Please please please, be very careful with what you are going to buy in Catalunya.

In the last week I've spoken to 2 different families who have bought properties around the Palma d'Ebre area, and were told the biggest load of lies I've ever heard, I just cant believe that this is still going on, 9 years after I was 'stung' in the same way.

They were told they could build 50 m2 up to 6 meters high, especially if they registers as agricultors or farmers. They were not told that you need quite a lot of land to do this and also that it costs you a minimum of 250 Euros to be autonomo (self employed)

Although 50 m2 in theory is enough space for a couple who are not needing lots of furniture etc. This building even if given permission is still an ALMACEN'  not to live in, and never will be after you spend all of your money on it.

When these people have gone to the local authorities (after shelling out 18k +) they are told they don't have enough land to be autonomo (even if they could afford it) so therefore can only build an almacen of 35 m2........and it will need an Architects project, when they were told just to present their own deawings and pay the taxes.

I find it absolutely incredible that people are still falling for this crap, especially with all of the information now available on the Internet and especially on this forum, but from my experience they still believe what they want to believe, and then wonder why they have been ripped off.

Today I found a very recent advert for a property in the same town for around 45k, with a huge agricultural building in bad repair, but it states that this can be renovated into a B&B and can connect to the water and electricity close by..........WAKE UP PEOPLE, YOU WILL NEVER GET PERMISSION TO DO THIS IN CATALUNYA.

Ask Pondgirl on this forum about her saga with renovating a beautiful mill, how much she put into it, and after years of waiting and a lot of money later could not get permission, so what do you think the answer will be for an agricultural building in bad repair will be?????

A Belgian couple bought a beautiful finca in Bot, the local Mayor was in full agreement that they could make a rural tourism project and he would back them all the way. Then 4 years down the line after the project has been presented numerous times, because something or the other had to be changed, their Lawyer finally told the couple that the Tarragona authorities, have refused the project, again they spent many thousands of Euros to get to this stage, and to add insult to injury, when they returned to Spain to spend some time on their finca, their caravan had mysteriously caught fire, and that was last February with no forest fires etc.....................go figure!!!!! 

OK rant over, but be careful out there hey!!!!!!