Estrela Do Atlantico Ponta Negra

[DTC]

Although they have offered an agreement, be carefull, because you have so many others rights related to that delay, such as: payment of rents for each month that they delayed, interests, penalties, demages and so on. That is what I am claiming for in my complaint again the company that has not delivered my property in time.
You should contact an independent lawyer, so you could have a good idea about your real rights, because I think that they owe you more than 4000 euros to you.

Good Luck

Hi Rangers, I have had a number of emails from Manzanares but no response from Bi&Di.
Manzanares emailed me to inform me that all the licences were now in place but Bi&Di were refusing (yet again) to honour the contract and pay (deduct from the final payment) compensation for the 13 month delay. Manzanares asked me what I would like to do now.
I have emailed Manzanares and Bi&Di and stated that I wish to get this deal completed as soon as possible and I am willing to pay the final payment minus €4000 delay of completion. I have not had a response yet.
I have emailed Alison Kane at Obelisk and set 'read' receipts on my emails. Alison has read the emails but hasn't replied. To be honest Obelisk are not interested and do not have any legal obligation regarding the development as Alison has mentioned to me before.

I expect to get a response from Manzanares soon and hope for a response from Bi&Di.
I will keep you posted

 

[elephant&castle]

For those involved in group action, be careful that somebody else is not going to make more money out of investors who already lost some money. Make sure that you have agreements in place and a lawyer who is recommended by Brazilian consulate and have good track record and independent references preferably in winning similar court cases.

 

[cariocadagema]

and a lawyer who is recommended by Brazilian consulate .......

I wonder if any BR consulate is authorized to indicate any lawyer(s),lawyer "A" yes, and lawyer "B" not.
If they do so, I can imagine this will cause a scandel, don't think the OAB will ever agree with this.

 

[Norbert]

Lawyers

Who would that somebody else be? The lawyer who is representing a group rather than an individual?
A group of victims who have all been using a so-called 'highly recommended' International Law Firm, who has a 'good track record' and numerous 'independent references in similar cases'.
And I'm sure 'all agreements were in place' when the contracts were signed.

Now, where did that get those victims?

I can guarantee you that the few lawyers who do speak a certain amount of English will not move an inch until they have been paid in full.
And there's ample proof that paying upfront kills the initiative. Why would a lawyer work hard when he has already been paid?

In cases like this you're most likely better served by a lawyer who collects an fixed advance from each client to cover initial expenses. With the rest on the basis of No Cure No Pay - that keeps them alert!
And when they accept a NCNP it also means that the chance of success is good, otherwise they wouldn't accept the deal.

Lawyers recommended by the Government's Representatives are probably a lot more expensive. And yet, it's only a recommendation - they assume no responsibility and give no guarantees.

Listen o your gut feelings!.

This check-list may help you ask the right questions:
http://www.propertyforum.com/forum/brazil-property/24859-lawyer.html

For those involved in group action, be careful that somebody else is not going to make more money out of investors who already lost some money. Make sure that you have agreements in place and a lawyer who is recommended by Brazilian consulate and have good track record and independent references preferably in winning similar court cases.

 

[fiona&wendie]

Feeling duped!

It is not wise to buy a property that doesn't yet exist, in a country you don't understand and with absolutely no knowledge of how anything at all works in that country - oh yes and using lawyers from yet another country which speaks yet another language, blindly putting all your trust in them without checking the whole process out first!
My sister and I (neither of us stupid people) appear to have done exactly that with expert encouragement and promise of great financial rewards from the lovely man from Obelisk.
We have been advised our apartment is now ready for us to complete. Manzares have sent us a long list of additional fees totalling over 12000 euros. I feel very of of my depth when it comes to knowing whether these fees are fair and correct, but suspect that they have us at a disadvantage and we will have to pay.
The whole experience has been stressful and disheartening, although we are hopeful that we will shortly own the apartment and can try and recoup some of our losses by selling it. Any advice on selling etc would be gratefully received.
We have tried arguing a case for compensation with Manzares they advise us that they have tried their best but Bi&Do refuse to pay. We were offered a second contract regarding new terms for compensation and asked Manzares several times for further advice regarding this - they did not reply at the time but now tell us that we won't get compensation because we did not sign the new contract. Manzares, not surprisingly, have done their upmost to discourage us from any legal action!
I would seriously be very interested to hear from anyone else interested in group action and anyone who can advise how we would take such action forward.
According to another thread on here: "A recent judgment made at the third panel of the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice (STJ) (under judges Sidnei Beneti, Paulo de Tarso Sanseverino and Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva ) confirmed that the buyer of an off-plan housing unit can subsequently demand compensation from the construction company as a result of delay in the delivery. This charge can be made in line with profit losses incurred by the company." Which is encouraging...

