Red tape nightmare for British couple’s bid to put solar panels on their Costa del Sol home

PAUL Bradbury and his wife have found themselves mired in a battle of licenses with local authorities preventing them from installing solar panels on their home.

The pensioner couple wanted to install the panels on their rustic finca in Alhaurin de la Torre, but have found themselves unable despite both the local town hall and the junta promoting the installation of solar panels.

After going down to the town hall to pay the fee of €64.52, they were astonished to find that they were refused the permission as they did not have a license of first occupation (LPO).

The town hall insisted that the only way forward was for the couple to apply to a technical architect to present a report that would enable them to get a SAFO licence (Situacion Asimilada a Fuera de Ordenacion).

Paul Bradbury, expat for 25 years.

A SAFO which is a document that would permit the construction of the solar panels on the house.

The license is only applicable in Andalucia and the cost is calculated on 6% of the present value of the property. 

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The couple were, however, “never made aware of [the need for a SAFO] before.”

Applying for a SAFO would put the couple more than 13 grand out of pocket, a sum that Paul says there was “no way we could afford.”

“The thing that annoyed us the most was that after 2001 we put in 2 licences for small works on our roof and building walls and we were granted them with no mention of this new law and were allowed to proceed.” 

When Paul went down to the local council to dispute their claim that there was no previous record of the aforementioned licenses, proof in hand, the council claimed that it was an oversight.

They also said that from 2001 there was a transition period between SAFOs being fully enacted, and that as a result it had not been brought up before.

Despite explaining this to the council, “they are not going to grant them permission for the solar panels.”

The couple added that “as pensioners we feel totally upset and frustrated by all of this.”

Ironically, the couple´s neighbours have thus far evaded being fined, and when asked, were not aware of the need for a license.

READ MORE: Spain’s PM defends solar power despite grid chaos that left millions in the dark

The couple explained that “many of our neighbours have done major works to their properties including installed panels without licences.”

To be able to install 12 solar panels on their rustic property, the couple would have to spend over 20,000 euros in total, something they both argue does not help in encouraging people to go green. 

This problem could potentially affect a lot of people who were cash buyers of properties before 2001. The couple hope that by telling their story they can “warn others and prevent law-abiding citizens from facing this awful stressful situation.”

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