British pensioners are being lured into risking their life savings on illegal homes in Spain that could be demolished by bulldozers at any moment.
The Spanish government has embarked on a marketing push to sell off an estimated three million empty properties, according to a report in the Daily Mail.
Despite being on a formal government register, many of these homes have been built without planning permission and therefore risk being bulldozed.
As many as 100,000 expats have already bought homes in Spain that are at risk of demolition, and most stand to lose their life savings.
Some desperate Britons have been fighting a costly legal rearguard action for years, eating up their retirement income and savings.
The report claims that around one million illegal homes were constructed by crooked developers and local town halls over the past 10 years during the property boom.
Many of these properties were bought by British expats who were tricked by unscrupulous builders, lawyers and estate agents into buying apartments and villas that were built on protected land.
With Spanish officials now trying to offload unwanted and possibly illegal properties, many more Britons could be caught in a legal and financial nightmare.
After checking the official Spanish registry of homes for sale, Money Mail discovered that many listed on the website are illegal and even have them on orders against them.
Its probe found a three-bedroom villa in a remote area in Andalucia which had been abandoned by its owners after they discovered it was to be demolished. The villa is for sale at £64,300.
It said the many Britons could buy an illegal home, then be made to foot the bill for knocking it down just weeks later.
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