 

[fiona&wendie]

QUOTE: I would seriously be very interested to hear from anyone else interested in group action and anyone who can advise how we would take such action forward.

I have realised I can't be private messaged on this site yet and am not allowed to pass on my email address - I am trying to post 5 posts to rectify this!

 

[Norbert]

Take action

When you really feel that you have been mislead,

1. Get all disappointed buyers together
2. Combine the list of problems
3. Find a neutral lawyer who is not related to the builder or any of the intermediaries
4. make an affordable deal with the lawyer - the more victims the better

There are good lawyers available. And we know that prices are negotiable as, apparently, victims of several scams in Paraiba have done so.

I may have some referrals for you. You may need 5 or 10 Postings before you can actually send Private Messages/PMs.

With the internet at your disposable much can be done online.
But somebody will have to take the lead and start taking action!

http://www.propertyforum.com/forum/brazil-property/24707-estrela-do-atlantico.html # 8 may help you choose.

It is not wise to buy a property that doesn't yet exist, in a country you don't understand and with absolutely no knowledge of how anything at all works in that country - oh yes and using lawyers from yet another country which speaks yet another language, blindly putting all your trust in them without checking the whole process out first!
My sister and I (neither of us stupid people) appear to have done exactly that with expert encouragement and promise of great financial rewards from the lovely man from Obelisk.
We have been advised our apartment is now ready for us to complete. Manzanares have sent us a long list of additional fees totalling over 12000 euros. I feel very of of my depth when it comes to knowing whether these fees are fair and correct, but suspect that they have us at a disadvantage and we will have to pay.
The whole experience has been stressful and disheartening, although we are hopeful that we will shortly own the apartment and can try and recoup some of our losses by selling it. Any advice on selling etc would be gratefully received.
We have tried arguing a case for compensation with Manzanares they advise us that they have tried their best but Bi&Do refuse to pay. We were offered a second contract regarding new terms for compensation and asked Manzanares several times for further advice regarding this - they did not reply at the time but now tell us that we won't get compensation because we did not sign the new contract. Manzanares, not surprisingly, have done their upmost to discourage us from any legal action!
I would seriously be very interested to hear from anyone else interested in group action and anyone who can advise how we would take such action forward.
According to another thread on here: "A recent judgment made at the third panel of the Brazilian Superior Court of Justice (STJ) (under judges Sidnei Beneti, Paulo de Tarso Sanseverino and Ricardo Villas Bôas Cueva ) confirmed that the buyer of an off-plan housing unit can subsequently demand compensation from the construction company as a result of delay in the delivery. This charge can be made in line with profit losses incurred by the company." Which is encouraging...

 

[rangers]

Hi Fiona and Wendie,

Have you paid the first three installments on time?

I too am in the same situation as you, but have still not been told the sum of the last installment.

I also did not sign the last contract proposal, which is to our advantage against a lawsuit.
After the contract I have with BI & DI, is the delay now for over 2 years, which means that we are entitled to a discount of 2% (of the purchase price) for each month apartment is delayed.

In my view, has not Manzanares rights and bring in extra money on fees and so on.

Obelisk is a bunch of scammers and Manzanares has close contacts with Obelisk (they have collaborated on several projects).

It is certainly a very good idea as Norbert writes that we are working on a joint lawsuit against Manzanares / BI & DI.

Have tried and contacted Adolfo, who is my contact in Manzanares in half a year now, but he will not answer my letters. It says its about the credibility of his and the company he works for.

Regards Rangers

 

[fiona&wendie]

Hi Rangers - we are in a similar position: we paid 3rd instalment on time and it has been held by Manzares ever since - I have emailed them regarding the interest on this money as I guess they have been pocketing it. We did not sign the second agreement and again I have emailed Manzares to enquire whether anyone who did has (or will )received any compensation. We have been dealing with Noelia at Manzares - she rarely replies to any of our messages and when we do get a reply she does not fully answer our questions - her manner is very guarded and defensive, not really how a lawyer should treat a client, which has made us suspicious of their motivation. We have found the best way to get a response is to send emails to every address at Manzares that we can get - which unfortunately does appear to annoy Noelia but also makes her answer. Most recently inigo menendez at Manzares international has been helpful - I believe he manages the international division. We also send our emails to customerservice , london and headoffice at the same email destination - it doesn't guarantee a response but it helps! We would be very interested in taking this matter further - I'll talk to my sister about it and we can see what we can do.
I guess we have to have ownership of the properties before we can take legal action?

