Catha For Council Blog

Life is beautiful but never guaranteed. Death is inevitable and may come at any time. However, despite this suddenness, it is possible to plan for family members and loved ones before this happens. Writing a will solves almost all legal complications after death. It is advisable to hire a will writing service and draft a legal declaration of how possessions are to be distributed or disposed after death.

People may decide to draft a will on their own in the presence of adult witnesses. However, self-made wills are not valid in all states. This could lead to complications and property could be litigated. At times, possessions even end up as state belongings. For the well being of loved ones, a valid will should be drafted. People refrain from doing so because of the costs of hiring legal services. For this reason a number of free will services have evolved.

An increasing number of lawyers are providing free last will and testament packages. This is done keeping in mind future profitability. Most free will lawyers draft wills wherein clauses containing their involvement in all future dealings are included. This makes the testator, i.e., the person making the will, dependant upon the lawyer for any discussion.

A free will forces family members and beneficiaries to consult a lawyer regarding any legal dealings for years to come. While drafting free wills, lawyers have been known to manipulate documents. These may not have serious repercussions but they secure lifelong involvement that comes with a certain fee. A number of lawyers are known to make will files. In simple terms, it means they draft numerous free will packages to gain popularity in the market, which in turn guarantees success for the lawyer.

Nowadays there are a number of websites that provide free last will and testament packages. When lawyers and legal services offer free wills, it is inclusive of a few services. This includes handling distribution clauses and guardianship clauses. This is because in most free will services, the provider acts like the executor of the will.

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Much has been written in the press about the Land Grab Law or L.R.A.U - Ley
Reguladora de la Actividad Urbanstica, where people have fallen foul of the greed of
developers who have abused this, well meaning regulation brought in by the
Valencian government to provide low cost social housing and infrastructure
improvements. Although introduced in 1994, it is only in the recent few years that
unscrupulous developers have taken advantage of the complex wording of the
L.R.A.U. and distorted its meaning to their own gains - to forcibly obtain land either
without compensation or at well below market value prices and then inflict hugely
inflated charges on innocent foreign country house owners for ‘contributions to the
improvement of infrastructure’.

Only applicable to the Valencian Community, the L.R.A.U. has been a thorn in the
side of many estate agencies trying to encourage investors to the area, as people
have been falsely led to believe that all properties can be affected by this law.
On the positive side, the risk of getting caught up in this law can be minimised in
many ways. Using a solicitor specialised in this area can safeguard your investment
and make the buying of a property in this region a safe investment. One must
always seek legal advice before buying any property, and a good solicitor will do the
appropriate searches and background work to ensure that your investment is safe.

What can your solicitor do for you?

Your solicitor will find out about the planning status and in particular, the
classification of the land you are planning on buying. Land is classified in three
types - urban, non-urban and developable.

Urban - Buying a property on urban land can be more expensive, but it is totally
free from risks as all of the planning has already been done for the area and is
unlikely to change dramatically to effect your investment.

Non-Urban Land - property situated on non-urban land is safer than developable
land as there cannot be any urbanisation or improvement plans. However, there is a
small risk that the land can be reclassified to developable at a later date, especially
if this non-urban land is near urban or developable areas. A solicitor can tell you
before buying a property if any future plans exist for the reclassification of the area.

Developable Land - Property on developable land, which has not had infrastructure
installed is liable to attract costs at a later date. Your solicitor can help by getting a
planning certificate from the local town hall (ayuntamiento) assuring that there is no
development planned for the future and that they must notify you of any such
change or discovery of plans.

Fortunately, after much canvassing, the European Courts has taken notice of this
loophole in the L.R.A.U. and are now taking steps to ensure that no one else is
victimised by these cowboys.

If you would like more iinformation about this subject or others relating to the Costa
Blanca visit Costa Blanca World.

Karen Milacic is a graphic and web designer living as a British expat on the Costa
Blanca for the past five years. Visit her other web sites at:
http://www.villa-angels.com

http://www.thedesignbusiness.co.uk

http://www.costablanca-webhosting.com

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