Exclusive: Foreigners unite to fight fraudsters on the Costa del Sol - Olive Press Spanish News.

In fury, residents are demanding tough action against 'rogue' estate agents after freelance workers banded together to share their experiences with this fraudulent business.

The freelance workers have created a Facebook post about OPAU to explain why their trust in the business has collapsed. Real estateagency OPAU has franchise offices inMurcia, Valencia and Alicante, but complaints are centered on its Malaga office. Staff have been accused of lying, double dealing and bringing misery and stress to tenants across southern Spain.

Living abroad Joyce Su, who first raised the alarm, said she was determined to speak out to weed out rogue estate agents. The former fashion student, who studied inMilan, said OPAU often provides misleading real estate information and accused the company of deliberately taking "agency fees" from home seekers for personal enrichment. The 33-year-old Su stated: "If you are looking for an apartment, please avoid an agency called OPAU. They have lots of nice apartments on Idealista to attract you, but most of them are not available. "

She went on to accuse the company of "playing games" by not answering calls, always being unavailable and sending customers on walk-ins for nothing to find properties. "You pay €390 immediately for the agency's services and then sign a contract, a copy of which you can't be given because it's supposedly 'private to the company'," she said. She added that they send viewings spontaneously, but give little time to show up at the appointed time and don't send photos. "As a result, there is a high chance that you will run to visit some horrible apartment that is far from your requirements," added Su from Taiwan.

She continued that after viewing, customers are told to call the office or send an email and let them know whether they like the property or not, but no one ever picks up the phone. "Just a reminder that you can only call between 4pm and 8pm. 80% of the time all the lines are busy and it's impossible to get through," she continued.

Su said she is still a "refugee" and is determined to refund the agency fee she paid in good faith. Dozens living abroad have shared similar experiences, complaining of poor value for money, incorrect agency auctions, unnecessary delays and lack of communication.

One of them, Anna Indykane, said: "After spending the whole of September looking for a long term apartment with OPAU, it was a waste of time and money." Tom Stenberg called OPAU a "fraud" and Don Simon Bolivar, from Bristol, said: "It's amazing that they are still operating. There's a lot of warnings about them." Sheila Almas said: "We were happy to leave the 'beautiful' office and told we would have time to think about the case. But after seeing a lot of posts and information about them online, I never responded to them. "

Living abroad from the UK, Maria said she went to the company's office in Malaga after seeing a very nice apartment in an advertisement. "They led me to believe that I was going to the office to meet an agent who would show me an apartment, but of course there was no such thing. "The apartment was not available and there were no agents there, just an unpleasant woman who tried any means to get me to sign their contract. "Thank God, I sensed something suspicious. I listened to my gut and left the office. "

Olive Press staff attempted to contact OPAU, but they did not respond to our requests for comment.