We moved to Spain to build our dream home - but lost £200k after it turned into a nightmare
14.02.2024 - 11:49
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
A British couple who dreamt of a hassle-free retirement in Spain have now been forced to move back to the UK after losing £200,000. Phil and Anne Bulman, both 71, moved to the Costa Blanca in 2004 after Phil finished three decades in the merchant navy.
The pair sold their property in England in a bid to build their dream retirement home in Almoradi from scratch. They were looking forward to spending the rest of their days in the sun, but 20 years on they are now back on UK soil after falling foul of robbers, cowboy builders and red tape, they claim.
Phil says the couple put £374k into their Spanish dream home, and only made back £161k after selling it - a loss of £213k. Now back living in the South East of England, Phil said: "It was a dream that turned into a nightmare."
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"We've all had ideas of that idyllic dream - but it just doesn't turn out like that. For us it was an expensive nightmare," he said.
When they first moved to Spain almost 20 years ago, Phil and Anne picked out a beautiful plot in orange and lemon groves. They then had their dream home built on it at a cost of £230,000.
The couple then paid £18,500 for a pool and terraces to be built, and added a second property on their plot for their daughter at more cost, who came out to join them.
All the work was done by the same building company and Phil was sure all the paperwork was in order. But he claims that several years later they had work done to fix a problem with the pool.
Inspectors visiting works on a neighbouring property then came over to see what was going on. Phil claims he was then told the extra house and pool were illegal - and would be destroyed if he