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Entrance to the Torre Bermeja residential development. Josele
President of community of owners at luxury apartment complex in Estepona comes under fire over large, unexplained salary
Property

President of community of owners at luxury apartment complex in Estepona comes under fire over large, unexplained salary

Briton Stephen Hills receives 86,700 euros a year for heading up the luxury Torre Bermeja residential development on the New Golden Mile

David Lerma

Estepona

Friday, 9 February 2024, 17:51

There has been much surprise following the revelation that a British man has been assigned a salary of 86,700 euros for his work as president of the community of owners at the Torre Bermeja residential development on the New Golden Mile outside Estepona. As a result, Stephen Hills is paid more than the president of the Junta de Andalucía regional government, Juanma Moreno. Of the 109 owners, only one woman has made a formal complaint and she is represented by the lawyer and former mayor of Estepona, David Valadez.

"The situation is only now becoming public, but it has been brewing for years. Last year this man received 84,000 euros. At the general owners' meeting in June, under the pretext that his salary should be brought into line with the CPI, it was increased almost to 87,000. One of the factors is the proxy vote. He has the majority," Valadez explained.

Foreign owners

Torre Bermeja is a high-end residential development where most of the owners are foreigners who only take holidays there. Due to ignorance or negligence, none of the others have filed a complaint. "We are talking about a residential development where the majority have completely disassociated themselves from the day-to-day running of the community. This allows them to enter into arrangements that, in our opinion, are unfair and detrimental to the interests of the community," Valadez told SUR.

Hills has also reportedly been exempted from paying his community fee of more than 8,000 euros a year. Valadez said this, and the president's salary itself, went against the statutes of this community of owners. "The community statutes make it clear that the president's role is not remunerated," he said, explaining that the law only allows for exceptional expenses. "There is not a single article that exempts [an owner] from the payment of common expenses," he added.

Stephen Hills was unavailable for comment.

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surinenglish President of community of owners at luxury apartment complex in Estepona comes under fire over large, unexplained salary