Watch this space!

Thank you Norbet for your great information, much appreciated.

 

[Norbert]

Manzanares

Dear Fiona,
Dear Wendie,

I don't know Manzares - you are probably referring to Manzanares International?
Well, we have news for you - these lawyers work primarily for the developer. They usually also prepare the Due Diligence Reports for the Developers. Plus also the contracts between the Developers and you, the buyers.
As a result they can not be objective in the advise they give you.
Of course they advise you not take take action against their most important customer - the Developers.

This has been the case in practically all developments in CE / RN and PB.
What exactly does that final invoice cover - specify it here? Literally.
And why don't you agree with it?

N.

Hi Rangers - we are in a similar position: we paid 3rd instalment on time and it has been held by ManzaNAres ever since - I have emailed them regarding the interest on this money as I guess they have been pocketing it. We did not sign the second agreement and again I have emailed ManzaNAres to enquire whether anyone who did has (or will )received any compensation. We have been dealing with Noelia at ManzaNAres - she rarely replies to any of our messages and when we do get a reply she does not fully answer our questions - her manner is very guarded and defensive, not really how a lawyer should treat a client, which has made us suspicious of their motivation. We have found the best way to get a response is to send emails to every address at ManzaNAres that we can get - which unfortunately does appear to annoy Noelia but also makes her answer. Most recently inigo menendez at ManzaNAres international has been helpful - I believe he manages the international division. We also send our emails to customerservice , london and headoffice at the same email destination - it doesn't guarantee a response but it helps! We would be very interested in taking this matter further - I'll talk to my sister about it and we can see what we can do.
I guess we have to have ownership of the properties before we can take legal action?

Watch this space!

Thank you Norbet for your great information, much appreciated.

 

[fiona&wendie]

Hi Norbet

It is Manzares International - it doesn't surprise me that they have a potential conflict of interest, even though they don't appear to have been very interested in representing us.
The completion costs they have estimated so far are as follows (we paid for searches and other fees at the outset):
Leagl fees - 1.210,00 €

Provision of funds Notary fees
3.513,37 €

Provision of funds Transfer Tax
3.732,96 €

Provision of funds Registration fees
2.635,03 €

Community setting up and first instalments
400,00 €

Provision of Funds Tax administration
150,00 €

Key Handling Option 1
60,00 €

Title Deeds Handling Option 1
50,00 €

Snagging Service
250,00 € + 100 per extra visit

Home Insurance *
250,00 €

Opening bank account
284,35 €

Provision of funds Courier
100,00 €

I simply don't know if I should have a problem with these costs or not! They seem very highand we didn't expect them to be so much, maybe it's just because the value of the Euro to the pound?

I would be curious to know about how much we would need to secure a Brazilian Lawyer who could represent us on a no win/no fee basis to even see if it would be viable for us to try for compensation. Manzares International have argued that it would take years, cost a fortune and we would probably lose as the developers are bigger than us but I'm feeling more hopeful having read some of the posts on here.
Cheers
Wendie

 

[Maria2]

Euro's

I agree with Norbert and with the others. Get together and get somebody who represents you.
They are snagging you, and even charge you for it. Ha!

I would demand certified copies of all expenses.
When you bought in this project, in addition to the 'promise of great financial rewards', that 'lovely man from Obelisk' should also have provided you a list of additional costs. Many fees are a certain percentage, and thus quite predictable. The rest seems rather arbitrary.

The costs are made in Brazil, and should be in Reais. Why charge you in Euro's?
And why would the opening of an a bank account cost you 284,35 Euro??? That must be a superduper account with home pick-up service.
And where? It can't be an account in Brazil, as non-residents are not even allowed to have a bank account in Brazil. I've tried many times. some bank people will promise you, but it is not legal. And friends even had their money frozen for a while.

I think you're being taken for a ride .....

