UK expat forced to endure flooded house every time it rains

A UK expat living in Manilva is caught in a legal mess caused by regular flooding due to a new wall built by his neighbour.

Peter Fake’s newly bought bungalow in the Spanish town of Manilva was intended to be a comfortable, secure home for the rest of his life. He owns a tyre store in the town, and purchasing a property was the last step of his Spanish dream. Sadly, the dream became a nightmare when his next-door neighbour built a wall, causing torrents of water to flood his home on a regular basis.

The bungalow had six previous owners, none of whom had experienced any problems with flooding, and the property had been empty for nine months prior to Peter’s moving in. Set in the attractive Hacienda Guadalupe development, it seemed like the perfect purchase for his desired lifestyle. Prior to his arrival in his new home, no-one had mentioned the new wall his neighbour had built, nor did anyone refer to flooding within his property, No water damage was apparent.

However, Peter found out for himself on a rainy day as water gushed into the bedroom and out into the rest of the house. He told reporters from the EU Weekly News it reaches 20cms up the walls and causes the furniture to float, adding it happens every time it rains. Looking for a practical solution, Peter got a Mayoral decree authorising him to fix the problem, but once he’d started the necessary work, the neighbour filed a complaint with local police. The result was a judicial ruling ordering him to stop work, leaving him with continuing floods wrecking his home.

He’s tried everything he can to deal with the floods, but is sick and tired of being passed from law firm to law firm, all of which take his money and fail to help, along with local officials who are as useless as the lawyers but at least cost less. He’s living in fear of rain, and explained to the media the solution is simply to prove sufficient drainage directing the water away from his home. To date, the entire shambles has cost him around €60,000, his furniture has been wrecked and a wall in his house has collapsed. The moral of this sad tale, especially for new expat arrivals, is check, double check and then check again every single aspect of the property, including the neighbours.