Press materials · For publication
Private apartment owners at the Grand Hotel Sveti Vlas
The collective voice of more than 120 owners from European Union countries, the USA and Israel who — according to their accounts — are being denied access to property they lawfully own in an EU member state.
In brief
- More than 120 people bought apartments lawfully — before a notary, through licensed agencies, at market prices.
- The management fee rose from €12/m² to €40/m². Not one owner signed a management contract.
- The Nesebar Court annulled the resolutions of 2022 and 2024 that introduced the increases. According to the owners, the operator does not comply with the judgment.
- Owners report electricity being cut off, lift access cards being refused, and being barred from common areas of which they are co-owners.
- The matter has been reported to the Burgas–Nesebar prosecutor's office; the owners have appealed to the European Parliament and to foreign ministries.
The case in numbers
Who the owners are
Private owners of apartments in the Grand Hotel complex in Sveti Vlas. The purchases were made lawfully — before a notary, through licensed agencies, from private sellers, at full market prices. Some financed the purchase with a mortgage; many invested further in renovation and furnishings.
The group numbers more than 120 people, from Poland and Germany among others, as well as the USA and Israel. Action is coordinated jointly and the case is pursued through a single law firm. This is the collective position of a group of owners, not one individual's account.
What the owners report
| Area | Reported practice |
|---|---|
| At purchase | Registration at reception in a "book of private unit users", photographing of ID cards, and fees charged with no explanation of the basis and no receipt. |
| Management fees | Rate increases of €12 → €22 → €40/m². Refusal to disclose documents justifying the rates. |
| Lifts | Refusal to issue access cards and instruction to use the stairs, despite apartments being on upper floors. |
| Electricity | Power cut off despite individual contracts with a separate supplier (EWN) and separate payment. The boxes supplying the units are on the building's floors, and hotel staff have access to them. Without electricity, only cold water remains in the apartment. |
| Common areas | Ban on using the pools, closure of the passage through the hotel grounds to the sea, no access to the panoramic lift despite co-ownership, municipal tax paid on common areas appropriated by the operator. |
| Unit nameplates | The nameplates of more than 100 owners, distinguishing private apartments from hotel rooms, were removed and thrown away. The matter was reported to the Burgas–Nesebar prosecutor's office. |
Examples of incidents
The situations below come from owners' accounts and are presented as they experienced them.
| 01 | An elderly resident who depends on a breathing device had her electricity cut off by reception — which had been told about her condition beforehand. |
| 02 | An owner on crutches after knee surgery was refused entry; other owners had to bring him up in the lift so he could reach his own apartment. |
| 03 | An owner was told to pay approximately €4,000 at the entrance. Having paid, he received a lift card but still cannot use the facilities. The police, when called, stated they would take no action. |
Behind her stand the mafia, the Bulgarian government, the prosecutor's office and the courts.A statement reported by the owners as the words of the hotel manager. Not the owners' position and not an established fact.
Legal situation
| Ruling of the Nesebar Court | The court annulled the resolutions of 2022 and 2024 introducing the management fee increases. |
| Property Management Act | Owners staying less than three weeks a year are exempt from fees, while the hotel rents out rooms for approximately 150 days a year. |
| Funding of investments | Owners in practice co-finance the hotel's investments — playgrounds, the pool, the facade — which they may not use. |
| Enforcement of the ruling | Despite the judgment the operator does not comply with it, and enforcement has run for years. Local law firms refused to take the case. |
Precedent
Co-owners at another Bulgarian complex — Hotel Tarsis — pursued years of litigation and regained access to and control over their property. It shows that the legal route, though long, can succeed. The owners at Sveti Vlas are taking the same orderly route. More: hoteltarsis.com
The case in the media
In December 2024 the Euro Asia News portal described the situation at the Grand Hotel Sveti Vlas, reporting that more than 120 owners from European countries, the USA and Israel had appealed to the European Parliament and to foreign ministries.
| Item | Source |
|---|---|
| Article, December 2024 | euasia.news/2024/12/05/71281 |
| Video report | youtube.com/watch?v=2dl8zHDqk2U — Tomasz Sańpruch, Biuro Ekspansji Zagranicznej (in Polish) |
| Case website | svetivlas-owners.org/en |
These publications are linked as evidence of media interest. The views and wording they contain are their authors' position, not the owners'.
What the owners are asking for
Enforcement of final court rulings
Compliance with the Nesebar Court's judgment annulling the fee-increase resolutions, and effective enforcement.
Uninterrupted access to their property
Entry to their apartments, access to the lifts, and access to the common areas of which they are co-owners.
No interference with energy supply
An end to the cutting off of electricity in units covered by individual contracts with a supplier.
Transparency of fees
Disclosure of the documents justifying the management rates and an accounting of the sums collected.
Attention from European institutions
Consideration of the case as a matter of EU citizens' peaceful enjoyment of property in a member state.
Press contact
On request from a newsroom we provide documentation for verification: notarial deeds, court rulings, correspondence with the operator and reports to the prosecutor's office. Interviews with owners can be arranged, including on an anonymous basis.