This is the LEXLAND team who led the operation: Natalia Iturbe, Cristina Campo and John Fegan.

El equipo de LEXLAND que ha liderado la operación se compone por Natalia Iturbe, Cristina Campo, John Fegan y Alejandro Azcona.

Starting on Monday, 23^rd January 2017, consumers can address floor clause claims to their banks. “Once received, the bank must send the consumer the calculation of the amount to be returned including the interest, or alternatively the reasons for considering the claim not appropriate. After receiving the bank communication, the consumer must express his/her agreement with the calculation for the bank to return the money back. The entire process will be done in a maximum period of three months.

Can I address a legal claim to the bank if my mortgage had a floor clause but is amortized?

Yes. Even if the mortgage is already fully paid, the Decree-Law allows consumers who had an abusive floor clause to address a legal claim. The term of the statute of limitations is 15 years, although each case should be consulted.

If I have been paid the floor clause since May 2013, can I claim it from 2009?

Yes, but the Government admits that it is the bank that decides whether or not to return what has been collected.

The bank notifies me that I have a floor clause. Does that mean I will receive my money back?

No. The Government obliges all banks to “ensure that the system is known by all consumers with floor clauses in their contracts”. However, it clarifies that the calculation of the amount to be returned will be done only for those consumers considered eligible.  As for the rest of consumers, banks will notify the existence of the floor clause and “the reasons for considering the complaint not appropriate”.

If the bank is not returning my money back, should it provide me with the calculation of how much I have been charged with the floor clause?

No. The latest Decree-Law wording establishes that if the bank is not going to return the money back, it is not obliged to make the calculation of what was collected with the floor clause. The bank should only explain why it considers the clause is not opaque.

What are the consequences of initiating a legal claim to the bank?

According to the Decree, “the consumer may decide to go to court directly, but once the extrajudicial proceeding has been initiated and until it has been resolved, the parties may not exercise any alternative judicial or extrajudicial action in relation to the same claim”.

A partir del lunes 23 de enero de 2017, el consumidor puede dirigir la reclamación a su banco. “Una vez recibida, la entidad deberá remitir al consumidor el cálculo de la cantidad a devolver, incluyendo los intereses, o alternativamente, las razones por las que considera que la reclamación no es procedente. Tras recibir la comunicación, el consumidor deberá manifestar si está de acuerdo con el cálculo y, si lo está, la entidad realizará la devolución del efectivo. Todo el proceso se hará en un plazo máximo de tres meses”.

Si mi hipoteca tenía cláusula suelo, pero está amortizada, ¿puedo reclamar?

Sí. El Decreto-Ley permite a los clientes cuyas hipotecas tuvieran una cláusula suelo abusiva reclamar, aunque estuviera completamente pagada. El plazo de prescripción que se aplica es 15 años, aunque se recomienda consultar los casos.

Si me han pagado desde mayo de 2013, ¿puedo reclamar desde 2009?

Sí. Sin embargo, el Gobierno admite que será la entidad la que decida si devuelve o no lo cobrado.

El banco me avisa de que tengo cláusula suelo. ¿Significa que me la va a devolver?

No. El Gobierno obliga a todas las entidades bancarias a “garantizar que el sistema sea conocido por todos los consumidores con cláusulas suelo en sus contratos”. No obstante, también aclara que sólo harán el cálculo de la cantidad a devolver a los clientes que consideren aptos; a los demás, se les informará de la existencia de la cláusula suelo y  “las razones por las que consideran que la reclamación no es procedente”.

Si el banco no me va a devolver el dinero, ¿debe hacerme el cálculo de cuánto me han cobrado con la cláusula suelo?

No. Según el último Decreto-Ley si la entidad no va a devolver el dinero, no está obligado a hacer el cálculo de lo cobrado con la cláusula suelo; solo tiene que explicar al cliente los motivos por los que considera que su cláusula no es opaca.

¿Qué consecuencias tiene iniciar la reclamación con el banco?

De acuerdo con el Decreto-Ley, “el consumidor puede decidir ir a la vía judicial directamente, pero una vez iniciado el procedimiento extrajudicial y hasta que se haya resuelto este, las partes no podrán ejercitar entre sí ninguna acción judicial o extrajudicial alternativa en relación con la misma reclamación”.

Monday, 20th February 2017

Lexland Lawyers Offices, Av. Ricardo Soriano 21, 29601 Marbella

11.00am

Are you aware that you may have to pay Spanish Death Duties? You may even have to pay UK Inheritance Tax, but did you know that you could pay both on the same assets?

To find out how to avoid this tax pitfall register for our complimentary seminar, which focuses on the taxation benefits available to ex-pats and the St. James’s Place distinctive approach to investment management. The levels and bases of taxation and reliefs from taxation can change at any time and are dependent on individual circumstances.

To reserve your place for our complementary seminar contact us.

José Ramón, junto con otros Directores Generales y líderes de Recursos Humanos, reflexionará sobre una nueva forma de liderar basada en implicar a cada uno de los empleados de la organización y generar una cultura común y generalizada. Del mismo modo, se debatirá el posible impacto que este nuevo modelo puede llegar a tener en las organizaciones.

