Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
DOZENS of families evicted from their homes on the Costa del Sol this week have told the Olive Press they have only ten days to find a solution ‘before becoming homeless’.
It comes, as they told the paper they were given ‘just ten minutes’ to pack up and leave despite some of them living in their block in Manilva, near Estepona – AND paying rent – for over a decade.
The group – many of whom are being looked after by the Red Cross while staying in the municipal sports hall of Manilva – told the town’s mayor Mario Jimenez Rodriguez they were disgusted the so-called socialist politician had allowed the mass eviction of 62 families.
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He finally appeared to meet with them on Wednesday at 1pm. They were all over him, and some had to be stopped from attacking.
Without the dozen policemen that he had with him, it is likely he would have been punched.
Around a third (around 50 adults plus 30 children) of these families have no other place to live.
They told Olive Press how the evictions took place. The Olive Press spoke to a number of them who described how the evictions were carried out.
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Mother-of-two Laura Molina, who has lived in the block since 2015, revealed: “We opened the door and they simply barked: ‘How many people live here? Three? Laura Molina said, “Okay. You have ten more minutes.” “Some people didn’t even get ten minutes. They would push you out if you did not leave on time. “It was disgraceful.”
Many residents had to leave behind many of their possessions, and they feared that they would never be able to get them back.
Items left behind in the apartments – and on balconies, as pictured by our journalists – are now being cleared.
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Police claimed the evictions were legal as they handed the families documents that clearly stated ‘any furniture and belongings’ found in this address ‘will be considered abandoned and may be thrown into the bins.
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“We don’t know more than that,” said Molina to her children, aged 6 and 3. “But now we have nothing left,”.
Mayor Jimenez, after today’s emergency council meeting, visited the evicted households. However, he told them he couldn’t help.
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The mayor told the families that they could only stay at the sports hall for ten days. Then, the families will have to find another place for themselves.
‘He told me he feels sorry for me and my kids, but that he can’t do anything for us,’ added Molina, who is currently stranded in the sports hall with no idea where she will go.
Many residents have been living in their homes over a ten-year period.
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Some families had rental agreements dating back 12 years with the previous owners, paying €50 a month, while others had no formal contracts.
The block had been left unfinished after the crash in 2008 began to affect Spain. They were told that they could move into the apartment, do up and renovate it and pay peppercorn rents.
Two years ago, the agreements weren’t renewed after the building was sold to the investment firm SPV REOCO 3 SL, described by locals as a ‘vulture fund’ and understood by the Olive Press to be owned by foreign investment.
The so-called “vulture funds” are typically used to purchase distressed assets at a low price with the intention of profiting. This can lead to aggressive measures such as evictions.
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The company may be legally entitled to evict tenants. However, many people think that the council would have been better off buying the building.
The Olive Press, which had tried to talk to the mayor of the town on several occasions, spent the day at the sports center with the victims.
We finally met the mayor in the sports hall. He acknowledged us but did not comment.
READ MORE WATCH: Harrowing scenes as dozens of families are evicted on the Costa del Sol after ‘vulture fund’ buys their homes for just €14,000 each
A mother from Morocco told Olive Press that her five-member family is now sharing one bed in the sports hall. The Red Cross gave them a camp bed.
The charity has provided basic supplies and is trying to find temporary housing.
According to the charity’s spokesperson, rent may be covered for a couple of months but families will face a future that is uncertain.
The Olive Press is a great source for Malaga News.
