?
This is an appeal on behalf of AUAN, an association of homeowners from the United Kingdom, Ireland and Belgium who had the misfortune to unknowingly purchase an illegal home in Andalusia, Spain thanks to that regions poorly enforced planning system.
Like many others we moved from our home countries to Andalusia to enjoy the excellent quality of life that this part of the world has to offer. It´s a great place to live but what has been broken needs to be fixed so that we can get on with our lives and future buyers can be confident that they too will not suffer our fate. We need YOUR help to do so.
What happened to us?
We spent our life savings on a home that was subsequently declared to be illegal either because the regional government revoked the planning permission issued by the local town hall or the development was allowed to proceed unchecked, in plain sight, with no planning permission at all.
We all used lawyers.
There are an estimated 300,000 illegal houses in Andalusia. One of them could be YOUR home.
(Demolition without prior compensation in Andalusia, 2013)
The consequences of discovering that your home is illegal are daunting. We faced the prospect of expensive and lengthy court cases, being denied access to water and electricity, being unable to obtain title to the property and last but not least the prospect of demolition without compensation.
How we fought back
Rather than living in denial or giving in to despair, we united under the banner of AUAN in 2006 to get to the truth about our situation and to campaign for solutions. It has been a hard and expensive road but not an unsuccessful one. Using around €230,000 of our own money a small group of people (600 at our peak) has, to date,been instrumental in bringing about the following changes to the laws of Andalusia and Spain:
• In 2012 we were instrumental in a change to the planning laws of Andalusia which introduced the concept of an AFO, a document which allowed isolated illegal houses to obtain a form of legal recognition, services and freedom from the threat of demolition. In 2016 we were again instrumental in expanding this legislation to incorporate a larger number of illegal properties.
• In 2015, as a result of a campaign by AUAN and likeminded associations, the Senate of Spain recognised the concept of a purchaser in good faith and introduced legislation to ensure compensation prior to demolition in both the criminal and administrative courts for those who could prove that they had acted in good faith.
In 2016, the President of AUAN, Maura Hillen, was awarded an honorary MBE for services to the British community in Spain in recognition of the work of the association on behalf of those affected by the issue of illegal houses.
By working together for the common good we have not only helped ourselves but others as well. Maybe even YOU.
We need YOUR HELP to do more
We want to continue to give a voice to those who otherwise would be crushed by the unaccountable power that is the planning administration in Andalusia. We are seeking ways to make the property market in Andalusia a safer place for purchasers in good faith so that the trauma inflicted on the victims of its failings becomes a thing of the past. To do so we need money to fund expert legal and planning advice and to lobby government at both a regional and national level.
We are currently campaigning to expand the concept of an AFO to houses awaiting legalisation via a town plan so that these houses can also have a form of legal recognition whilst they wait for the legalisation process, which can take a decade or more, to be completed.
In September 2018 the Parliament of Andalusia rejected this latest proposal and we must now regroup and try again.
We want to complete this work and we want to do more but we are running out of funds and need your help to continue the work. The survival of this association is in your hands. Please do not let us down.
Organizer
Marie O'Donoghue
Organizer
Oria
