# Buying in kefalonia - utilities / general advice please?



## Gallopps (Jun 1, 2015)

Hi there, after several recent visits are currently looking to purchase a property (requiring renovation) in Kef

I am looking for a bit of advice on any of the following topics where anyone could help; even with ideas I'd be really grateful? 

1) Can a caravan / mobile home be placed on land where you are renovating / building as an interim solution for accommodation (or may a permit required even if it's a temporary measure.) 


2) I believe that a permit needs to be sought for a mobile home / caravan IF you are connecting up to utilities - is this the case?


3) What is the difference between a Notary & a Solicitor? 


4) Are Septic tanks available / normal in rural locations or is there another sewage solution? Composting? Maybe?


5) Rough cost of initial phone installation to a property / land (if the neighbour has it 70m away)?? or who would I contact (like B.T in the UK to ask)?

I would love to hear your thoughts, we have found a property & a piece of land and are returning on 9th June to (hopefully) proceed, but struggling to get local answers.

Thank you all in advance :fingerscrossed:

Jen.


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## concertina (Oct 18, 2012)

Gallopps said:


> Hi there, after several recent visits are currently looking to purchase a property (requiring renovation) in Kef
> 
> I am looking for a bit of advice on any of the following topics where anyone could help; even with ideas I'd be really grateful?
> 
> ...


Well I am in Athens and just built a house rurally,I should just not worry about a permit for the caravan while you renovate,I know people who have lived for years in a caravan on land without permits but it is rural
Do you have electricity to the house and water,if its not connected up to electric, you may have a long difficult job to get it into the house,if you have it you can just get an electrician to connect up safely elsewhere as long as it runs from the meter.
We have been allowed to have a sock-away,its 3 concrete rings,open top and bottom fitted onto each other and everything just socks away into the hill,but we are high up and down on the flat they have a votherous which is a closed concrete box and you must pay to have it emptied,these need less emptying if you dont use bleach etc so allowing bacteria to break down the do-das naturally and try to direct your waste water elsewhere as in grey waste,even black waste can be reused,the more water in there the more emptying required.It is not allowed to make your own well or bore-hole but people do, you just need to hide it,you need to be fairly flat for that as the more elevated your land the more work to go down,I do know people a bit far up,they put it as far down the land as poss and then installed a pump.You could of course have a composting toilet and you will see some great designs on Utube.Keep all the water from your roof,you could run it into a tank. A symvolio grapho will do a lot of the legal things much cheaper than a lawyer,and a mechanikos will check if the house has the correct building regs,licence etc and land borders size etc... never tell a soul about a bore hole. Obviously someone on Kefelonia will know more and what applies there. Are sure about the structure of the house as thatisland has had many earth quakes ?just a thought.


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## Gallopps (Jun 1, 2015)

Hi Concertina, 
Brilliant thank you so much, very useful information which I am You Tubing already! Just one quick question, are there outlets or companies that you know of that sell Caravans / mobile homes tha you are aware of?
I ask as I have one I could bring from the UK, but Italy don't allow you to tow anything over 10ft width at present so it would negate that option for me!
Many thanks for your help to date, Jen


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## concertina (Oct 18, 2012)

Gallopps said:


> Hi Concertina,
> Brilliant thank you so much, very useful information which I am You Tubing already! Just one quick question, are there outlets or companies that you know of that sell Caravans / mobile homes tha you are aware of?
> I ask as I have one I could bring from the UK, but Italy don't allow you to tow anything over 10ft width at present so it would negate that option for me!
> Many thanks for your help to date, Jen


Could you use a different route that does allow you,Im sure someone here will chip in soon with a good suggestion for routes to take so as to save you buying.They dont have the same thing as mobile homes,caravans of course,they have something a step up from caravan which is called a Trohovilla,they are nice,bit more expensive,you would want to of course put some kind of sheltering over it against the sun and rain in the winter.look on line for trohovillas and caravan outlets on Kafalonia,you may find second hand,failing that you would easy find in Athens new or second hand,there is a paper called crisi efcaria which means golden chance,it has loads of second hand stuff cheapI have seen Prokat small cabin houses second hand there,they build them of a concrete mix,any size or shape you want,sometimes you see people selling them after they have built their house and dont want it any more,I hope all goes well for you and ask away anything else you need to know.


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## Gallopps (Jun 1, 2015)

WOW - wonderful, you can't beat local knowledge thank you
Jennie


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## The Grocer (May 30, 2010)

Gallops, there are plenty of caravans for sale (if you are willing to consider either single axle or twin axle tourer), however this will be on the mainland. Its an easy ferry trip (one & half hours) from Kylini to Kefalonia, not even the need to book ahead. If you really want a van I would suggest that being the best option if you do not want to tow one from UK.

In saying that twin axles in UK can be bought quite cheap..........

Here's one link:- http://www.car.gr/classifieds/caravans/?lang=en

and this dealer is just south of Athens:- http://prosperous.car.gr/caravans/?ca=v


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## Gallopps (Jun 1, 2015)

Brilliant - thank you very much for your response, researching now


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## The Grocer (May 30, 2010)

PS...also worth looking at

Car.gr - Μεταχειρισμένα Αυτοκίνητα

(click on CAMPERS)


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## Veronica (Apr 5, 2008)

I had a bit of trouble understanding the reference to a sock-away. Took me a little while to twig it is meant to be a soak-away


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## concertina (Oct 18, 2012)

Veronica said:


> I had a bit of trouble understanding the reference to a sock-away. Took me a little while to twig it is meant to be a soak-away


Veronica,yes the soak-away thing,much better than the closed concrete boxes which soon fill up and the whole area promptly closes up all the windows when they are being emptied,the aroma is too much to bear... ha..and when we see a Do Da lorry with its load on the road going about one hundred miles an hour I tell my husband..change lanes fast in case that thing explodes because of the methane...especially if its hot summer-time.What a job doing that hey.


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## concertina (Oct 18, 2012)

And Gallopps,I dont know if your land is fenced but be warned that caravans and trohovillas have been known to be lifted up and towed away by thieves if they can get into the land,so metal fencing is vital with a locked gate also of metal.


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## The Grocer (May 30, 2010)

For long term I remove my van wheels and place on axle stands. Both anti theft and preserving the tyres......


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## Gallopps (Jun 1, 2015)

Concertna, 
It's not fenced yet, but will definately be before anything gets placed on it, good advice. As is the advice from The Grocer - cheers guys, all very helpful & appreciated


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## OldPro (Feb 18, 2015)

I'm wondering if Gallopps has spent any time in Greece in general and Kefalonia in particular other than on a vacation.

My advice is never to buy until you have lived in a place for at least a year and preferably two. Building a house would just make me even more emphatic with that advice.

For every 10 people I saw arrive on their 'island paradise' with the intent of staying, 5 were gone within 2 years and 8 within 5 years. Those kind of odds should give anyone pause before investing money.

Unfortunately, there is no way to know if someone will 'stick' or not, without trying. But assuming you will 'stick' is not a good idea. Of course if you have already lived on Kefalonia for a few years Gallopps then it's a different story.


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## BaguetteMan (Apr 20, 2010)

Hi Galopps,
How did your trip to Kelalonia work out? Did you buy some property?
Baguetteman.


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