In August 2024 I bought a holiday home in Gran Alacant through MASA Real Estate — € 205,000 + € 25,000 costs. Today, 21 months later: no habitability certificate, electricity disconnected, tenant in a hotel at my expense. This is my complete dossier — chronological, with evidence.
"I have never been this angry. Until I am fully compensated and my tenant has electricity again, I will tell this story to anyone who will listen."
Six chapters, chronological — based on own documents, contracts, bank statements and WhatsApp correspondence. Personal names of third parties anonymised; MASA employees named as they identified themselves in business correspondence.
During the purchase conversation, everything was presented as arranged. Purchase price: € 205,000, plus € 25,000 costs and VAT. I clearly stated I wanted to rent out immediately — tourist rentals via Booking.com — and that was "no problem".
I additionally bought a jacuzzi for the rooftop terrace, a full furnishing and set up the Booking.com profile. Expected: € 1,500/month low season, € 5,000/month high season — six months each.
At the handover on 4 September 2024, it turned out that almost everything that had been discussed wasn't simply possible. The seller had already left. Only after arguing with the manager was the jacuzzi accepted — but later the drawing had to be amended, costing me an extra € 500.
The build quality itself was weak. The kitchen washer space was 59.3 cm while a standard washing machine is 60 cm. Various finishes incomplete, windows dirty, rooftop terrace not cleaned as agreed. I had to disassemble parts myself to make it usable.
In January 2025 — almost six months after the purchase — the town hall demanded the pergola on the rooftop terrace had to be fully removed before the habitability certificate could be issued.
A rooftop terrace in Spain without a pergola is practically unusable in summer — temperatures reach 40+°C. This immediately reduced the value of my listing for potential renters. Other owners had already been forced to do the same.
In February 2025, after three fruitless town hall visits, my lawyer reported: "The person in charge in the Town Hall is on maternity leave for four months and they do not have anyone to replace him."
So the town hall put the entire process on hold — due to staff capacity — while MASA's own additional works had to be corrected first. MASA's response to my repeated requests for a date: cold deflection.
On 21 April 2026 at 20:03, my tenant calls: "Have you had any outage notification from Iberdrola? I have no electricity." No outage on the site. Nothing visibly wrong.
After a long search via Spanish contacts, it turned out: the connection point was still registered in MASA's name — the entire time, since purchase in 2024. Because of this we could not register a new contract. When Iberdrola terminated the old contract, there was nothing to switch to.
After 21 months of patience, countless emails, three lawyers, two MASA employees and one manager-at-a-trade-fair, I've decided the normal route doesn't work.
All key moments from August 2024 to today, based on original WhatsApp and email correspondence.
€ 205,000 + € 25,000 costs. Jacuzzi discussed as "no problem". Direct tourist rentals promised.
Poor quality, jacuzzi dispute, € 500 extra. No habitability certificate issued.
No certificate issued.
Architect advice: "If you can't see it from below..." Pergola dismantled.
Town hall file stalled — no replacement official available.
Pergola must really go. Photos sent.
"We have nothing to do with the City Council's timing. You act without knowing the rules."
MASA states all documentation approved. Did not happen.
My question: who compensates? No answer.
Tenant calls: "I have no electricity." Connection point still in MASA's name.
Minimum 1-2 weeks for new meter.
No progress. Tenant already 2 weeks in hotel. Tab: € 2,150 hotel costs.
Message to MASA manager. Reply: "I'm at a trade fair in Madrid."
Other MASA buyers called to share their stories.
Preparation started. Demand: electricity + certificate + licence before 26 May.
Anonymised fragments from WhatsApp correspondence with MASA Handover, MASA manager, Spanish contacts and my tenant. Originals available to my lawyer and for court proceedings.
Concrete amounts, based on expected rental prices for comparable listings in Gran Alacant and actual costs incurred.
To force MASA into immediate compliance: electricity connection, habitability certificate + tourist licence.
Full claim for lost income, ROI loss, additional costs — for the full amount of € 77,570+.
First lawyer did insufficient due diligence before signing. New specialist engaged for sharper continuation.
Connection point MASA → buyer's name. Documents submitted, awaiting new meter installation.
Enforcing habitability certificate after 21 months delay. Next step: requesting penalty payment.
This website. Other MASA buyers are called to make patterns visible and act collectively.
It is my personal account — based on own documents, contracts, bank statements and WhatsApp correspondence. MASA's own words appear in quotes on this page, unchanged. MASA has been expressly invited to respond: a substantive reply will be included here in full and unchanged.
21 months of patience, three lawyers, countless emails and WhatsApp conversations have brought no solution. The legal route is in motion — in parallel I am informing future buyers, because I would have wanted such information during my own purchase.
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Ask beforehand for the cédula de habitabilidad (habitability certificate) of the specific plot. Demand that all modifications (jacuzzi, pergola, extra works) have been pre-approved by the town hall. Verify whether the electricity connection point is in the seller's name before signing. Engage an independent lawyer, not one recommended by the agent.
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