Hi Norbet

It is Manzares International - it doesn't surprise me that they have a potential conflict of interest, even though they don't appear to have been very interested in representing us.
The completion costs they have estimated so far are as follows (we paid for searches and other fees at the outset):
Leagl fees - 1.210,00 €

Provision of funds Notary fees - 3.513,37 €

Provision of funds Transfer Tax - 3.732,96 €

Provision of funds Registration fees - 2.635,03 €

Community setting up and first instalments - 400,00 €

Provision of Funds Tax administration - 150,00 €

Key Handling Option 1 - 60,00 €

Title Deeds Handling Option 1 - 50,00 €

Snagging Service - 250,00 € + 100 per extra visit

Home Insurance * - 250,00 €

Opening bank account - 284,35 €

Provision of funds Courier - 100,00 €

I simply don't know if I should have a problem with these costs or not! They seem very high and we didn't expect them to be so much, maybe it's just because the value of the Euro to the pound?

I would be curious to know about how much we would need to secure a Brazilian Lawyer who could represent us on a no win/no fee basis to even see if it would be viable for us to try for compensation. Manzares International have argued that it would take years, cost a fortune and we would probably lose as the developers are bigger than us but I'm feeling more hopeful having read some of the posts on here.
Cheers
Wendie

 

[surfingbrazil]

They are about to screw you !

In Brazil, prices are in BRL....
Quoting services in EUR or GBP stinks.

Moreover the figures are simply extravagant.

I have the feeling you are dealing with crooks.

However, I must agree in one thing.
Litigation in Brazil is time consuming, very costly and most likely useless.

Good luck

Surfing

Hi Norbet

It is Manzares International - it doesn't surprise me that they have a potential conflict of interest, even though they don't appear to have been very interested in representing us.
The completion costs they have estimated so far are as follows (we paid for searches and other fees at the outset):
Leagl fees - 1.210,00 €

Provision of funds Notary fees
3.513,37 €

Provision of funds Transfer Tax
3.732,96 €

Provision of funds Registration fees
2.635,03 €

Community setting up and first instalments
400,00 €

Provision of Funds Tax administration
150,00 €

Key Handling Option 1
60,00 €

Title Deeds Handling Option 1
50,00 €

Snagging Service
250,00 € + 100 per extra visit

Home Insurance *
250,00 €

Opening bank account
284,35 €

Provision of funds Courier
100,00 €

I simply don't know if I should have a problem with these costs or not! They seem very highand we didn't expect them to be so much, maybe it's just because the value of the Euro to the pound?

I would be curious to know about how much we would need to secure a Brazilian Lawyer who could represent us on a no win/no fee basis to even see if it would be viable for us to try for compensation. Manzares International have argued that it would take years, cost a fortune and we would probably lose as the developers are bigger than us but I'm feeling more hopeful having read some of the posts on here.
Cheers
Wendie

 

[Norbert]

MANZARES does not exist!

I have never heard about a law firm names Manzares.
The only one that appears in most projects here in the NE of Brazil is MANZANARES International. Check your correspondence and invoices and make sure you are talking about the same firm.

It certainly looks as if you're being taken for a ride. All costs billed in Brazil must be in Reais (BRL),and not in Euro (EUR) or Sterling (GBP) and that makes it unnecessary expensive, and uncontrollable.

With Community they probably mean the CONDOMÍNIO or Home Owners Association/HOA.
By law this must be established by the owner of the building and by buying into that HOA you are automatically a fractional partner in that Condomínio. I have never seen any Sindico charging its members for becoming one.
I have my doubts about all these little amounts, so nicely rounded up in Euro's.
Question them with Manzanares, or with Manzares, whatever Law Firm you prefer to use.
As long as they are the lawyers of the Developers they cannot be loyal to more one client!

Better even, get a 100% NEUTRAL lawyer, working exclusively for you and your fellow-victims. And yet, it can be time-consuming. But it is worth trying. the more in a Group Action the cheaper, and the more powerful

Go for it, girls (and boyz, of course)!

My name is Norbert, not Norbet, if you don't mind

Hi Norbet

It is Manzares International - it doesn't surprise me that they have a potential conflict of interest, even though they don't appear to have been very interested in representing us.
The completion costs they have estimated so far are as follows (we paid for searches and other fees at the outset):
Leagl fees - 1.210,00 €

Provision of funds Notary fees
3.513,37 €

Provision of funds Transfer Tax
3.732,96 €

Provision of funds Registration fees
2.635,03 €

Community setting up and first instalments
400,00 €

Provision of Funds Tax administration
150,00 €

Key Handling Option 1
60,00 €

Title Deeds Handling Option 1
50,00 €

Snagging Service
250,00 € + 100 per extra visit

Home Insurance *
250,00 €

Opening bank account
284,35 €

Provision of funds Courier
100,00 €

I simply don't know if I should have a problem with these costs or not! They seem very high and we didn't expect them to be so much, maybe it's just because the value of the Euro to the pound?

