The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office has urged Bulgaria to raise standards and tighten controls in the Real Estate sector in the country.

A letter to Bryan Talbot, who recently won his final appeal after having his dream EUR 98 000 villa stolen from him and sold on three times, was exclusively shown to Novinite.com regarding the issue.

Natalie Luscombe from the European Directorate of the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office stated that the UK Ambassador in Sofia met with the then Bulgarian Deputy Foreign Minister in early 2009 “to emphasise the need to raise standards and tighten controls in the Real Estate sector and also sought assurances that the problems encountered by British Nationals purchasing property in Bulgaria would be taken seriously at government level.”

Luscombe added that “following the parliamentary elections in Bulgaria on 5th July a new Bulgarian government was sworn in on 27th July our Ambassador (Steve Williams) again raised these issues in his introductory calls on relevant new Ministers.” She continued by praising the “new governments subsequent commitment to promoting more transparent and effective overall public administration, and to tackling corruption much more rigorously than in the past.”

“I hope that the efforts of our Embassy, and the stated commitment of the Bulgarian government, will help, to raise regulatory and professional standards in the Bulgarian Real Estate sector, .....and people who purchased in Bulgaria to have better protection and access to advice in the future,” she concluded.