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Bear-HandsHi Guys
i knew this was the place to come just to air my angry views well here goes.
I am english living in Portugal, an amazing beautiful place where i feel i am at home. living here is not easy sometimes. we have lived here for 3 1/2 years and have bought our land and built our eco wooden home but here in this part of the Algarve the president doesnt like wooden houses. anyway a long story short after a long fight heartache and tears (yes we have tried every avenue) we have got to take our house down within 60days so the deadline is 25th July, this makes us homeless so we are now trying hard to find a place to rent and leave our lovely home, and having 4 dogs is making things difficult when it comes to renting.
i think my husband and i are very open minded and understand you live by the countries rules but sometimes it all doesn't make sense especially when you do everything legally, pay tax and social secruity you would think you have some rights but no not here. we have many portuguese friends that are totally upset for us and cant believe what has happen.
also last month we paid a fine on the house and my car was arrested and we had to get it out of the country in 10 days (it was english plates) and we had no proof that we have driven it out of the country in the last 6 months so they said tough it must go. so carless, homeless .......
but the one thing they cant take is the amazing love my husband and i have for each other that keeps us strong and hope to find a new home very soon.
thanks guys i feel better now and hope to get back to bears very soon when we are settled
hugs Susan
desertmountainbearHi Susan, There is nothing I can say, what do you say to such heartbreaking news. I am sorry that this is happening to you. I know that you were talking of leaving, is that still a possibility? I don't know that I would have the heart to stay. The dogs that must be one of the hardest things to think about. I do hope you will keep us informed and I know I am always happy to lend an ear.
Joanne
Oh Susan.... Poor, poor you.... 
I echo Joanne, I don't know if I'd want to stay but the dogs.....? What a truly terrible situation to be in. I wish there was someway I could help you? If there is anything, in any way, I can do to help, please let me know?
In the meantime, think positive & everything happens for a reason..... :hug:
HUGE hugs to you & much love,
Julia xx
The Littlest ThistleOh no, how horrific, big :hug: Hope something comes up for you all soon
PennsylvaniaShip all your belongings out of the country. Set the house on fire and walk out of the country. Tell the Portuguese government to go to hell.
Little Leaf Bears by ShannaMy heart hurts for your loss. I am glad that you and your husband can find strength in each other. Hugs to you!
Shanna
Honey Valley BearsI'm in agreement with US bears in someways I'd like to think that I could do that. But I probably couldn't I'd probably wish I had years later though.
Susan good luck. I also agree that everything happens for a reason and eventually you reach a point where something has to go your way, I hope thus is the end and wonderful things await you.
Feather Heart Creations so sorry to hear the bad news So no wooden houses? Is there nothing like adding siding to the house? Though I'm sure you thought about that. What about your country's embassy? That just doesn't seam right 
Dances With Teddy BearsI'm also in agreement with Us Bears. Their demands are outrageous.
If at all possible..leave!
Shame on Portugal - what a shame on this country - put all your things together and go away of this country. What world are we living in????? Here in Austria we are building wooden-houses as a wonderful alternity to the normal houses and we get any help of the government when we try out new things to keep our nature clean and healthy. What is Portugal thinking to be - GOD???? Why can they decide to make people live in a way or not!!!!
Susan I'm so sorry for you and your husband and of course your doggy family - my advice would be the same as US bears, take all your things and go away from this enemy country.
Hope that you will soon bring some better news - as told before from many other TT-friends - everything happens for a reason, and if we can't see the positive side at the moment, everything will come to a good end - GOD will make it for all of us!!!!
Lovely and beary hugs to you from Austria
Sophie Z'Ours
Oh dear! That just sounds unbelievable! Why did they let you have the wooden house built if this was to ask you to unbuilt it a few years after???
Did you talk to a layer about it? I guess you did.
If you want to stay in the area, do they have small houses with garden to rent so this would be suitable for your doggies?
Did you see with your house insurance is there is a way to get reimbursed for it?
