Rocha Brava

fmm · Post by **fmm** » Fri Aug 15, 2014 6:42 pm

Not been on here for aaaaages (well - I read it but don't post much!)

Anyway -I wondered whether anyone can help me on a terribly long shot re Rocha Brava. I am out here in my apartment opposite Villa Medici (Restaurant Hill) until 3rd September, and my son is coming out on 20th August. He is 12, and is generally short of company during holidays out here as there are no children in our apartments (the pool generally has 1-2 people maximum around it each day which is not much fun for him). We play a lot of tennis, and seeing small, happy gangs of children whilst I was playing tennis at RB today made me wish that I could rent an apartment there for a few days whilst he was here.

First problem is that there appear to be no apartments to rent at all - and second problem is that they seem pretty pricey (although I am sure they are worth every penny!)

If there was anyone in RB from 20th August to 3rd September who fancied spending a few days in Cvo at the top of Retaurant Hill (2 bedroom, 2 bathroom, air con, decent size kitchen, swimming pool etc) and wanted to do a house swap, I would be really interested!

I am guessing that this is a pipe dream and that my son will spend another holiday with me being the main source of entertainment, but on the off chance that a miracle can happen ...

Alternatively, if there is anyone out here during those dates with a football mad child between the ages of 8 and 14, PLEASE let me know! We have the municipal court behind our pool complex, and my son is always happy to kick around with anyone who turns up.

Sitting back now and waiting for the miracle

pato · Post by **pato** » Sat Aug 16, 2014 7:40 pm

Think you may have a long wait my friend.

fmm · Post by **fmm** » Sun Aug 17, 2014 7:59 am

Maybe, Pato - I thought someone, somewhere may have a spare child for mine to hang out with!

btw - when we had the ashcloud, I had 2 lots of forumers staying in my apartment free of charge as they were thrown out of the places they were staying in and had nowhere else to go ... So there are occasional miracles

cumbria sue · Post by **cumbria sue** » Sun Aug 17, 2014 12:34 pm

maybe it's because RB has put a block on owners letting their property other than through them for profit

pato · Post by **pato** » Sun Aug 17, 2014 1:20 pm

cumbria sue wrote:maybe it's because RB has put a block on owners letting their property other than through them for profit

If the property is owned by the purchaser surely they can let to whom they please, or do they have a clause in the sale, nearly bought one myself in the early days.

cumbria sue · Post by **cumbria sue** » Sun Aug 17, 2014 2:03 pm

not sure about a clause but the management was taken over by the property bond company that own about 40 properties on RB and they seem to have brought in a lot of changes. maybe one of the owners can give better details

Mike Banks · Post by **Mike Banks** » Sun Aug 17, 2014 2:17 pm

As I understand it, because Rocha Brava is licensed as a Tourist Resort, the law only allows the management company, as the license holders, to let properties on the resort, regardless of ownership of individual properties. As such owners can only let through the management company, and cannot advertise privately on Owners Abroad for example. This law has apparently always been in force, and was ignored by some owners, but it is now being more strictly enforced by the new management.

sunman · Post by **sunman** » Sun Aug 17, 2014 5:23 pm

the easy way to think about this is that a habitation licence means you physically own the real estate and the property, if the development has a touristic licence you can think of it as a hotel,
there are restrictions to a touristic licence that would surprise many; owners don't 'own' the property, they own a licence to access that part of the development; you can't live there full time, you 'must' rent it out for part of the year & provide rental records, these rentals are managed by the developments' managers;

I'm being overly cynical but in my long experience of the Algarve the developers haven't been definitive enough in explaining what it is that you are buying; legally you can decide which weeks you want to use for yourself and then you have to give dates to the management for them to rent it out; I've heard lots of 'oh, you're supposed to rent it out but you don't have to if you don't want to' but I think that's a ruse to gain a sale.

so I think the simple explanation to this, and all developments/ hotels is that the bespectacled tax men in grey suits have been paying visits to hotels and touristic resorts and demanding to see the books & rental records; & this is why the hotels have been complaining about private villa rentals, they've been getting their pips squeezed & they want that pain shared round.

dennisg · Post by **dennisg** » Mon Aug 18, 2014 6:29 pm

There is nothing to stop you living full time in your property on Rocha Brava if you wish. Some people do so. There is no compulsion to let your property; lots of people don't let theirs at all.

You are not allowed to let the property through an agent other than Rocha Brava, but you can let relatives/friends etc. use the property and there is nothing to stop you from charging them for its use, whether that be for profit or to cover your own expenses (cleaning, electricity, water etc.)

sunman · Post by **sunman** » Mon Aug 18, 2014 6:49 pm

dennisg wrote:There is nothing to stop you living full time in your property on Rocha Brava if you wish. Some people do so. There is no compulsion to let your property; lots of people don't let theirs at all.

You are not allowed to let the property through an agent other than Rocha Brava, but you can let relatives/friends etc. use the property and there is nothing to stop you from charging them for its use, whether that be for profit or to cover your own expenses (cleaning, electricity, water etc.)

I'm not here to split hairs Dennis, merely letting you know what my research has led me to discover about the Touristic Licence which I studied in detail when nearly buying a property on a golf development not long ago, and its' strict interpretation.
I think for donkeys years people have been living on touristic developments, and have let their properties out privately, and have not let them out at all; but the tax men are circling as we've heard, and believe me I'd rather they b****r off and leave us all alone, but maybe it's an idea for folk to ask their lawyers to give them a rundown of their licences to ascertain where they stand should the doorbell ring.
Which by the way should now be a golden rule to anybody thinking about buying something.

Rocha Brava

Rocha Brava

Re: Rocha Brava

Re: Rocha Brava

Re: Rocha Brava

Re: Rocha Brava

Re: Rocha Brava

Re: Rocha Brava

Re: Rocha Brava

Re: Rocha Brava

Re: Rocha Brava