Who's to Blame ?

In the January issue of "The Insider"- our monthly newsletter, we mentioned that demolition orders had been served on 3 homes in Almeria Province, and a total of 8 houses in the town of Albox faced the demolition ball.
By 9th April, these properties are due to be pulled down, with devastating effect on those concerned. So we ask the question - WHO IS TO BLAME?
Here are some options to help you decide.
1) The Home Owners - were they aware of the building regulations and chose to ignore them? Were they provided with sound legal advice when buying the property? Did they carry out sufficient research by themselves in advance of the purchase or did they leave that mostly to the lawyer?
2) The Lawyers - Was their advice sound? Did they ensure that the required licences were issued? Were they representing the interests of the buyer or the seller? Did they ensure the property was legal? These are the people with the knowledge of what the laws require.
3) The Local Authorities - They grant the licences. Are they applying the legislation consistently? Are they simply turning a blind eye? Do they really care what happens?
4) The Estate Agents - Did they present the facts truthfully and in full or did they omit to advise about key issues? Did they advise what could or could not be done to the property? They would have had sight of the Title Deeds so would be aware of potential issues which would have affected the development of the property. Many house buyers when viewing openly state we could do this or that to the property - all within earshot of the estate agent. They have got their sale and commissions - Do they really care what happens next?
The Regional Government - They ruled the properties as illegal even although the local council had passed the licence application. Before making their decision, did they investigate fully the situation? Was there any right of appeal and eas this followed? Were the parties involved notify there was a problem in advance of the decision to nullify the licences?
These are only a few thoughts - You Decide - WHO IS TO BLAME?