Last month when the Spanish government organised a property road show in the UK, attempting to lure Britons to invest in its saturated housing market, it was greeted with derision and angry public demonstrations. What did it honestly expect?

There are no easy solutions to Spain’s property scandal, which has affected hundreds of thousands of Britons who have either been duped into buying illegally built homes, affected by land grabs and retrospective coastal planning laws or lost deposits on off-plan builds. To Spain’s shame, corrupt councils, estate agents, property developers, builders and lawyers have all been complicit in the chain of events that have led to many losing their life savings on worthless properties, and in extreme cases having their “illegal” Spanish properties demolished.

The British government has been hugely aware of the property issues affecting British expats in Spain but has found itself in an invidious position, being unable to intervene in local property disputes which are a matter of Spanish internal law. Instead, last year, the British Embassy in Madrid appointed a temporary special advisor to get to grips with the complex issues of property laws and regulations in the country with an aim to offering comprehensive advice through its website to future buyers, as well as those encountering problems with an existing Spanish property.

In order to better understand the situation, the special advisor has already met with a number of resident groups throughout Spain and with diplomatic missions whose nationals have encountered similar problems. The findings from her report are now being used to help the British Embassy and consulates in Spain to understand how best to offer support to British expats.

In tandem with this, the British Ambassador to Spain has been meeting with key officials in the central and regional governments to raise awareness of the problems and to express concern for the plight of those affected. The issue is also being addressed through the UK Representation to the EU (UKRep) and the British Embassy in Spain, which is in discussion with MEPs, and staff from the European Commission and European Parliament offices in Spain.

Although the British government admits that there’s a long way to go before a solution is found for those caught up in the scandal, it insists that progress has been made. Already there have been reforms made to the criminal code, strengthening the penalties for crime linked to urban developments, and the Andalucian regional government is preparing a decree to regularise the majority of irregular properties. For future purchasers, a free step-by-step guide to buying property in Spain, translated into English, has been produced by the Registradores de España; hopefully opening the door to greater transparency in the process of purchasing property in the coming years.

For those distressed British expats caught up in their own personal property nightmare there is no immediate solution in sight, but at least their voices are finally being heard at a national and international level. Buying in Spain might not be as safe as houses yet, but with new legislation being enforced by the country’s regional governments, and with excellent property advice being offered online, the future certainly looks brighter.

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