| Message | Posted by |
| Thanks Tony (and Ray man for your email) I rattled a few cages yesterday on this so will forge on. I had confirmation today from Pirin on the Protocol 15 26/5 and received a copy in Bulgarian , but at least it was proof so as far as I am concerned they missed the boat by nearly 2 months and didn't contact me at any time in the intervening period. . I deal with contracts on a regular basis and the clauses are so clear that I can't see how they can argue, in fact as of 30/6 this was the period they should have returned funds by. John | sutherj |
Cheers Surtherj
We are looking at this option also and will let you know how we get on,good luck
Tony | Tony G |
| Just so you are aware and in response to other queries i am going down the road of not paying the second payment and looking to terminate the contract through non delivery to contract timescales.ie protocol 15 was due 31/12, no force majeur was issued to extend to a maximum of 31/3. I await legal feedback 1st from Legal independence then from another legal source. In theory as another 3 months has passed Pirin are now liable to repay deposit.I'll keep you posted. | sutherj |
Dont know about you steve but they wont be getting any money out of me untill i have been over and checked/snagged everything with my own eyes mate !
Tony | Tony G |
I suppose I should know this already, but can anyone tell me at what stage the final payment will be due.
Is it now, now that protocol 15 has been granted and that the developers are saying the appartments are completed?
Or is it when protocol 16 has been granted, along with the common areas ?
Many thanks
Steve
| swtiley |
| We've just had an email from a Kristina at Legal Independant, our appt no 73 is apparantly ready..............god those new builders must be good!!!! | hayleyb |
Another update from the management company today:
The builders are on-site and working, and apparently the apartments are now finished.
The common areas including
the restaurant,
the spa center,
swimming pools,
reception desk,
lobby,
landscape
are contracted with the builders to be finished by the end of September this year.
The hotel rooms will not be open by September and will be closed off for the time being. No idea when they will be opened.
Cheers
Steve | swtiley |
Hi John
What excatly is a termination notice and who did you serve it to? | staffor |
Is any one aware of local agents to carry out snagging ? there used to be details on the Aspen Golf pages but that does not seem available now. Any information appreciated.Also due to the lateness of Pirin Suites I served a termination notice has anybody else tried this tack ? Regards John | sutherj |
I have just had an e-mail (5th June) from the Developers, stating the following
---------------------
-
Protocol – Act 15 has been signed
-
The apartments will be completed as per Annex 1 within a week.
-
Next week there will be furniture company and will install the kitchens.
-
Notary transfer at the end of the month (anybody know what this means ?)
-
The timetable for the completion of the facilities is the end of September.
-
But it is sure that we are going to open the development for next winter season.
-----------------------
Make of this what you will, but at least it seems like there is progress again.
Steve
| swtiley |
| Is anyone using a mortgage is pay for there property? | needmoney |
| Cheers mate | Tony G |
Hi Tony
probably got the same email address as you, dont think l i replay to any of us only got to see some one though mri.
keith | aspin |
Hi aspin
have you got a email address for legal independence that you can get a reply from (no luck so far)
Thanks | Tony G |
Hi all,
Just got back from bansko, still no builders on site and not looking a lot different than in January. Had a meeting with legal independence with regard to late penalties, apparently most of the developments are late completing and should pay penalties, they rarely do and ends up in long legal battles that go on for years, but if pushed they might pay closing costs or furniture. He also said that if its more then seven months late completing you can claim all money back with interest.
Bulgaria is lovely this time of year well worth a visit. | aspin |
Hi Lorna,
Personally I have no idea what penalties may be payable, but when speaking to the building management and asking why the builders had been "sacked" they said that one of the reasons was that they were so late the company was now liable to pay penalities - so it could be worth pursuing.
I am not renting my appartment out (well only to friends and family) so did not really ask about the rental prospects.
Cheers
...Steve | swtiley |
With the delay in construction does anyone know if we will be entitled to any penalty payments?
Steve - Thanks for the detailed info. Did you get any suggestions about renting out appartments?
Thanks
Lorna
| lornab |
| hi all, i'm new to the site as such, nice to read a detailed report of the buildings given by Steve. cheers Adam | amaine |
Hi Barry,
Don't worry - I had this issue when I first started using this web-site.
I think you need to log in and then towards the top of the page, there is a menu (in a dark blue bar) that starts with "Home" and then "Message Boards" and then "Progress Photos"
Click on "progress photos" and then select pirin suites.
