Building Problems in Spain

My building saga update…Javi is now legal here.

Updated feb 2023

the part about helping this guy says it all really.

After i found out that the company boss “Frasco”.. we now call him fiasco, had lied to me about his workers being legal here. i told him i needed to see him Saturday morning and for him to bring me the papers showing that these guys were registered.

I know he could not as we checked.Remember he also said that he had paid “Javi” the worker on my house that Friday for the weeks work he had done. Frasco later told me that he would pay him next week, so he had NOT paid Javi his worker. I paid Javi out of my pocket for his weeks wages. Frasco fiasco stopped answering my calls and so i text him saying that if he was not at my house by 5pm his tools would be in the street. Frasco called and said he would be at my house Sunday at 10… at 11.30 he turned up. I would not let him on my property and told him his guys were not working legally and that he had not paid their social security as he said he had. he told me that he had paid and sent them a copy of it to their phones.

I knew this was not true but i called one of the workers Javi and he sent me what he had. Javi also told me he was here in Spain illegally and was trying to support his wife who was pregnant .There was a copy of a really badly worded message saying that if they are stopped and asked to say that their name was someone else who he had paid to be legal here. So out of 7 guys the boss had paid one to be legal and told all the others they were as well. Its crazy that they didnt think this was wrong and all continued to work anyway no insurance no papers and at a big risk to all including me. Anyway after i told “Fiasco” that we had checked at the local council and seen that he had not registered the workers that were working on my house he started to change and say that it was not a problem and that on Monday he would bring that one guy that had all the papers to work on my house.

Yes right…lol i told him i had already employed a new company to start next week and that he had till monday night to collect his scaffolding or it would be in the street. He agreed and he left. All the materials on site i ordered and paid for everything so he has nothing more than his scaffolding to collect.Monday morning i am taking Javi that was working well on my house to get him registered and pay to make him legal here for 3 months , thats about how much work i have for him,and told him after that he needs to go self employed. I will pay him a better rate than he was getting from his boss and buy him the tools that his boss has now taken away, ie electric mixer and some hand tools.

This guy has a 7 month pregnant wife and was very worried about not having any work and being illegal worker here. But after Monday he will work direct for me and i will show him how to go self employed and start up on his own as i did when i first moved here. He wants to learn plaster boarding and metal stud work after seeing what i have done on my house so i will also teach him that as he helps me with the last bedroom walls and ceiling.I want to help this guy as i have seen that he has a great attitude to work and is very polite. He does a great job but lacks confidence to start up on his own as he has always worked cash in hand for idiots like this Fiasco.

He will have work for the next few months and some new tools and a chance of a better future. I will gain as i am getting the work done i wanted at a great price.This sort of thing is not confined to Spain although i have come across problems like this here before when i first started working here. In the UK there was many similar stories and i have worked in the UK for some really bad bosses in the past.The moral of this storey is always check the papers dont take their word for it , even though i like to think i am pretty clued up on building works here i did slip up here a bit and was too trusting. it could cost you thousands if you take a risk so dont do it.

Latest Update 1st June, Its all done in 30 mins.

So today I took javi to my friend Alejandro to get him registered here so as he can work on my house.

Alejandro is as most know also now the British Consulate here in Almeria and a very busy man but he made time for us today and was amazing at getting Javi all he needed to be self employed.

Normally it takes a few days for even an appointment and then about a week for the papers to come through. We did it all today in 30.mins.

Even Alejandro said that he has never known anyone do it so fast here.

We had several problems to overcome.

1st. Javi needed an appointment and that takes a few days.

Solution. My wife works for the local government here so we called her and got Javi an electronic signature so it could be done online. This you normally need to go into an office to get done.

2nd. The papers normally take a fed days to get processed and get on the register with the tax office.

Solution. between Alejandro and my wifes contacts here in different departments we did it all over the phone and email and on our mobile phones sitting at the table with electronic signatures.

Javi is now registered as self employed and can start working again on my house straight away.

now Javi has to pay 60 a month for the first year. ” this use to be full payment of 300 a month“.

Then after 1 year his payments go up every 6 months in small amounts till they reach the full 300.

Remember this payment also includes a pension after 15 years and full health and social security cover for you and family members living in your house.

Below Javi with his new tools and all paperwork in order.

There is always a solution to any problems if you just look hard enough and when you have a big dream that you are passionate about then nothing can hold you back for long.

Having some great contacts helps.

New update

I called Javi for some more work i have for him and he is no longer paying his self employed payments so i cant give him any more work as he is working illegally here now.

After all i did for him he wants to work under the radar here and keep all his money and risk him his wife and new baby getting deported.

so much for trying to help immigrants. 2 of his friends also work here now illegally and dont want to pay just 70 a month to be legal by going self employed.

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