Brit who bought house in Italy for 85p forced to give it up three years later

dailystar.co.uk:

property in time to meet a strict deadline.Danny McCubbin, 58, bought himself the house in Mussomeli, Sicily, where a 'Case 1 Euro' campaign was launched to encourage foreigners to the area.

The Aussie, who had been living in the UK for 17 years, decided to jump at the chance to own an overseas home and even urged others to do the same.However, there was a catch.

Buyers had to renovate the house within three years of purchase to have complete ownership.But labour shortages in Italy’s construction industry made the request tricky to fulfil as the chef – who has worked for Jamie Oliver’s Fifteen Foundation – couldn’t find anyone to help him renovate his dream home within the time frame.Therefore, he was forced to sell the property back to an estate agency after just a few months, receiving his payment back.

Speaking to iNews, he said: “It was very difficult to find a builder and over time the house deteriorated. “By the time I did find a building company, it was double the cost to renovate it.