Hope this helps
Steve | swtiley |
Hi Steve, thanks for the detailed report. However I don't seem to be able to see your photos ? Have you them hosted anywhere else ?
Thanks
Barry | BMcQ |
| Thanks for the feedback Steve | Tony G |
Hi All,
Have just come back from a couple of days in Bulgaria reviewing development of my apartment in Pirin Suites. I also stayed at Pirin Residence.
Pirin Residence : I stayed in a studio apartment which was pleasant enough, the general building quality of the complex was good but not fantastic as little things were starting to look worn already, such as wooden banisters in the stair wells. The main common areas (reception / lobby etc) looked brilliant and to a good build quality also very clean. The spa (containing, a general relaxation area, sauna, steam room, massage room, a small indoor hot tub, and a peculiar pipe smoking area with mattresses (took me back to my student days :-) was the best part of the complex, there was also an outdoor hot tub. The restaurant was fine but nothing spectacular. Wireless internet worked very well in the common areas, but did not reach the room I was staying in. Still no shuttle bus running and taxi's are becoming quite expensive to get to Bansko (between 20 and 30 Lev depending on time of day 10-15 Euro). The separate restaurant building has not been finished and had building materials stored inside it. The outside grounds were well kept. The shop areas are finished and look good (lots of glass) but are not occupied.
A small annoyance on my part, was that the water heaters are very small, and even on my own ran out of hot water, ok It was a fairly long shower, but I can imagine a family or group of people coming back from skiing and not getting very far - of course you could use the showers in the spa.
Each apartment block has its own ski locker room, with each apartment having one locker.
Pirin Suites : First the bad news (depending on how you look at it) the current builders have been removed from their job. There are three other companies currently tendering for the remaining business, and a decision will be made around mid May, with works to recommence in June. To the best knowledge I could gain, Act 15 will be around July 08 and Act 16 around September 08. Certainly nothing will be finished for this summer, let us hope that the 08/09 ski season is catered for!
The above dates are just for the apartments as well, the hotel part will not be completed until next year. Landscaping should start around July.
OK - now some positives - the building quality is much higher than Pirin residence, and lessons learnt in the quality of building materials have been carried into Pirin Suites. The banisters for instance are stainless steel and look much better, the floor tiles look better / more solid and the apartment / doors and locks are also to a higher specification.
I went into my apartment and a couple of others, For those with maisonettes the spiral staircase looks very good, and the fireplaces much better than I imagined. The floor tiles around the kitchens have been laid (dark slate colour) which I was happy with although I never got asked what colour I did want. The rest of the flooring is a rather bland brown laminate which I would not have chosen. Balconies very good, and door and window frames onto the balconies looked good as well.
No kitchen work surfaces or equipment have been fitted yet, the bathrooms have been tiled (but no appliances) and there seemed to be two colour schemes, a nice blue/dark blue combination and a not-so-nice dark brown/cream combo which made the bathrooms which are not too large anyhow seem even smaller).
Walls and ceilings were well finished (plastered) and all electrical sockets and most lights that I saw were cabled and fitted, Also impressed with the size of the apartments.
All of the apartment blocks and the hotel / common areas are linked together and can be reached without going outdoors, which is good for the middle of winter. The mountain views from all of the apartments facing inwards (towards the golf course) are fantastic. From Block 2 (nearest the hotel block), you can see virtually nothing of the golf course. From Block 3 you can see about 3 holes of the golf course. Block 5 (I didn’t look at any apartments in B4) have fantastic views over the golf course as well. (I was looking at apartments of 3rd floor and higher, so not sure of golf course views on the Ground, first and second floors).
Cost of facilities (when they are finished) are likely to be at a 50% reduction to general admission prices (which means nothing until you know the price), but basically they will not be free to apartment holders, just to hotel guests.
As for the surrounding area :
The following are my opinions, or is information that I have gathered by speaking to people around the Razlog area. Of course a lot of these people want to put their country / area or their property in the best light so please do take it in the spirit that it is more information that may be substantiated by other reports or are leads to follow up on.
There are now around 15 other complexes being built, the road has improved since I was last there 18 months ago and now does have tarmac, but will need to be resurfaced again. The trip from Sofia airport to Pirin Suites took 2:30 hours there and 2:15 hours back, so definitely improved since my last visit. A motorway is planned from Sofia, passing by Bansko but will not be completed before 2012.
Apparently there are 4 other golf courses planned in the area, one of these should be started this year and is about 1km from Pirin Suites.
