house purchase La Capellania

[Maryhen]

Hi, we are coming out to Fuerteventura on Sunday and hoping to buy a house, we were thinking of going to La Capellania on Sunday for a walk about and a visit to Shooters to get a feel for the place, was wondering what the forum thought , do you think we would get some valuable info doing this? Although must say, we've already got some valuable info from this forum!

[SheilaW]

Well, if you're thinking of buying on the estate, then it's certainly a good idea to visit and wander around. But bear in mind that probably 95% of residents here never set foot in Shooters. Spend time in Casa Pablo too to add a few more percent. The La Mamma restaurant is open again, so that's another place to meet locals. But an awful lot of people go elsewhere to socialise, and just keep themselves to themselves at home. Our area is wonderfully quiet when all the dogs shut up. But we've lived on two of the Manzanas now and find them very different.

[Elite of the forum]

Sunday is the best time to go to shooters its busy with the sunday lunch from around 5ish ,Manzana 10 is relatively quiet place plus the pool is soon to be reopened  ::)its more the predominant Spanish ones who have the yapping dogs,but thats the case all over the island

[Ernie]

Hi All,

I have a few questions as I am curious about how Tam works. Many thanks for any replies. 

Are all these Manzanas completely independent of one another so that the Communidad charges are at different levels from each other ? If so which Manzana has the lowest charges and why ?

Is there no central fund for the upkeep of the complex as a whole ?

How does it work with communal areas such as pools or play areas. Are these restricted to the Manzana that pays for them or open to all ? Maybe open to all because all Manzanas are expected to contribute via some sort of central fund ?

Does each Manzana have its own President, Administrator and Communidad meetings ?

Is there a President-in-Chief, Administrator-in-Chief and massive complex-wide Communidad meetings for overseeing the management of the complex as a whole ?

Very many thanks for any replies,

Ernie 

[SheilaW]

Manzana 10 is relatively quiet place plus the pool is soon to be reopened 

Strangely enough, that's exactly what the estate agent said back in 2012 when he showed us a property of Manzana 10 .

[SheilaW]

Are all these Manzanas completely independent of one another so that the Communidad charges are at different levels from each other ? If so which Manzana has the lowest charges and why ?

Sort of, though several are administered by the same company, headed by a Thomas Hardimann (spelling?). No idea which is lowest as my houses have been different sizes.

How does it work with communal areas such as pools or play areas. Are these restricted to the Manzana that pays for them or open to all ? Maybe open to all because all Manzanas are expected to contribute via some sort of central fund ?

Restricted pools; difficult to do that with playgrounds.

Does each Manzana have its own President, Administrator and Communidad meetings ?

Yep.

Don't know the answer to the other couple, but I know the local council has come responsibilities as the place is officially a village now.

[Ernie]

Thanks. I once met Thomas Hardtmann in an unrelated capacity and I was very impressed by him.

To clarify on comparing Manzana charges, are you saying that it is difficult to figure out which is the cheapest Manzana because the level of charge within each Manzana is linked to the individual property size as a percentage of the total aggregate property size for that entire Manzana ?

So because different properties have different sizes and different Manzanas have different total aggregate sizes a comparison of charges across Manzanas is not straight forward ?

Seems fair enough. Publishing a list of "per square metre charges" across Manzanas would be useful info for residents but doesn't seem likely.

Finally, which of the Manzanas in the expat areas (rather than the Spanish ones) have the least amount of "communal space" to maintain ? Clearly this is not the most precise of barometers but is a starting point for where might offer the lowest Communidad charges.

Many thanks in advance,

Ernie

[Tamkid]

Look at paying around 40euros a month communal charge. A three bedroomed property is around 280 euros council tax. Insurance for a 3 bed property is around 280 euros per annum. Difficult to say regarding mixes of nationalities, pretty much the same on all Manzana's I would say. The Swimming Pools are supposed to be opening in the near future, only the people living on those Manzana's can use them, after all, they pay for the upkeep.