I would be curious to know about how much we would need to secure a Brazilian Lawyer who could represent us on a no win/no fee basis to even see if it would be viable for us to try for compensation. Manzares International have argued that it would take years, cost a fortune and we would probably lose as the developers are bigger than us but I'm feeling more hopeful having read some of the posts on here.
Cheers
Wendie

 

[LoneRanger]

With Community they probably mean the CONDOMÍNIO, or Home Owners Association/HOA which the owner must establish.
By law this must be established by the owner of the building and by buying into that HOA you are automatically a fractional partner in that Condomínio. I have never seen any Sindico charging its members for becoming a member.

By Brazilian law it's forbidden to charge the "Taxa de Condominio", the fee, BEFORE delivery of the property.

Only after the handover of the keys.

(sentence Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) Brasilia - 03/12/2009)

If you payd it before delivery, you have the right to ask the mony back in double (2x - Consumers Code).

 

[Wack666]

Hi Fiona, Wendie and everyone else.

I am in the same situation as most of you, having paid 3 installments and still waiting for compensation (discount) for delay of completion which after signing the latest contract is now a 15 month delay!
As everyone else has been informed, Bi&Di are not honouring the contract and Adolfo (lawyer at Manzanares) has informed me that there is little point in trying to get compensation.

I too believe that Manzanares are not interested in the welfare of their clients and always side with the developer.

On Monday (25th March) I am going to phone Manzanares, Ecocil (the construction company),Bi&Di (the developer) and Alison Kane at Obelisk (the firm with the 'very nice man' who promised financial rewards and that all due dilligence had been carefully conducted and that the project involved very reputable and top Brazillian firms) and try come to some agreement, ideally a €5000 reduction on the final payment for loss of rental earnings and delay.
I will update this board with any progress although I doubt I will get anywhere.
I am all for group action, this project has been so stressful for years. I think getting an independant lawyer to give us a truthful idea of what we can achieve, at what cost and time-frame is probably the best way forward.

As for the final costs from Manzanares to receive your keys to the apartment, I have listed below brief details of what I have paid and what I still have to pay;
With the first instalment I paid
2/3 of legal fees 890,81 €
VAT on legal fees 142,53 €
Provision of funds Bank Commissions purchase 200,00 €

With the final payment I need to pay;
1/3 of legal fees 445,40 €
VAT on legal fees 71,26 €
Provision of funds Notary fees 945,89 €
Provision of funds Transfer Tax 2.133,59 €
Provision of funds Registration Fees 462,28 €
Total legal fees = 5291.76

The costs are in Euros as the whole deal was in Euros and Manzanares + Obelisk are based in Spain.

I am wanting to get this whole sorry saga resolved. I am currently dealing with Ana Claudia from Terra Verde imoveis who is helping me sell the apartment. I cannot sell until I have the title deeds and Ana is not too confident I will get back the same as I paid, I could be looking at a €6000 loss. If I can get a small discount, get the apartment sold then my 6 year investment will make around minus €3000 - what a financial wizard I am!
Regards
Patrick

 

[Wack666]

Hi all, I forgot to post the email from Adolfo at Manzanares on 1st February 2013 which sums up his apathetic attitude towards the client:

"Dear Mr. Watson, good morning

Thanks for your email. I am keeping well and hope you too.

Apologize for the delay in giving you a reply but I am having very busy days, travelling out of the office.

I would like to inform you that from the legal point of view, the title deeds can not be signed yet. Just begining this week, Aricia (our solicitor in the Natal office) was informed by Marta Davila (the developer representative) that legally it is not possible to exchange the deeds, because it is still pending some internal procedures with the Natal town hall, in order to adapt each apartment in the complex to the relevant tax (IPTU). They state is a matter of a few weeks to be concluded and hence, able to complete, but not yet.

However, as you know they are happy to release the keys to the buyers subject to receive the pending payments. Notwhistanding, , the developer is not accepting to pay compensation to buyers. The only cases in which the developers are offering some compensation is to those clients who pay the installments when scheduled in the contracts.. Despite the addendume signed, they are now refusing to pay compensation, so we need to analyze next steps.

