The other day, I had another run in with our \’friend\’, I heard someone working on the Barber\’s windows behind the covering I had put up, thinking that they were changing them as agreed the day before, I asked if they wanted the cover removed, to find that they were only replacing the glass with privacy glass, nothing more. I asked our \’friend\’ who was supervising the work why he was going back on the agreement, and he said they had the right, and he wanted air, I quoted the law at him, but he was having none of it, considering the whole building is illegal, he has got a bloody nerve!
Anyway, I decided that before the situation got out of hand, and I blew a gasket, I had better back off, which I did, and phoned Marcela, who then phoned…no I\’m not going to call him our friend any more, because he certainly isn\’t, \’enimigo\’ is more appropriate! After she had spoken to him, he agreed to make the window overlooking our pool so that it wont open. Whether he has or not, we don\’t know, but if we see it open again, the cover will be going back up.
The following day, Marcela received a call from the previous owner of the Barbers and apartment above, Jorge, he was asking if she could meet him in Copacabana that afternoon, as he was being taken to task over the building despite having sold it.
The result of this meeting, was encouraging, the Town Hall have said there will be no \’Audiencia\’ (meeting for resolution), it is an outright offence, and all the windows, and the third floor will have to be removed, and if it is not done, it will be, by them, and the owner billed.
The only problem at the moment is establishing if Jorge or \’enimigo\’ is the legal owner, which should be established this next week. Jorge insists that everything is in the name of \’enimigo\’, if that is the case he will be sent the documentation, asking him to state what makes him think he has the right to continue the build, and not be loaded with an enormous fine, apparently there is no defence, but they have to ask, he then has two weeks to reply before a further order is made to have the building brought back to something resembling legal, withing a set time frame.
This is obviously not going to be resolved quickly, but at least for the moment, it is heading in the right direction.
This week-end is another Bank Holiday, we have been lucky that the Finca alongside has not been rented out, but it is another Bank Holiday next week-end, I can\’t believe we will be lucky two weeks on the trot. Today, we went out for lunch, but tomorrow, we are working at home, I\’m not sure what I will be doing yet, maybe cleaning the pool!
An Englishman in Colombia 