I thought only American Homeowners Associations were this inflexible when enforcing deed restrictions. Still, this couple was lucky because had they been Israelis instead of British, the Turks would have torn their whole house down.
BRITISH COUPLE FURIOUS AS TURKISH COUNCIL TEARS ROOF FROM THEIR HOLIDAY HOME – BECAUSE IT’S JUST 15 INCHES ‘TOO HIGH’
Mail Online
April 11, 2011
A British couple have had their dream of retiring in Turkey ruined after the roof was torn off their coastal home because it was 40cm too high.
John and Jean Reece, from Wigan, Lancashire, bought a four-bedroom house in the resort of Altinkum for £78,000 in 2006 and hoped to emigrate.
But the distraught couple will now have to spend £25,000 to repair their holiday home after the local council carried out demolition work due to the house being 15 inches higher than originally planned.
The local council says it notified the builder of the home in 2005 that the roof exceeded planning permissions but the Reeces insist they believed the house was legally cleared when they bought it.
And after spending several idyllic breaks at their holiday home, the couple will now have to spend thousands to restore it.
Several walls at the property have been damaged, the house’s boiler has been tossed onto a balcony and the bathroom has been reduced to rubble.
Mother-of-four Jean explained: ‘We’d seen all those programmes about nightmare builders abroad, so we made sure to take all the right steps.
‘It seemed quite easy and I remember thinking we were very lucky.
‘The (estate) agent couldn’t do enough – but now they don’t want anything to do with us and told us to speak to the builder.’
Mrs Reece said the ordeal has been a ‘nightmare’ and has ‘soured our view of Turkey for ever’.
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