Lora: We are not illegal, the first buildings will enter regularization

Page Seven / La Paz

“Our constructions are not illegal, there is a regularization law that we are accepting,” says Harold A. Lora Seoane (HL), owner manager of the Las Loritas buildings, in an interview with Página Siete.

In just three years, his company has built nearly a dozen large-scale buildings in La Paz, with an estimated investment of 10 million dollars, according to the businessman. He explains that they work with capital that comes from pre-sales of the apartments that he builds; he assures that they have been subject to audits by the La Paz Mayor’s Office, but that they have paid all the fines imposed. He denies having construction permits from Palca or Mecapaca, as Mayor Iván Arias told this medium.

Despite the fact that the Mayor’s Office indicates that none of the Loritas buildings have authorizations and that they all date from Revilla’s management, lawyer Julio Sanjinés (JS), part of the company’s legal department, says that they have a construction authorization in Irpavi issued on November 21.

“We could not give the interview before because he was sick with covid and did not want to spread it. In addition, we had all the national fairs where we took our projects, ”says Lora about the interview request that Página Siete made to her since October 2021.

He says that the company, which today has spread to Cochabamba and Santa Cruz, began with land inherited from his father, a retired police general, and with capital of $25,000 that his partner gave. “With that we established the company and we grew,” he says.

Their business and personal events do not go unnoticed due to the magnitude of the shows, and the personalities and authorities that attend them.

One of the buildings where the offices are located.
Photo: Capture

Do your constructions have authorizations from the municipality?

HL: For starters, we’re not illegal. There are municipal resolutions and regularization laws that have been in place since 2011, until the last one of 2021. They have been given in different administrations and other similar constructions have been accepted. With some of our projects, not all of them, at least the first ones, are going to accept the right of regularization that the regulations give us.

Why will they accept regularization? Didn’t they start with authorization?

HL: The buildings that are already finished: Loritas 1, 2, 3, 4 and 7 are located in the South zone and we have already sent our letters to the Deputy Mayor’s Office to accept the regularization process with Law 467. The same as the Loritas Village, which is in Villa Salome.

JS: Limiting, the issue of regularizations is not exceptional. It is due to a population growth issue. The previous management even launched the 2040 plan that we are all aware of. This growth causes the laws to gradually change. The current Land Use Law was worked on in 2011, and should be updated every five years, but it was not done and this is causing harm to all citizens. This caused several regularization laws to be taken out. Considering the issue of the pandemic, the previous administration brought out Law 443. Now, the economy must be reactivated and for this reason the Council brought out Law 467. We believe that it is very successful.

But the Mayor’s Office says they do not have authorizations.

JS: We do have authorization for a project in Irpavi that is being criticized a lot (construction permit issued on November 21, 2021). For this we have presented all the requirements requested by the Directorate of Cadastre Administration.

But it is only one, they have several constructions

HL: This is the Loritas 9, it is in development and it is with everything. It is not illegal. The others are accepting the regularization rule. New projects will have all permissions. The Loritas 10 is still a proposal and will get the permits, as well as other constructions that have them as special projects.

Quite apart, we are the only company that bets on the city of La Paz; the other construction companies have migrated to Santa Cruz and Cochabamba because the laws of those cities are already updated and advanced.

La Paz is in a moment of postponement and what we want with Las Loritas is to bring modernization. It cannot be that being the seat of Government we are in fifth place of growth. It is not because of this management or the previous one, but because as chukutas we should bet on the city.

We are working for the city. We are constituted as a company, we have bank accounts where our clients deposit, we have the contracts that specify the construction and delivery time. And we comply.

But does it not enter the regularization because the construction began outside the norm?

JS: Before there was already the 443 and we could already accept to be able to build on what the settlement pattern says. The law empowers us. In that understanding we have proceeded to the construction, protected by the norm. Not only did it happen with Las Loritas, it benefits the entire municipality, mainly the hillsides. We just made use of that law.

Now, since 1953 the settlement pattern, for example in Següencoma, has not changed. It has a population index of 2,000 inhabitants and that until now that has not changed makes us wonder who is attacking whom? Do humble families and companies not have the right to bring progress where we live?

