Mosa Property

Hi,

We did same and were tempted by some very low villa prices there. However when we looked into it further 3. things put us off:

1. Communal Fees quoted by Estate Agent were €1000 per year which is high enough. However with further digging the real figure turned out to be €115 per month which comes out at nearly €1400 per year (€1380 to be exact!). Thats a lot; its cheaper than Council Tax if you look at it that way and if you intend living there permanently but as a holiday home its a lot to be paying when yre not there.

2. There seemed to be info around re bad flooding there in recent past.

3. Depending how you look at it, you might wonder why so many properties on those developments are for sale at same time; we counted 5 out of 13 on one there. Is it coincidence or are there issues? We decided it wasnt coincidence and ceased our interest.

If its a holiday home always look at fees, and always ask who runs the development; developer or management company or committee of residents.

 Also bear in mind, either way over time inevitably those fees go up. We speak from experience having just sold a property on a development of only 8 properties.... sounds idyllic doesnt it? It wasnt coz out of 8 we had 2 to 3 awol non payers at any given time. 

The principle is that payers make up the shortfall for non payers (in most countries). That goes on until the non payer pays or the property is sold and the committee (not you) reimbursed. You dont want that on top of already  high fees.

Food for thought; just be very careful and ask for committee minutes if possible and evidence of the fees; dont believe Estate Agent; many will downplay the true extent of fees to make it a more appealing purchase.

Tim

Best to avoid community charge altogether and go for an 'independent' property. I know from experience how bad communities and administrators can be. Voting is not democratic! It takes only one member to vote against anything and the vote is lost! Why burden yourself with potential hassle when all you want is peace in the sun!

Absolutely; couldnt agree more.

Agree with Tim, years ago we bought an apartment, the communal fees were manageable but, within a couple of years, they had doubled after 5 years we sold. At meetings which set the fees and expenditures for the year you are on a looser, try out shouting a load of Spaniards, that is assuming you speak the language if you don’t forget it. 

Too right Ginger; as you imply its not just the fees or the extent of them, but also the petty politics of the committee and communal ownership relationships. A quick look at any forum relating to property anywhere in the world, and the issues around Communal Fees feature consistently, and always the same stuff; non payers and high fees.

I have a Communal Fees horror story.My brother has lived in Majorca for the last 20 years. When he first went there he rented a small apartment. The fees kept goin up and eventually  the owners realised that whilst everyone else on the urb seemed to be just about getting by financially; the Committee Chair and Vice Chair (Spanish husband and wife), were making more and more expensive improvements to their own apt, yet with no visible signs of income. 

In the end the owners combined to get a lawyer involved and indeed their worst suspicions were proved. The owners were awarded reimbursement of the embezzled fees but it was never paid. The Chair and Vice Chair were replaced but no owner ever got any money back. My brother left the urb.

The way I see it, logically, whatever the fees are when you buy, over time they will go up quite simply coz the cost of swimming pool maintenance and the employees wages who do that will go up. Theres no equation which says they will go up proportionate to personal budget or reconcilable with an owners ability to pay. 

The example youve given highlights that; i’ll bet your capacity to pay (pension, salary, savings etc) didnt double in 5 years!

Communal Fees is a monkey you dont need on your back; thats for sure.

I’ve recently bought on Mosa in October. There’s a hell of lot of things happening here. Trust me It’s definitely worth thinking about. We have a new developer that is spending millions on the urbanisation tarting it up. New restaurants, bars, shops, hotel, 3 x 9 hole golf course which is going to be the best in the area all being developed etc.

 The new airport is literally 8 mins away I did a dry run yesterday.

 I can tell you exactly how much my community fees are. Basically I have a 3 bed large front line golf villa and it costs me €200 per quarter. If you pay by DD you also get 25% off your bill. Also for those that pay their fees we also get free WiFi with A2Z for being a good payer. So it pays to pay your fees on time. If you don’t pay then the bad debtors don’t get offered the discounts or any priveleges. We also have a English committee, the main president sends out emails on a regular basis telling you what’s happening with the resort and keeps you fully updated. He has recently been voted in for the 2nd time running for a 5 year contract. Anyway if you’d like to know any further questions from someone that actually lives here please feel free to ask. 

All sounds good, but please take the advice of other's that have had problems with Communities and administrators! What is good today can change tomorrow. Best to be ahead of the game. Unless things have changed since I had the hassle of a community, the president had to change on an annual basis, and the AGM was always traumatic.

Good luck anyway, and I hope all works well for you.

Since selling the appartment, referred to above, we have found and bought a country house, no community charges, arguing committees etc, bliss.

Good on ya; sounds like the way to go.👍🏽