I am inspired to write hoping anyone contemplating coming to Crete to live will TAKE CARE. Several friends of mine have had most of their retirement savings lost to builder companies and home builder management firms in Crete. The firm or company have sold homes that were not properly licensed to build, land that did not belong to them, builders who employed illegal workers from Bulgaria/Albania etc.... and did not pay proper taxes to the government on the property or for the workers they had "Employed" for cash, off the books.
When the houses where finished, or nearly so, each home buyer found that neither water, nor electricity would be installed because the properties were not licensed, registered, and workers IKA (like employment insurance) and VAT tax not paid.
When the rules are broken, the home buyer is responsible for anything the builder did not do. In many cases, has to pay these taxes and other licensing costs again, and are forced to claim the first payment they made in good faith to the builder through the court system.
Each one of my friends has documentation attesting to all of these requirements being met, which mean nothing. They all are either not able to move in to their new homes, or are living (one UK couple for 4 years) without utilities. They have had to purchase very expensive generators to run the basic electrical appliances.
They have been told that their only recourse is to hire a local lawyer and sue for costs and damages. Nothing else will help them move this along. As you might guess the lawyers make money, the courts make fees, and the hopeful home-owners just keep paying....and paying. Those who have sold up all properties from the home country are left with nothing but stress and the hope that electricity will come soon.
I have been watching this now for years. Anyone who is thinking about building or buying here, hire a lawyer NOW. It is worth the fee. Or speak to someone you know has facilitated their own building and can give you details. All of them. Know what to expect, know what documents should be in place and which government office lodges them. Don't go in blind, check everything.
Rent and live here while things progress. Be on hand to watch what is taking place. Keep an eye on the builders also. Many charge for quality materials, and substitute inferior ones. Some hire illegal workers whom are not trained in the trade they are providing. Coordination is a problem too. Concrete is laid only to be ripped out again to lay pipes or conduits. Know what is needed yourself before any work is done.
Some of my friends were dealing with very well known builders. Names we know from the UK and elsewhere. There are others, and in the worst case I have seen, the "company" was a fix-it man who was not licensed to build anything...he just had a web site with pictures of other homes in the area he said were his. Be careful, be warned. It is not all gloom. Many have been ok here, but many are not!
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