23 Aug, 2024 @ 20:00
1 min read
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Exclusive: Fuming Dutch expat is ‘living in fear’ after the walls of her Estepona home detached from the floor – and is forced to call in lawyers over ‘lack of action from urbanisation bosses’ 

A DUTCH expat has called in lawyers after waiting more than a year for urgent repairs to her Estepona home – warning that the lack of action is ‘putting lives in danger’. 

Claudia Meekel, 58, claims she is being discriminated against after her urbanisation allegedly used funds designated to fix her property on beautifying other homes and grounds.

The admin worker from Eindhoven, the Netherlands, bought the property in Aldea de la Luna with the aim of working remotely there for two weeks every month.

However, two years into her Spanish adventure, she noticed the walls had become separated from the floor.

READ MORE: British tourists are left in tears after water is thrown on them from a balcony in southern Spain in shocking ‘anti-tourism’ attack

Photo: The Olive Press

The local council visited the property last year, ordering community bosses to renovate the building, warning it would have to be ‘closed and sealed off’ otherwise.

A year later, Claudia claims repairs have only been started on one side of the property, leaving other residents at risk.

Despite this, the expat says the urbanisation is spending public money on ‘beautifying’ private properties, cutting down trees and erecting new fences.

Photo: The Olive Press

“That’s where the friends of the community president live,” she told the Olive Press.

“Every time I try to bring it up, they push me away because I don’t belong, it’s discrimination”

She claims the damage is getting worse and that every month she ‘is more and more scared to live there.’

“People could get seriously injured,” she said.

“It’s wrong, the community is meant to create a nice and safe surrounding for the residents, not just the privileged.”

Claudia is just one of six property owners affected by the damage.

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Photo: The Olive Press

She claims she has repeatedly requested for plans and financial estimates on the work but is ignored.

Now, she has contacted a lawyer and the local council to address the issue and hopes residents can soon feel safe in their own homes. 

The Olive Press contacted the urbanisation management company, Gestoria M3 for comment but received no response before publishing.

It comes after multiple reports of issues with community presidents along the Costa del Sol over the past year. 

One British president in Estepona came under fire after allegedly giving himself a salary higher than the prime minister of Spain – for a role that is supposed to be done for free. 

Elsewhere, Brits accused their presidents of buying votes and hiding account information after hiking up their community fees.

READ MORE: Brits clash with locals in Spain’s Mijas as their demonstration against donkey taxis is met with a counterprotest: Police attend to keep the peace

Yzabelle Bostyn

Yzabelle Bostyn is an NCTJ trained journalist who started her journalistic career at the Olive Press in 2023.
Before moving to Spain, she studied for a BA in English Literature and Hispanic Studies at the University of Sheffield.
After graduating she moved to the university’s journalism department, one of the best in the UK.
Throughout the past few years, she has taken on many roles including social media marketing, copywriting and radio presenting.
She then took a year out to travel Latin America, scaling volcanoes in Guatemala and swimming with sharks in Belize.
Then, she came to the Olive Press last year where she has honed her travel writing skills and reported on many fantastic experiences such as the Al Andalus luxury train.
She has also undertaken many investigations, looking into complex issues like Spain’s rental crisis and rising cancer rates.
Always willing to help, she has exposed many frauds and scams, working alongside victims to achieve justice.
She is most proud of her work on Nolotil, a drug linked to the deaths of many Brits in Spain.
A campaign launched by Yzabelle has received considerable support and her coverage has been by the UK and Spanish media alike.
Her writing has featured on many UK news outlets from the Sun to the Mail Online, who contracted her to report for them in Tenerife on growing tourism issues.
Recently, she has appeared on Times Radio covering deadly flooding in Valencia.

1 Comment

  1. Often, but necessarily in this case, when a development is completed, the developer appoints the first administration company, who are therefore thankful to the developer, or even owned by them. At subsequent community AGM’s, if the development is not completely sold, the developer has votes and votes against anything against their interest. Also, many owners give their proxy vote to the administrator who votes with the developer. Thus, the years go by, and the administrator favours those who cause no trouble. Those who complain or ask to go against the developer are ignored. That could be the source of Claudia and her 6 neighbours’ problems over inaction. They need to contact all the other owners and change the administrator to one who will act for the urbanisation and not the developer and friends.

    Location : Estepona

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