Burnt By The Sun Broadcast Dates – March 30th & April 6th 2020
Broadcast dates have been announced for a new documentary series by Cornelia Street Productions for RTE TV, called ‘Burnt By The Sun’. Broadcast for Episode 1 is Monday March 30th 2020 at 9.35pm. Episode 2 airs on April 6th, also at 9.35pm. Both will be broadcast on Ireland’s RTE 1 TV station or on the RTE player if you can’t tune in – https://rte.ie/player. If you are outside Ireland the player won’t work for you, drop me a line at info@diarmaidcondon.com to discuss other ways you may be able to access it.
You can find a review of ‘Burnt By The Sun’ Episode 1 here.
Despite the rather salacious title, the premise of the series is rather more serious than it might first appear. Its intention is to examine the problems encountered by Irish citizens who have purchased property abroad and discuss any potential remedies available to them, if any.
According to the Press Release from the ‘Burnt By The Sun’ PR team it is a two part documentary series for RTE, Ireland’s national broadcaster, which may also potentially be screened by other broadcasters.
It is due for transmission in March 2020. Filming took place between November 2019 and January 2020. The main locations are be Spain (where lost deposits are still reclaimable up to October 2020, check out www.SpanishReclaim.com), France, Bulgaria, Ireland, Dubai, Turkey, Portugal and Cape Verde.
The premise of the series is Irish people sharing their stories of buying property abroad prior to and during Celtic Tiger times and the road they’ve travelled since. The programme reveals how, over fifteen years later, some buyers are still struggling to escape what has become a never-ending nightmare. Others are resigned to the ongoing cost of their investment while many continue to battle on, trying to recoup their losses.
Each of the stories focuses on a different dilemma – those who bought off-plan property that was never completed, buyers still paying hefty mortgages today for their unrealised dreams. Illegally built homes, some demolished or awaiting the arrival of the bulldozers, many without access to basic utilities like water and electricity. As a result, the properties are uninhabitable and unsaleable.
Some buyers, particularly in French leaseback projects, have discovered their leases are virtually perpetual and selling-on involves fines and penalties often greater than the value of the property.
Overseas owners continue to wrestle with difficult decisions in the face of, in some instances, plummeting values with uninhabitable or unsaleable homes.
Contributors (myself included) will offer some insights into why those who took the plunge did so and offer some advice to those who are still thinking of investing or buying their dream holiday home today. We will update on recent developments whereby old laws have been dusted off, enforced but also amended and reveal new laws that have been put in place (especially alterations to Ley 57/68, the Spanish Reclaim law).
Archive material is used to put context on the economic climate of the time and the promised lure of easy returns and ‘risk free’ investments.
Where possible, the programme seeks to offer hope, advice and new options to those navigating through difficulties with overseas properties and ask decision makers and influencers what they can and will do to protect Irish and European consumers with property abroad. As we ask the question – would buying abroad today be any different?
For further information on the series contact:
Cornelia Street Productions
16 Fitzwilliam Square E,
Dublin 2,
D02 H271
00353 1 662 1030
Email: nualac@corneliastreetproductions.com
Burnt By The Sun Broadcast Dates