Sunday afternoon or Tuesday night is the best time to go to Shooters for info. Mark the landlord is a very friendly guy who speaks fluent Spanish, he will point you in the right direction about most things.

[Elite of the forum]

Manzana 10 is relatively quiet place plus the pool is soon to be reopened 

Strangely enough, that's exactly what the estate agent said back in 2012 when he showed us a property of Manzana 10 .

Was over the other week apparently more than enough money for the pool ,hoping to fill it soon to test for leaks ,so they say 

Manzana 10 is â,¬40 plus an option of â,¬5 extra a month towards the pool reopening/upgrade/maintenance

[Ernie]

Hi Tamkid,

I already have a place on the island but am curious about how Tam works.

Do you get a monthly breakdown of income, expenses and cash balances from your Administrator ? What are the main expenses requiring a â,¬40 per month charge ? It seems high for houses sitting on their own plots and subject to their own maintenance, particularly when communal facilities such as the pool are an optional extra. Where's the â,¬40 going each month ?

Rgds,

Ernie

[Elite of the forum]

As far as im aware street lighting,street cleaners and they fumigate but what i dont know  ,got to say its pretty clean

[Tamkid]

I must admit, until Thomas Harteman took over the Management of the Manzana it was pretty chaotic. We do get a professional financial breakdown of all of the expenses including debtors. The 40euros go's towards all groundwork and cleaning within the Manzana boundaries this includes the upkeep and payment of street lighting.

Any issues I have had that needed Thomas Harteman to sort out have been done very quickly, and if they can, effectively, if they cant, they will give you an explanation as to why they are unable to.

Compared to what I pay and get for my money on property I own in the UK, I find the 40euros is excellent value for money.

[SheilaW]

To clarify on comparing Manzana charges, are you saying that it is difficult to figure out which is the cheapest Manzana because the level of charge within each Manzana is linked to the individual property size as a percentage of the total aggregate property size for that entire Manzana ?

Erm...I like to restrict myself to saying things that I understand (in the main) and I don't speak stat...stat...stat...  . All I'm saying is I paid â,¬30 for a 1-bed on 12 and now I pay â,¬35 for a 3-bed on 5. But then our little road is swept every day here - you get what you pay for .

Definitely more Spanish spoken here than on 12. Whether any are Canaries-born is another matter.

[Ole Man River]

Hi Ernie,
We pay â,¬40 a month (all houses, 2 & 3 bed) pay the same, plus â,¬5 for the pool fund, not OPTIONAL. Admin by Thomas Hardtman, excellent.

The Ayuntamiento are responsible for maintenance of the general garden areas & the MAIN ROADS.
Each Manzana is responsible for it's own roads & general pipework. The owners are responsible for any work inside their own boundary.

There are 13 Manzanas. Each Manzana agree their Maintenance Fees with their Committee & Administrator so there is some variation. Not all are administered by Thomas.

There were to be 2 pools. Manzana 10 & 11. Neither of which were ever opened as they were not signed off by the developer before they left. Hence the high cost of getting them up & running now.  Manzana 11 have decided to fill in their pool as the costs are too high. 

[Ernie]

Many thanks for the very interesting replies and I'm starting to build up a picture. Pools on 10 and 11 (soon to be just 10), higher proportion of expats at higher numbers, some roads adopted by Ayuntamiento, others including pipework and lighting is the responsibility of the individual Manzana, Thomas Hardtmann in control of certain Manzanas and generally well respected.

Based on this information I'd be most interested in any Hardtmann controlled higher numbers with the least number of roads and gardens to maintain. Can anybody supply any relevant information about 7, 8 & 9 ?

Thanks again.

Ernie   

[lindasalazar]

Hi everyone

I am new to this and may be posting in the wrong area.  Does anyone know the new Corralejo' area or live here.  I visited 3 years ago and there were no cafes or little shops just Carrefour is it still like this?

Thank you
Linda

[Ole Man River]

Manzana 7 has 95 houses,  M 8 - 116,    M 9 - 61.