A man was on the point of buying a flat in Granada in 2018 when he decided to check with the registry - the flat was due for demolition.

However, he had already paid 800 euros to reserve the property at the estate agents and then another 9,200 to the owner as a down payment on the flat in the Barrio de Santa Adela (Zaidín) which he was buying for 42,000.

The seller had bought the property for 28,000 euros knowing that it was due for demolition, as were several blocks of flats in that area for being antiquated – the City Hall is going to build modern accommodation in line with present-day regulations in their place.

His plan was to sell it to make a quick turn round at a very tempting price and a good profit for him, without letting on that it was due for demolition.

The victim then signed a bill of purchase with the owner handing over a deposit of 9,200 euros. It wasn’t until he had done this that it occurred to him to check out the legal situation of the property, and when he did at the City Hall, it was to discover that the property was included in the Santa Adela Expropriation Plan.

Allegedly, the estate agents were in on it; when they took the victim to see the flat and he said that he was interested, they demanded a reservation fee of 800 euros, which he duly paid.

The flat owner and the two people from estate-agent are facing an 18-month prison sentence for fraud.

(News: City & Metropolitan Area, Granada, Andalucia)