Next Meeting Wednesday 19th September – If you are a Property Owner you need to be there. For full details of venue and times please see below.
The Lanzarote Business Association has created a new project titled Lanzarote Property Owners. This new group has been formed at the request of local business and property owners who are deeply concerned about the current villa rental laws. The man heading the project is Lanzarote Business Association founder and current president Daniel Trigg. Lanzarote Business Association is the only organisation on the island that represents foreign individuals and businesses. The LBA is an established, well respected association that has the connections and power to represent and oversee this project. Lanzarote Property Owners has an independent commission which is headed by Puerto del Carmen based estate agent Kevin Roper and assisted by fellow agents Nick Brumby, John Sheriston and Ian Fox.
The LBA and LPO commission has already spent a great deal of time working on this project. They have attended the presentation of the General Plan for Lanzarote held at the Cabildo and two subsequent meetings. They have also had many meetings with various authorities including a very positive one in the central offices of Gesplan in Las Palmas. Gesplan are the authorised company that have designed and implemented the plans called Dinamizacion de Puerto del Carmen and Costa Teguise, and are working on the Yaiza and Arrecife Plans.
Meetings in Lanzarote have been with the Mayor and councillors of Tías, and the Directora general de Ordenación y Promoción Turística, Rita Hernández, Rita is Lanzarote-born and is a high authority in the Government of the Canarias. Her Department (Dirección General de Ordenación y Promoción Turística) is under the Tourism Minister of Canarias, and their responsibilities include:-
Inspections and penalties
Professional tourism and related careers
Promotion and development of tourism
Tourism quality and standards
Also during July they had very promising meetings with the mayor of Teguise and the councillor of “Urbanismo” in Yaiza, José Antonio Rodríguez, who understands and fully supports the project.
The first step for the LPO was to establish contacts and explain the situation. The next step is to go back to them with figures. The authorities must understand and acknowledge we are here, we will have numbers, we will have statistics and we will have support. They must also recognise how vital the independent visitor is to the island. Not only for property owners but for the subsidiary companies whose businesses are effected.
Shops, bars, restaurants, taxi drivers, pool suppliers, cleaners and many other workers and employers rely on these individual visitors to give them employment and keep businesses open. We need the numbers to be able to support our claims which is why we need people to urgently join and support this project.
If you have a property or a business then you need to support this project. This is a project to ensure the future of the island and those who have chosen to invest in it. It is vital that we can show how many people support this project and now not later is when we need that support. If we do not have enough numbers then the voices will not be loud enough to be heard this is your chance, so act upon it.
We are letting everybody know what we are doing (“telling the reality”) and the authorities are very open to hearing our suggestions and discussing them with us. The secret of the negotiations is to get to talk to the right people and we have achieved fantastic progress in a month. The Lanzarote Business Association has the connections and can open the right doors and create opportunities for the LPO to meet with the people that count.
Close contact has already been made with many important and influential figures including the British Consul. LPO can offer no guarantees of success for all property owners on the island but what it can and will do is work hard on your behalf. What the project does need is the support of the property owners and businesses in Lanzarote, The authorities need to recognize the importance of the role of residential tourism in the local economy.
Lanzarote Property Owners will represent property owners and will lobby and fight on their behalf to clarify and bring changes to the current situation in respect of illegal rentals. Only by joining with the LPO will you benefit, if you are not part of it then you will be left to fight your own battle. There is only a short period of time available for us to try to resolve these issues so we must act now. This is your opportunity to protect your investment. The LPO is committed to supporting its members where and whenever possible. The crucial part is numbers we need a loud voice to be heard and only by joining together can we ensure we are heard.
At the current time there has been no change to the legislation that exists for Apartments. We are aware that amendments are pending but until we know what those changes are we are unable to represent apartment owners. However once the changes are made known to us we will be able to decide how to proceed. Apartment owners are most welcome at the meetings and if they are members of the LBA they will be kept updated of any changes and related information.
The data on properties held by the LPO will be subject to data protection laws and will not be divulged to anyone without consent. All members will be required to sign a confidentiality agreement meaning that the information and advice received by members is not made public or divulged to a non member. Anyone not a member of LPO will not be able to benefit from those who have chosen to support the project.
Although this is a non profit making organisation, we need funds to support the project. We will need to seek legal advice, technical opinions, employ administration staff and many other services. To join you first have to become an affiliated member of the Lanzarote Business Association at a cost of €10 per month and it is requested that you remain a member for a minimum of twelve months. Anyone wishing to pay in advance will receive a discount. Following this you can join the LPO at a cost of €30 per registered property per month. It is anticipated that the time scale for this particular project will be August – December 2012 and LPO members are required to commit for that initial 5 month period after which the situation will be reviewed. Anyone joining after August will still be required to pay the 5 month LPO fee. Businesses can join at the LBA business rate plus the LPO rate if they wish to register a property.
The next meeting will be on Wednesday 19th September at 12.00 at the centro Cívico El Fondeadero, very near the church in the Old Town in Puerto del Carmen. Free parking available. You need to confirm your attendance. Email lanzaroteba@gmail.com or telephone 638 240 224 / 928 596 080