Nuevo modelo de liderazgo para empresas

El estudio a presentar ha sido elaborado gracias a la participación de más de 7.000 empresas repartidas por el mundo. Esto ha hecho posible conocer de primera mano cuáles son las inquietudes y objetivos además de servir de guía para Recursos Humanos a la hora de implantar soluciones en las organizaciones.

El pasado año, el Tribunal Supremo dictó una sentencia en la que estableció que los bancos pueden ser los responsables, junto con los promotores inmobiliarios, por la pérdida de los depósitos pagados para la compra de una vivienda sobre plano.

Los bancos españoles serán, por tanto, los responsables de devolver el dinero que los compradores pagaron al promotor o constructor y perdieron por no completar éstos las propiedades.

Requisitos para reclamar depósito en compra sobre plano

Para poder llevar a cabo esta reclamación con un porcentaje de éxito del 100%, se deben cumplir los siguientes requisitos:

1. La propiedad no se completó en los plazos indicados en el contrato.

2. La licencia de primera ocupación no debe haberse emitido (o haberse emitido después de la fecha límite de finalización).

3. El primer depósito tiene que haber sido pagado no más de 15 años antes de la fecha de presentación de la reclamación.

Si ha perdido su depósito en estas circunstancias, puede hacer una reclamación de la cantidad total del depósito.

En Lexland tenemos un equipo de expertos especializados en reclamaciones bancarias. Si usted ha sido afectado y ha perdido su depósito en una propiedad no finalizada, contáctenos. Nos ofrecemos a examinar su caso de forma totalmente gratuita y, en caso de ser apto para la reclamación, le ofrecemos la tarifa “No gana, No paga”. No lo dude, la media de reclamación es de 25.000 euros y podría recibirla sin ningún tipo de riesgo.

A Spanish Supreme Court judgment made last year means that for those who lost their deposits on off plan property they can now make a claim for the lost money in full.

Way back in the late 1960s Spain was changing, people were moving from villages and towns to the cities in search of better jobs and a higher standard of living. The villages and towns ran on a rural economy, with farming the most popular and fruitful work, but as the population began to increase there was a demand for more jobs and better conditions. Villagers therefore began moving to the bigger cities in vast numbers.

If you lost your deposit in these circumstances, then you can make a claim for the full amount of the deposit

To cope with this there was a mini construction boom financed mostly by buyers who paid a deposit on properties which were still in the planning stages, hence “off plan”. The government at the time passed a law to protect buyers by requiring developers and banks to protect the deposits in escrow, or protected accounts. The idea was that the buyer paid the developer, who put the money in an escrow account, against which the bank would lend funds to build the property.

Once completed the money in escrow should be transferred to the bank, if the property was not completed the buyer’s deposits were to be returned by the bank. This reduced any risk of the developer going bust and losing the deposits. In effect the Bank, should by law, guarantee the buyers deposit.

Regrettably in many cases this law was either studiously ignored, or simply not honoured by the banks. This was the same until 2015 when the case was looked at again by the Spanish Supreme Court, when it was asked to clarify the position. The Courts judgment was that Developers and Banks are jointly and severally liable to protect deposits paid on un built projects. The developers, said the court, are obliged to protect the full amount of the deposit and even if they fail to do so, the bank must.

For consumers and especially those who lost their money, this is the green light not just to make a claim, but to recover the deposits.

I lost my deposit on an off-plan property in Spain, what should I do?

At Lexland we have a team of experts ready to assist with this matter, once we have examined your case and documents for free, we can offer a “No Win, No Fee” arrangement on claiming you back your deposit. We will organise a free initial consultation so your questions can be answered, and give you access to our team of specialists, to ensure that your claim is in the best hands.

Por tercer año consecutivo, Lexland impulsa este evento con el principal objetivo de fortalecer las relaciones e inversiones entre España y Reino Unido.

El Cocktail, de aforo limitado, contó nuevamente con la presencia de la Cónsul Británica Regional, Charmaine Arbouin, así como con representantes del Ayuntamiento de Marbella.

Organized at Lexland Lawyers’ Marbella offices at Ricardo Soriano 21, the Summer Cocktail attracted over a 100 people, including Ms. Charmaine Arbouin – British Consul and Derek Langley – Regional Vice-President of Andalucia for the British Chambers of Commerce in Spain, senior managers and partners from Costa del Sol´s top Real Estate and Construction agencies, Banks, Wealth Management firms from Spain and Gibratlar and several entities from Tourism and Hospitality sector, making it a truly stand out networking event.

One of the hottest topics of the evening was of course Britain´s recent decision to leave the EU. Whilst the outcome and the consequences of the vote are yet to be announced, most would agree that the ties between the United Kingdom and Spain in particular are too strong to be affected both in the short and the long run. Therefore, the Summer Cocktail served as a great a great platform to further strengthen the institutional ties between Spain and the United Kingdom, as well as the main associations of entrepreneurs on the Costa del Sol, as this area is home to one of the largest communities of expatriate Britons in the world.