The Golf course opposite Pirin Suites / Residence is definitely a residents only golf course - at the moment - a couple of people said this was for a two year period in order to get apartment sales (doubtful but can only wait and see) but I am fairly confident there will be other courses built in the area.
A new ski lift planned to a new set of runs in Razlog, not Bansko, but still about 4 - 5 km away. Have no timescales for this though. No further plans to expand the Bansko runs, although a new gondola should be forthcoming.
There is also a reasonable sized plot of land in between Pirin Suites / Pirin Residence, that is owned by the owners of these complexes. Apparently they are looking at what they can do with this, with current ideas including tennis courts / 5 a side football pitches. Although I do consider it a concern that they could build another small hotel in that space.
Other facilities in the area or from the hotel will include, the equestrian centre, mountain bikes, quad bikes, guided tours of the national park.
For those that don't know and I didn't (the Aegean sea is only 2.5 hours away) through Greece and now Bulgaria is in the EU border crossing is much easier.
The surrounding area is still very much a construction side and I reckon it will be a couple of years before we see the area settle down and become a very nice set of complexes with good amenities.
Absolutely no new news on any potential local airport.
In summary : I think I will be able to use my apartment in the ski season 08/09 but without much else to do in the surrounding area, i.e. into Bansko for any entertainment. Summer 09 will be better with some amenities. Ski 09/10 will be great as everything will be fully functional, and hopefully the surrounding area / complexes will be nearly finished by then as well. However will not be getting a furniture pack before September / October of this year.
Hope this helps and I have posted a selection of around 20 photos, but feel free to message me if you have any specific questions. Also put some photos on the Pirin Residence board as well if you are interested.
Steve | swtiley |
I know I was promised use of the Golf course,has anybody got it in writing?
Yordanka says if its not in the contract the promise is not binding.
Charles | sewell65 |
We are just back from a week in Bansko and viewing trip of our appt (no 47) We are still being told that we will have access to golf course but all signs are that this is not the case.
Our appt is not far off being completed but all the communal areas are still a long way off. We would like to rent our appt (not sure of viability now if there is no access to golf course though) will contact Arts hotels and register our interest.
| lornab |
| aspen golf has been blocked,? | popeye |
We finally got through to the Arts people re the rentals. Basically no agreement has been reached with MRI as yet despite us being told different, they need as many Pirin investors that are interested in renting to contact them so that they can see if it will be worthwhile. They have had about 40/50 calls so far. They are looking to start the rentals for the next winter season, it will be too late for the summer season.
We asked about the 85% and the deadline of 31st March and were told to take no notice!! | hayleyb |
Hi Staffor ,
No act 15 has been issued yet as we are awaiting approval for our mortgage to be processed.Although pirin resedence mailed me on the 24 /1/08 to tell me that all apartments along with the hotel shall have act 16 till end of march and then all shall be finished .I think that it is along way from being ready looking at photos.But it is getting there.
Ray-man | ray-man |
Hi Finlay,
No we didn’t get any money back from our other solicitors; we hadn’t paid them the full amount anyway so it didn’t matter at that point. It was more important to hire a firm we felt were looking after our best interests.
All,
Has anyone heard if Act 15 has been approved? We are getting pressured by our mortgage broker to apply now but we would rather hold off until the complex is a little less like a building site before the survey is completed. We have been told we would get 65% of the current valuation. | staffor |
Hi Staffor,
Thanks for the update we to are likely to move solicitors shortly. Did you get any money back from the lawyers that you may have paid up front?
all,
Back on loan to value we recent only received confirmation that we would get a mortgage for the current outstanding value not 75% or 80% although this may change when the real valuation is carried out. Anyone else had this problem yet?
Finlay
| finlay |
Hi aspin, nothing more about the guaranteed rental other than what is on the developers website -
"1. You pay only 85% of the purchase price of the apartment up to 31.03.2008, and the remaining 15% will be a loan bearing no interest, which WE Arts Hotels and Residences give you and which WE will pay to the investor Pirin Suites in the form of guaranteed 5-year rental income for you and paid back by the accumulated funds from the sale of apartment nights. "
Barry | BMcQ |
Hi Steve,
Be good to know a realistic date when they expect to have the development completely finished and ready for renting.
Have a good trip.
Has anyone got any info on this five year garanteed rental income which pirin suites are offering with arts hotels?
Keith | aspin |
I have booked a trip to Bansko for a few days at the end of April (29th-1st May) simply to take a look at progress on the common areas of Pirin Suites, my appartment (100) and the surrounding areas (road, golf course etc). I will be taking photos and will share them on my return.