Oh, Susan I really hope you will manage to get all sorted well and I am glad you have your hubby fighting with you. Try to keep your sanity, both of you!
There must not be anything I can do for you, unfortunately but tell you good luck and keep you in my thoughts.
Beary hugs,
Sophie.
puca bearsHow b........... AWFUL, Susan. Like you, I live "abroad" , and you do feel a bit vulnerable for many reasons......... but this is WAY too much. I've been seeing reports of similar things happening in Spain too. I really hope you can sort something out of this mess - Will keep evrything crossed for you
huggies
Maria :hug: :hug: :hug:
Nikkel BearsSusan, how distressing for you, your husband and poor dogs - now faced with the upheaval of finding a new home.
You are right - you DID come to the right place ... your TT family is here for you when you need us.
I hope everything works out for you - seems most unfair to me (although I know nothing of the politics of other countries outside Australia) and I wish you well.
Hugs
marg xoxoxox 
This sounds like a horrible nightmare. I am so very sorry for you, your husband and your dogs. I pray you find a place to stay.
Hugs & Lots of Blessings coming your way -
Janice
What a dreadful situation. I hope things resolve themselves for your sake and the sake of your husband and dogs. Keep your chin up and don't let the b***s get you down.
Thinking of you
Sue
Posts: 751Oh Susie,
I am so sorry for you - it sounds like a hell on Earth situation. Can you get any compensation for your home?
Karon
PennsylvaniaWhy did they let you have the wooden house built if this was to ask you to unbuilt it a few years after???
Sophie, I'm not picking on you but what you said brings up a troubling question.
What the heck kind of a government needs to give you PERMISSION to have a house?! And... What the heck kind of government is it that can tell anybody what to do with their property once the house is built?
This flies in the face of freedom and civil liberty!
No government that behaves like this should be allowed to stand! But, somehow, the people of Portugal seem to have accepted it. Frankly, if they don't do something about it, they deserve what they get!
If you can't get enough people to band together and start voting the bums out of office then the only thing left to do is to get out of the country.
Y'Know what? Don't even bother. Just leave. Do it yesterday!
Deny them their authority over your life.
Deny them their tax money.
Get all your property and assets out of the country. Get everything out of their reach. Do not remain in Portugal with anything more than a week's worth of cash and a day's change of clothes. Do it as soon as possible.
Once you have removed all your assets, leave the country. Do it quietly, without telling anybody when you are leaving or where you are going. Do it in the middle of the night.
Just DISAPPEAR!
We have had two families in our neighborhood who did this. Few people, if any, know where they went.
They got behind on their mortgages and the bank was going to take over. They packed all their belongings and stacked everything in the garage, ready to move out. Then, late one night, a rental truck backed up in the driveway, six men got out and put everything into the truck. The house was cleaned out by 3:00 AM. The truck pulled away and they were never seen again.
About a week later, the sheriff and the bank official showed up on the front step to repossess the house but nobody was home. The place was empty. The doors were locked. The lights were off. There wasn't even a piece of trash lying around. The place was empty as a ghost town! All they could do was nail the notice to the front door.
Nobody knows where they went or, at least, nobody who does know is talking.
(And I am aware of some people who say that they know but refuse to say anything.)
My advice... Get out of Portugal.
BTW: About the burning down the house thing... A Gedanken experiment... But I think you all know that.
Bear-HandsWell thankyou so much for all your thoughts and wishes it is so greatly received.
i to am a believer in everything for a reason and just hoping it raises its head soon.
we have tried all legal ways to sort this but they are issuing orders to lots more houses in the western Algarve i think the local president is still leaving as a communist and likes being a dictator.
we have thought about moving but really wouldn't know where to go, it is a beautiful place and we have work luckly at the moment which is more than some as the country is in difficuities at the moment.
anyway we will find something and keep our furry babies with us, once again i am so overwelmed by all your support and that in itself means so much ... a problem shared blah blah.
