You've probably read about this or seen it featured on British television. This controversial law, The 'Ley Reguladora de la Actividad Urbanistica' (LRAU) was passed in 1994 and affects the whole of the Valencian Community. It was originally intended to facilitate the construction of low cost housing specifically for 'key' workers. Unfortunately it's content has been exploited (quite legally) by some unscrupulous developers.

The law enables a constructor to ask that any RURAL LAND adjacent to a proposed development be reclassified as URBAN, without seeking the owners permission. If your property has been built on a RUSTIC PLOT this could lead to significant and very costly problems for you in the future.

Sometimes a plot has been reclassified as 'urbanizable'. This means that at some point in the future you will have to contribute to the costs of up-grading local infra-structure (ie tarmac roads, street lighting etc). However, any outlay will be reflected in the increased value of your home because of its new urban classification.

Rest assured all our properties are meticulously researched and in general are situated on established urbanizations. If the land is already classified as URBAN you have nothing to fear. If we know a plot is Rustic we will tell you.

We are constantly reviewing our policy with regard to this issue but have decided not to remove rustic plots from our database. We believe it up to the individual to make an informed decision, and for our part, we will always make you aware of any potential risks involved.

By their very definition, rustic plots are usually deep in the countryside and are generally larger and cheaper than those found on urbanisations. To exclude them would be to deny those who are seeking that kind of property. Remember, a legal search at the town hall will confirm the classification of the plot.

We would of course ALWAYS recommend you engage the services of a solicitor when embarking on any property transaction. Valencia-Estates have their own bi-lingual solicitor who'll be happy to assist you in all aspects of your purchase, though there is absolutely no obligation to use our service.