- Region
- Águilas
- Alhama de Murcia
- Jumilla
- Lorca
- Los Alcázares
- Mazarrón
- San Javier
-
ALL AREAS & TOWNS
- AREAS
- SOUTH WEST
- MAR MENOR
- MURCIA CITY & CENTRAL
- NORTH & NORTH WEST
- TOWNS
- Abanilla
- Abarán
- Aguilas
- Alamillo
- Alcantarilla
- Aledo
- Alhama de Murcia
- Archena
- Balsicas
- Blanca
- Bolnuevo
- Bullas
- Cañadas del Romero
- Cabo de Palos
- Calasparra
- Camping Bolnuevo
- Campo De Ricote
- Camposol
- Canada De La Lena
- Caravaca de la Cruz
- Cartagena
- Cehegin
- Ceuti
- Cieza
- Condado de Alhama
- Corvera
- Costa Cálida
- Cuevas De Almanzora
- Cuevas de Reyllo
- El Carmoli
- El Mojon
- El Molino (Puerto Lumbreras)
- El Pareton / Cantareros
- El Raso
- El Valle Golf Resort
- Fortuna
- Fuente Alamo
- Hacienda del Alamo Golf Resort
- Hacienda Riquelme Golf Resort
- Isla Plana
- Islas Menores & Mar de Cristal
- Jumilla
- La Azohia
- La Charca
- La Manga Club
- La Manga del Mar Menor
- La Pinilla
- La Puebla
- La Torre
- La Torre Golf Resort
- La Unión
- Las Palas
- Las Ramblas
- Las Ramblas Golf
- Las Torres de Cotillas
- Leiva
- Librilla
- Lo Pagan
- Lo Santiago
- Lorca
- Lorquí
- Los Alcázares
- Los Balcones
- Los Belones
- Los Canovas
- Los Nietos
- Los Perez (Tallante)
- Los Urrutias
- Los Ventorrillos
- Mar De Cristal
- Mar Menor
- Mar Menor Golf Resort
- Mazarrón
- Mazarrón Country Club
- Molina de Segura
- Moratalla
- Mula
- Murcia City
- Murcia Property
- Pareton
- Peraleja Golf Resort
- Perin
- Pilar de la Horadada
- Pinar de Campoverde
- Pinoso
- Playa Honda
- Playa Honda / Playa Paraíso
- Pliego
- Portmán
- Pozo Estrecho
- Puerto de Mazarrón
- Puerto Lumbreras
- Puntas De Calnegre
- Region of Murcia
- Ricote
- Roda Golf Resort
- Roldan
- Roldan and Lo Ferro
- San Javier
- San Pedro del Pinatar
- Santiago de la Ribera
- Sierra Espuña
- Sucina
- Tallante
- Terrazas de la Torre Golf Resort
- Torre Pacheco
- Totana
- What's On Weekly Bulletin
- Yecla
- EDITIONS: Spanish News Today Alicante Today Andalucia Today
article_detail
Date Published: 26/09/2022
ARCHIVED - Squatter law in Barcelona will allow non-owners to evict criminal occupants
If the owner of an occupied property fails to take action, other locals can go to court to evict squatters
Each year in Spain there’s a surge in the number of squatters reported during the summer months. This season was no different, and home owners across the country are desperate for the government to make it easier to evict unwanted visitors from their property.
In Barcelona and the rest of Catalonia, however, local residents are experiencing a different kind of problem to do with squatters, or ‘okupas’, as they are known in Spanish. Residents are fed up with the building next door being illegally occupied, and for one reason or another, the owners are failing to take action.
To solve this issue, the regional government plans to introduce new legislation that will allow neighbours of the occupied property, or even the town councils themselves, to file legal action against the squatters if they are causing trouble in the area, and get them out quickly.
Up until now, only the owner of a property could request an eviction, a lengthy and expensive process. With the new rules, if the authorities receive complaints from affected locals, they can demand that the landlord take action to have the squatters removed within one month. If they fail to do so, the affected neighbours, the community association or the town hall can take initiate legal proceedings for their removal.
Why is this a problem?
Most of the complaints in Catalonia involve industrial or commercial buildings owned by the banks or big businesses, who have nether the time nor the inclination to go to court to have the squatters removed. Illegal occupants frequently target these kinds of properties because they know the owners will leave them be for a long time.
What happens if an owner ignores the request of the authorities?
If the owner fails to take action within a month, they can be fined anywhere from 9,000 to 90,000 euros. If the local authorities or residents take the matter to court, the judge can also decide to force the landlord to pay all costs.
What will be done with the vacated buildings?
The intention of the government is that most of the properties with illegal squatters will become social housing for vulnerable individuals or families. In this way, the legislation will be doubly effective since it cleans up the neighbourhood while also sourcing more homes for social use.
Who is affected?
This legislative change only affects ‘criminal occupation’, that is, those that cause conflict in the community, which include threats, aggressiveness, coercion or violence, or carry out illegal activities on the premises.
After going through all of the usual processes, it’s expected that the new law will come into force in the next 6 to 8 months.
Image: Archive
Loading
Sign up for the Spanish News Today Editors Roundup Weekly Bulletin and get an email with all the week’s news straight to your inbox
Special offer: Subscribe now for 25% off (36.95 euros for 48 Bulletins)
OR
you can sign up to our FREE weekly roundup!
Read some of our recent bulletins:
25% Discount Special Offer subscription:
36.95€ for 48 Editor’s Weekly News Roundup bulletins!
Please CLICK THE BUTTON to subscribe.
(List price 3 months 12 Bulletins)
Read more stories from around Spain:
Contact Murcia Today: Editorial 966 260 896 /
Office 968 018 268