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In recent years, Malaga has seen a rise in squatting due to the lack of housing and the subsequent increase in rent.
Due to the fear of not being able to rent out property due in part to the lack of available resources, there is an increasing scarcity on the market.
According to the Office of the Right to Housing in Malaga, the number of nonpayment of rent incidents has increased in the city from 115 recorded cases in 2019 to 482.
In the last few years, the profile of properties where the occupants refuse or cannot pay rent has changed significantly. This includes 245 homes that are owned by large companies, 134 public housing cases, and 101 small-holder situations.
Francisco Pamares is Malaga’s councillor in charge of housing. He believes that the trend coincides both with measures taken by the central government to protect people who have difficulty paying their rent or mortgages as well as those taken during the Covid epidemic. Pomares wants judicial measures that are more efficient and quick to evict people who squat on apartments.
Expulsion of squatters is a lengthy and expensive process in Malaga
In Spain, evicting someone who is a squatter and/or does not pay rent can be a long and expensive process. It depends on the autonomous communities. It can take an average of 12 months to evict a squatter or non-payer in Spain. Andalusia is at over 13 month, while Asturias only takes 6 months.
The central government can’t reconcile the fact that Spain’s constitution guarantees every citizen the right of a decent roof above their heads. What about the rights of owners of property who must continue to pay property taxes and communal fees even though they receive no financial contribution from the occupiers of their property. The ball seems to be in the hands of the central government.
Recenty, three lawyers from Malaga Barcelona Madrid made a motion in Barcelona at a conference of lawyers to change the laws so that illegal occupations can be evicted in two days if the occupiers are unable to prove that they have a legal right to the property. The government would have to temporarily house the evicted in the event that the eviction occurred, so the owner could reclaim the home. The government has not yet decided whether to adopt this proposal into law. If it is adopted, this could help alleviate the current property crisis.