Receiving the keys, means that you can enjoy the property but as well, being responsabile for the community payments, tax payments, etc. So, this is the current scenario. Please let me know your opinion on this.

Awaiting your comments.

Best regards.


Adolfo Silva
Abogado - Lawyer
Tel. +34 952 595 042 • Fax +34 952 594 279
[email protected]
www.manzanaresinternational.com"

As you can see from the email, Adolfo has been out of the office so 'could not reply to emails' (poor excuse). He states the developer is not paying compensation yet does not seem interested in persuing the developer only stating "we need to analyze next steps" which means I need to pay the full payment and forget about any compensation

Regards
Patrick

 

[fiona&wendie]

By Brazilian law it's forbidden to charge the "Taxa de Condominio", the fee, BEFORE delivery of the property.

Only after the handover of the keys.

(sentence Superior Tribunal de Justiça (STJ) Brasilia - 03/12/2009)

If you payd it before delivery, you have the right to ask the mony back in double (2x - Consumers Code).

Thanks for the info

 

[fiona&wendie]

Hi Fiona, Wendie and everyone else.

I am in the same situation as most of you, having paid 3 installments and still waiting for compensation (discount) for delay of completion which after signing the latest contract is now a 15 month delay!
As everyone else has been informed, Bi&Di are not honouring the contract and Adolfo (lawyer at Manzanares) has informed me that there is little point in trying to get compensation.

I too believe that Manzanares are not interested in the welfare of their clients and always side with the developer.

On Monday (25th March) I am going to phone Manzanares, Ecocil (the construction company),Bi&Di (the developer) and Alison Kane at Obelisk (the firm with the 'very nice man' who promised financial rewards and that all due dilligence had been carefully conducted and that the project involved very reputable and top Brazillian firms) and try come to some agreement, ideally a €5000 reduction on the final payment for loss of rental earnings and delay.
I will update this board with any progress although I doubt I will get anywhere.
I am all for group action, this project has been so stressful for years. I think getting an independant lawyer to give us a truthful idea of what we can achieve, at what cost and time-frame is probably the best way forward.

As for the final costs from Manzanares to receive your keys to the apartment, I have listed below brief details of what I have paid and what I still have to pay;
With the first instalment I paid
2/3 of legal fees 890,81 €
VAT on legal fees 142,53 €
Provision of funds Bank Commissions purchase 200,00 €

With the final payment I need to pay;
1/3 of legal fees 445,40 €
VAT on legal fees 71,26 €
Provision of funds Notary fees 945,89 €
Provision of funds Transfer Tax 2.133,59 €
Provision of funds Registration Fees 462,28 €
Total legal fees = 5291.76

The costs are in Euros as the whole deal was in Euros and Manzanares + Obelisk are based in Spain.

I am wanting to get this whole sorry saga resolved. I am currently dealing with Ana Claudia from Terra Verde imoveis who is helping me sell the apartment. I cannot sell until I have the title deeds and Ana is not too confident I will get back the same as I paid, I could be looking at a €6000 loss. If I can get a small discount, get the apartment sold then my 6 year investment will make around minus €3000 - what a financial wizard I am!
Regards
Patrick

Good Luck Patrick! Be interesting to hear how you get on

 

[fiona&wendie]

I have never heard about a law firm names Manzares.
The only one that appears in most projects here in the NE of Brazil is MANZANARES International. Check your correspondence and invoices and make sure you are talking about the same firm.

It certainly looks as if you're being taken for a ride. All costs billed in Brazil must be in Reais (BRL),and not in Euro (EUR) or Sterling (GBP) and that makes it unnecessary expensive, and uncontrollable.

With Community they probably mean the CONDOMÍNIO or Home Owners Association/HOA.
By law this must be established by the owner of the building and by buying into that HOA you are automatically a fractional partner in that Condomínio. I have never seen any Sindico charging its members for becoming one.
I have my doubts about all these little amounts, so nicely rounded up in Euro's.
Question them with Manzanares, or with Manzares, whatever Law Firm you prefer to use.
As long as they are the lawyers of the Developers they cannot be loyal to more one client!

Better even, get a 100% NEUTRAL lawyer, working exclusively for you and your fellow-victims. And yet, it can be time-consuming. But it is worth trying. the more in a Group Action the cheaper, and the more powerful

Go for it, girls (and boyz, of course)!

My name is Norbert, not Norbet, if you don't mind

Hey Norbert - I clearly have some kind of block with the spelling of ManzANares and Norbert. So sorry.