HL: In Bajo Següencoma we have contributed to the padding, retaining walls and sports field. In Obrajes, hand in hand with the Deputy Mayor’s Office, we have done the tiling. Where we build, we work with the area and leave works. In Loritas 1 we have left a police module and pavement.

We support the areas and also the new professionals. 80% of our staff are young people between 25 and 40 years old, their ideas contribute a lot to innovation; That is why Las Loritas bets on the theme of home automation, opening with a fingerprint, contemporary, minimalist or industrial finishes. That is our job.

What I want to make clear is that we are not out of the norm, because before we could avail ourselves of Law 443 and now Law 467, which is not for Las Loritas but for everyone.

Obviously, we have gone through an inspection process. It’s not that he didn’t, we’ve paid the fines.

Do any of your buildings have a permit from Palca or from another municipality neighboring La Paz?

HL: None. That is not the way to work, we must contribute to the central Mayor’s Office. That never happened. The issue is betting on modernization.

Isn’t there a risk that more floors will be built, above the norm?

HL: I respect the opinion you have, but it’s not real. So how can they build in Dubai, in Chile, where there are terrible seismic problems. There are areas in La Paz where there is risk and where they have offered me land, but I don’t buy because I can’t invest in something that will have risk. There are places where it cannot be built and the standard must be updated based on the land on which it can be built.

Where we build we do soil studies. For this we have one of the most qualified engineers in La Paz. We do not make buildings that will later fall down. We have the sanitary and electrical plans, everything that is needed, we are not improvising. I will continue betting on La Paz and its development.

We have also received reports that you finance the campaigns of some politicians. Is he a close friend of authorities and politicians?

HL: I’m a businessman. I have friends at all levels, I am a public person, I do not hide my image. I am a friend of influencers, I can give comments from the largest spheres in Bolivia to the humblest man. I am a public person, I can have friends or acquaintances and there is no problem. But just as I have friends of all colors, I have no political line. I need to work, I have 1,000 people working in Las Loritas. La Paz is not a time bomb in construction.

Where does the financing for your buildings come from?

HL: We work with a presale business model. For example, the competition in Bajo Següencoma or Irpavi sells a square meter for 1,000 to 1,100 dollars. We sell the square meter for 750 dollars. In a first stage we sell apartments of 150 or 100 square meters, which are the smallest. Clients give us 50% of the cost.

With that we execute the construction and cover our administrative expenses; when construction is finished, the smaller debts are collected. In the case of larger debts, they wait for bank financing, which they will be able to access when we deliver the documentation, in the end that will happen in these cases.

So clients won’t have their title until the regularization comes out?

HL: When they have the title they will be able to access financing. There are already people living in Las Loritas but they are people who paid the advance. The title is a commitment that is in the contracts; there they are told that as long as we do not deliver the papers they are not going to cancel. Once we have those papers they will be able to access financing and they will finish canceling us.

Can you give an amount of how much was invested in the construction of the buildings in these 3 years?

HL: In the three years we have invested approximately 10 million dollars that came from presales.

I had a preparation of more than 10 years in the commercial area and what we know how to do best is sell. The strength of Las Loritas is in the commercial area, the coaching was given by me and I hired different companies, over the years, to train the commercial area.

Rumors that it is money laundering come out of the competition. They do not want to stop earning 200% and 300%. We earn what is fair and correct.

JS: I also want to mention that there is a Financial Investigation Unit that works 24 hours a day. We have always shown transparency in all our actions.

Images have been seen of a birthday party with Los Kjarkas among others that is not common.

HL: That’s a birthday. I see marriages that bring international artists. The Kjarkas are friends, we share barbecues. They haven’t done it as a concert, they did it as little as possible to be able to come, out of love. Not only because they only know me, but my family and my dad. And the others that have been presented are also known. Trust me it’s nothing excessive. After working for so many years I have had the luxury of celebrating my birthday as I wanted, I had never done that before, it was to treat myself.

Harold A. Lora Seoane

the beginning He studied engineering and automotive mechanics but began his working life in sales.
Business He is the owner manager of Las Loritas and the construction company Neffel. In addition, he is the legal representative of the Youths Buildings.