I did put a warning on here about what i thought about bank accounts a while ago but nobody seemed to take any notice.
As for the property fiasco it won't affect many on here but it's just another disgraceful stroke the Goans have made.

What new ruling is this????

Spaldy - yes I saw your post re bank accounts, just to let you know it wasn't totally ignored also Toe, we are in the same position, I think we have £60 or so in ours so it wouldn't be a big problem if we couldn't access it however, multiply that figure (or more) by the number of other people with accounts and the banks will get a tidy sum for nothing........funny how that always seems to happen in Goa Fizz

Candolimlover - 3 month visas and you now have to wait 2 months between each trip to Goa. Don't know if you have property over there but if you come back home they won't let you back in for 2 months. Others will explain it better than me Fizz

Once again the Goans seem to be getting the blame from HT'ers for national regulations and laws.

You haven't spent long enough in Goa Davewales.

Candolimlover - 3 month visas and you now have to wait 2 months between each trip to Goa. Don't know if you have property over there but if you come back home they won't let you back in for 2 months.

straight out I admit I know very little about property owning in Goa.

I was under the impression that to buy a property in Goa it was neccessary to have a business there (to get around the rules).
So , if you have a business shouldn't you be getting a visa that encompasses this rather than a tourist visa?
If so, do the re-entry rules apply to a business visa?

A couple of friends of mine have just decided to sell up - they have given up on ever getting their deeds registered.
It appears that the official line is -that the only people who will get their freehold now, are Indian nationals and people with special status - of Indian origin etc.

The fantastic deal they have been offered by Shelley the original builder is - to buy back the house at the original price plus a small recompense for fittings etc. of about £4,000.
Shelley only agrees to these terms once he has a buyer available and you can guess which country these new buyers come from!

Suddenly - all of the those lovely complexes like Regal Palms, Regal Gardens and Regal Park which were almost exclusively owned by Brits, will now change over to Indian ownership. Then watch the high standards of maintenance and cleanliness drop like a lead balloon!

I'd be grateful if the" Mods" would leave this here - because these particular properties are popular as rentals with many on here!

Like del949, I know nothing of buying/owning property in Goa (or anywhere else apart from the UK for that matter).

I was wondering if the people who have bought property did so believing that it was all above board and there would not be any issues about deeds and ownership or if they were aware that it was a bit 'iffy' and the title to the property had to be in the name of an Indian resident?

Basically, is it like the property fiasco in Spain where many people bought houses there only to find some loophole allowed property developers to seize their house and land?

Prettypollycat wrote:

Like del949, I know nothing of buying/owning property in Goa (or anywhere else apart from the UK for that matter).

I was wondering if the people who have bought property did so believing that it was all above board and there would not be any issues about deeds and ownership or if they were aware that it was a bit 'iffy' and the title to the property had to be in the name of an Indian resident?

Basically, is it like the property fiasco in Spain where many people bought houses there only to find some loophole allowed property developers to seize their house and land?

Hi my understanding of the property situation is that you had be a resident in the country ( 183 day a year ) to allow you buy but then I think rules changed to 183 consecutive days which didnt work out if you were there on a tourist visa where the maximum stay is 180 consecutive days. But I am sure in the middle of all this there are a lot of weird and new rulings which have made it impossible for a foreign national to register their deeds. I really feel for those who have saved for years hoping to enjoy a happy retirement in the sun only for it all to go rather pear shaped

Suddenly - all of the those lovely complexes like Regal Palms, Regal Gardens and Regal Park which were almost exclusively owned by Brits, will now change over to Indian ownership. Then watch the high standards of maintenance and cleanliness drop like a lead balloon!

Some 'Indian' owners are also Brits.

Then watch the high standards of maintenance and cleanliness drop like a lead balloon!

I was actually paraphrasing what was said to me by a couple of British owners.

When Brits bought property in Goa they were told by lawyers and builders it was ok to buy and lots did and are now in a very difficult situation. Have a look on britishexpats website if you want to know more about the situation.
We were sent paper work to fill in re our Indian Bank account that wanted utility bills from UK and lots of other paper work. We immediately went to the bank and left only a few rupees in it, did not close the account as that meant lots more paper work and we just could not be bothered with it.

Quote:
Suddenly - all of the those lovely complexes like Regal Palms, Regal Gardens and Regal Park which were almost exclusively owned by Brits, will now change over to Indian ownership. Then watch the high standards of maintenance and cleanliness drop like a lead balloon!

Some 'Indian' owners are also Brits.

yes thats right Katie P... us included!! .....

....and anyway regardless , to be fair not all Indians ('British' or otherwise) have poor standards of cleanliness and maintenance... some of my neighbours (wealthy, educated Indians ) are very keen to maintain high standards and are happy to spend well on their properties and have significant funds to do so ... and standards & aspirations regarding their 'home environment'. Lets not get things totally out of perspective here regarding 'Indians'...

please note I am not making any reference here regarding the problems over properties that were mis sold, or otherwise... I am responding purely to the comment made in the 1st quote above.

Chilly

some of my neighbours (wealthy, educated Indians ) are very keen to maintain high standards and are happy to spend well on their properties

I don't know obviously for certain - but I would guess that these owners have bought for their own use.
The problem related to me, concerned the numbers of properties being bought by Indians solely for rental purposes.

yes Maxthebiker these are private owners, making their home here ... and these are mostly the kind of people who now seem to be buying (and looking to buy) the more expensive and well presented villas on 'complexes' (or not) around Goa that are being built or re sold, such as you mention.

They are mainly wealthy educated business people from Delhi and Mumbai wanting to escape the cities for a slower pace of life, they are able to fly to London etc or domestic cities from here on business and there seems to be no end of them house hunting right now.

Chilly

They'll be the one's who the Government will be selling proprties off to if they confiscate what the British were told they had bought legally then?

We are a couple of "Regal renters" Chilly refers to, and as such, have been following this sad property debate for a few years. I meet people of non Indian origin in Goa who are still under the impression they can buy property and live in it!! I don't know what line they are being fed by builders / sellers, but, unless I've missed something along the way, these people are throwing their money away. We must be getting to the point now where a British 'property owner' will be evicted from their property and deported. Whilst I feel very sorry for whoever the individual will be, at least it's the sort of news story which will be picked up by the UK media and expose the property sham once and for all. The Indian Government have managed to avoid major publicity in this respect for years (AFAIK). It will undoubtedly have an effect on tourism numbers, and (at my most optimistic now) when revenue falls, may cause the authorities to rethink their strategy. It may even elicit a response from the UK Gov.

It may even elicit a response from the UK Gov.

and it wouldnt be before time djk!!
chilly

The British Government have know about this situation for a long time now - petitions have been sent to Gordon Brown and meetings held in Goa but what has been done - exactly NOTHING.
One lady told her story in the British press a few months ago but nobody seemed to care or want to help - God help the people in this sorry mess and we were almost one of them.