We wonder if you can please help us with some information regarding the 10 year guarantee issued with a new build property. Three years ago we bought a town house on the Costa del Sol in a small community of 15 houses. Unfortunately, there have been several problems with major cracks in the rendering, roof tiles slipping off and ventilation problems, apparantly due to the pitched roof being incorrectly built, etc. The community employed a Spanish surveyor to identify the problems. The community has now organised an "extraordinary general meeting" (as advised by the administrator) to discuss the way forward. We seem to think the builder has financial difficulties and in the past he hasn't really wanted to know.

Do you know what the 10 year guarantee covers and how it works? Is there any similarity to the NHBC in this country? We have asked countless people in Spain, including the administrator, yet nobody seems to know.

We feel that before we start trying to find a lawyer to deal with this matter which, we understand, could take years, we should explore all options. We were not given a certificate as such for the guarantee. Any advice you can give regarding this matter will be very much appreciated as we are very concerned. Unfortunately, before we knew there was to be a surveyor's report we put our house up for sale and put a deposit down on an off-plan property so we are in a difficult situation.