I am also arranging a meeting with the managment of Pirin Suites, and I have obvious questions to ask such as
- Electricty and water supplies,
- Access to the golf course,
- Tiling choices (don't think there is much hope here anymore) ,
- When will the common areas will be finished,
- When the road will be completed,
- When the shuttle buses will commence,
- Access to the Spa and Pools
Does anybody else have any serious questions they would like me to ask of the management ? or any particular photos, of course I will give an update on this site when I get back.
Best regards
Steve | swtiley |
Hi All
I am a new member here and think it good idea to get the contracts checked by others.
Any ideas please
We have bought unit 88 so it looks like we are neighbours Tony | bmr |
Thanks for the update Sam, and it would be good to see the pictures. I think a few of us are in the same sitauation as you regarding the choices and MRI / Pirin Management. I will be going over in early May and likewise will post any update when I get back.
..Steve | swtiley |
| Visited pirin suites on Wed 5 March. Looks like all tiles and flooring are fitted. Kitchens and bathrooms still to be fitted. The hotel part of the building is still a shell. The outside is a bomb site and the majority of "builders" were huggled around a little fire smoking.....hence work seems almost non existent.
Had a meeting with Melina from pirin residence on Thurs at the solicitors. Yordank was not there as she was off sick. I complained about not being contacted ref choices as per my contract. Melina told me that they had a commercial agreement with MRI and that MRI was supposed to contact us. I have since contacted MRI who ,not surprisingly, denied all knowledge. I have e mailed Melina today to ask for comment!!
I will upload the pictures I took in the next few days. | Sam W |
| Good luck mate | Tony G |
| Thanks Tony
Not happy that they have made choices on my behalf and even if choices prove satis I will be looking for discount/compensation as my contract specifically says I should have a choice.....I am all for choice!!!
Will post any info when I get back. | Sam W |
Hi Finlay
We purchased 2 apartments and were quoted 1,800 for final contracts, preparation of the title deed, the BULSTAT registration, the tax declaration, as well as the checks of the apartment's documentation for compliance with the property plan's specification, rental and maintenance agreements.
We would have been charged 1,800 by Legal Independence just for the final contracts…
I emailed Legal Independence to let them know we were switching and heard nothing back in response, wasn’t that surprised!! | staffor |
Hi Sam
Dont think that anybody gets any contact untill they are looking for some cash (or trying too sell you some furniture or aftersales or rental)so you are not alone mate!not too sure about when its going to be ready so any info when you get over there will be greatley appreitiated,
we have got appartment 87
Good luck
Tony | Tony G |
| Hi. I m new to the site. Had great problems with corresponding with legal independence but that has improved in the last week or so after very stroppy e mail to their head office. Can anyone confirm when they think we will completely have the apartments to the standard of being able to rent out? Has anyone else not been contacted regarding the choices of flooring and tiles?
I m going to Bansko next week for a couple of days to have a meeting with my solicitor Yordanka and the developer. I will try and take some photos on pirin suites.
Hope to hear from someone
Sam
79 pirin suites | Sam W |
Not too sure what it is all about as i thought that pirin managment were using a company called the thacarain group ,but on the other hand it looks good for the rental side of things | Tony G |
hi all,
have u seen this?
http://pirinresidence.com/?Action=26
what's that??? | Greg Johnson |
Thanks Rachel | Tony G |
| Did it cost much to transfer between solicitors? | finlay |
Hi Tony
Dynamic Solutions
info@dynsolgb.com
Haven’t had many dealings with them yet but have been impressed with the service so far. They even agreed to amend our contracts with them after receiving advice from our local solicitor.
Hope this helps!
Rachel | staffor |
Hi Rachel
Any chance of the name of your legal firm also
Cheers
Tony | Tony G |
Hi Steve
Sent you a PM message re legal firm. Hope you got it, if not let me know and I'll post it.
Rachel (Staffor) | staffor |
There is new photos on the pirin suites web site although they dont seem to be up loading properly .It seems like there is a long way to go yet
Bye ray-man | ray-man |
Hi all
Just looked on my contract and our appartment is number87 not 89 just in case number89 is wondering whats going on !!! | Tony G |
Hi Tony and Aspin(Keith),
Thanks for your recent comments and good to have a date of sorts (even if it is July). I will now go out around the middle - end of April, try and get some boarding in and and also look at the property. Good advice on not paying yet, either for the property or the furniture. I am in Appt 100, same level as you Keith, so hopefully the views are as great as you say.
regards
Steve | swtiley |