Sometimes, if not almost always, reality surpasses fiction in this life, in which the most varied and surreal situations occur that, if one does not see them with their own eyes, it is impossible to believe them because they think they are being kidded.
Well, one of these incredible things that looks like a comedianif it weren't for the irreparable damage What has been done to those affected, since it seems more like something out of a Luis García Berlanga film, has occurred in Valladolid, and more specifically in a residential building located on San José de Calasanz Street, 23 in the popular Valladolid neighborhood. from Las Delicias.
A matter that will end up in court after what six of the seven owner families of the properties have decided to sue the development company of the homes, Olid Inversiones Siglo XX, SA, as well as the two architects of this construction – the first of them, the designer of the work, resigned from its direction due to disagreements with the promoterfor the damages caused to the owners by the “poor execution of the construction of the homes”, as stated in the lawsuit to which this newspaper has been able to access.
And what are the damages caused?
Well, although it may seem like a lie, the problem is that the homeowners have a garage space, each of them on the semi-basement floor of the buildingwhich they cannot access because the cars, regardless of its size, width or length, they do not fit.
And as soon as you enter the interior through the access ramp, When they have to make the turn to join the traffic lane where the parking spaces are located, it is not possible to carry out this maneuver. because literally the car hits both sides either against a wall or wall or against a gate or fence.
The first to realize what was happening was Enrique, owner of one of the homes with its corresponding garage space, as soon as he signs the deed in October 2022. At that moment, he already had the keys and the remote control to be able to enter the parking lot – before he could not access it – tried to park your car, a Renault Clioin its rightful place, the number 6, but he couldn't, neither at that moment nor in the numerous attempts that came later and in every possible way. Because there was no humane way to park.
After giving the alarm to the rest of the neighbors, they tried with their respective cars of different sizes, but they couldn't either. And even after notifying the developer and the architect of what was happening, they also tried their luck unsuccessfully with a Opel Astra and a Fiat Punto, According to Enrique de Haro, who still cannot come out of his astonishment and does not believe this situation that they have had to endure, a year and a half has passed since then.
“It's not a matter of skill, it's just that the cars don't fit”he denounces, also upset because he is convinced that both the developer and the architect knew what was happening and still hid it.
The promoter's solution
After this start of testing, The promoter prepared a report in which he proposed an alternative which involved cutting the concrete wall that is on the right and even removing the stairs leading down to the basement as well as part of the ramp, since, according to what he argued, in this way it would be possible to enter with the car. At that time, the owners contacted a lawyer to obtain information and advice on said proposal and decided hire a technical architect -former surveyor-, to perform your own checks.
This person, after carrying out his checks, confirmed his doubts about the solutions proposed by the developer, among other things, because the wall they wanted to eliminate is load-bearing and attached to the building, in addition to the fact that there are girders or master beams who lean on that wall so they see risks.
Furthermore, this technical architect also confirmed that, assuming that the reforms proposed by the developer were carried out, The small dimensions of the garage itself would prevent the seven cars that can be parked from maneuvering if they were all parked.
After these conclusions, The owners decided to take this matter to court, That's where you are now, because there is no possible solution, except to be able to obtain compensation for the damages caused by having to pay for a parking space that they are not going to use or for the depreciation suffered by the home, that according to an expert who carried out the appraisal, It is up to 5 percent of the value of the homes.
In addition, in the lawsuit, the homeowners denounce that The developer and the architects were aware of the situation at least since October 2020.that in all the inspections they carried out, the owners were not allowed to enter from the car access ramp on the grounds that the door was not operational, and that they were only able to access after signing the deed of sale, so they could not check that the cars did not enter.
In fact, in the case of Enrique de Haro, he began living in his new house between April and October 2022 before the signing thanks to a precarious contract that they gave him due to a personal situation derived from the sale of his previous home. due to the accumulated delay in the construction of the San José de Calasanz apartment, since he had to leave his old house to the buyers. Although, despite arriving before the other neighbors, he was also unable to access the garage until he signed the deed in his own handwriting six months later.
In the lawsuit, the owners ask for compensation of around 215,000 euros which, if achieved, would be distributed among each of the six neighbors who have filed an individual complaint based on the square meters available to each owner.
Difficult area to park
It so happens that this area of the city of Valladolid is a neighborhood where many people live and parking spaces are scarce as a result of the large number of buildings promoted during the second half of the last century that do not have parking spaces.
“It is an area where it is difficult to park and you have to go around several times until you find it,” explains Enrique, who for this reason has had to rent a parking space in the surrounding area, which represents a major expense that he did not count on, “in addition to the inconveniences of not being able to put the car in your garage and the fact that it is something that is forever,” he laments.
Regarding the lawsuit, he states that they will go to the end in this case that affects them, at least, get compensationwhich would be more moral than economic, as he recognizes, because the damage has already been doneoday there is no solution, but also with the aim of denouncing an unfair and uncomfortable situation for Dont do it again.
And, to make matters worse, it happens that the elevator installed in the building and that serves the property would not comply with the regulations by directly accessing the parking spaces without being located in an independent unit. Another nonsense in a work