THANKYOU GUYS AND BIG BEAR HUGS :hug: :hug: :hug:
i will keep you posted xxx
Sophie Z'OursIn France, there are special laws concerning what we are allowed to build in each area.
For example, in an area where all houses have red tiles, you will not be allowed to put black tiles on your houses.
Before building something, you need to ask for a permit to do it. Depending on what king of thing you want to build, it might take more or less long. For example, Malko and I wish to make an extra room on top of our bathroom. It means removing the old roof and adding rows of bricks until we reach the wanted height, and of course redo the roof. We will have to ask for a permit at the city hall and it will take about one month to receive it.
A few years ago, Malko's older sister wanted to change the colour of her house shutters and was not allowed the colour she wanted even though she lives in the middle of the countryside. The given reason is that it would be visible from the nearest castle! This is totally wrong because she already had the opportunity to go into that castle and check if she could spot her house from there and it was nowhere to be seen!!!! How stupid is that?
So she decided to paint her shutters the way she wanted and no one came to check on it.
It is not always like that though!
Beary hugs,
Sophie.
near CologneSusan, I'm so sorry for you and your little family, it is a shame that the government can do something like that!
i wish I could help you.
In the meantime, be assured that you have all my best wishes for a better future!
Big hugs, Ariane
Boechout, AntwerpHi Susan,
I read your story and all the advice here and I can imagine you are feeling horrible at the moment.
The rules and regulations of governments and local counsels are often incomprehensible,
but if you have checked out all the possibilities and there is absolutely no way to avoid it,
then it still is not the end of the world (though a bloody nuisance ).
You still have your husband, you have your lovely dogs, you have your bears and you both
have your work and basically you like living there. 
I know it's going to be tough for a couple of months while you have to rent a place that is suitable for your dogs.
Maybe you could rebuild a house on the same land (and use the wood from you previous house in the open fire place 
)?
Doesn't the government give you any compensation for having to tear down your house?
I'm only trying to suggest some positive ways of looking at this.
I really hope things will work out for you and my bears and I are sending you lots of hugs. :hug: :hug: :hug:
Peter, Milo, Fudge & Jo-Jo
Sarian Miniature Bears Oh Susan! I'm just doing some catching up since we got back from our hols and am so sorry to read what has happened with you. I can't believe it's that easy for the government to force you to destroy your home and on top of this your car has gone too. What is the reason against wooden houses...? The mind boggles... 
Would they let you put a big caravan on your land instead...? Turn your land into a campsite and have lots of tent pitches and see what the president makes of that... They surely wouldn't be able to argue about you bringing extra revenue into the area.
At least your husband and you have each other (and the dogs) and it can only make you stronger. I really hops things improve for you soon. Surely it can only get better from here.
A quote from Winston Churchill... "Difficulties mastered are opportunities won."
Keep your good old British peckers up and weather the storm. If it feels like you are going through hell, just keep on walking, you'll get to the other side...
Sending you lots of hugs and lots of good luck...
:hug: :hug: :hug:
Big hugs Susan and hope for something good to come from this nightmare :hug: :hug: :hug:
So sorry to hear of your horrendous troubles! Does this government have it in for foreigners? Or are they treating everyone so terribly? It is crazy to me that they let you build the wooden house in the first place if they were just going to turn around and make you take it down. And then taking your car away just because it had differnt plates on it! Why didn't they just have you put plates on from thier country? I am sure you have many friends and don't want to leave but if this president can become a dictator that is very scary. You really might want to consider leaving before that happens. Though if you had to leave your dogs I certainly understand that you wouldn't want to go.
But I am glad you have your husband and jobs. I hope everything works out for you! Take care!!!!!!
Beth
Chaska, MinnesotaPeter wrote:Maybe you could rebuild a house on the same land
I agree with Peter. Maybe you can rebuild your house to the code set. That is of course if you want to stay in Portugal. I, personally, would tell them to shove it, leave promptly with my, bags in hand, dogs trailing behind, nose in the air and a great big Humph!
