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Date Published: 21/04/2022

ARCHIVED - Murcia residents organise grassroots vigil 24 hours a day to prevent illegal squatting

ARCHIVED ARTICLE

Residents of the Sangonera la Verde neighbourhood have come together to scare off potential squatters

<span style='color:#780948'>ARCHIVED</span> - Murcia residents organise grassroots vigil 24 hours a day to prevent illegal squatting

Location of the block of flats in danger of being squatted

Hundreds of residents of the district of Sangonera La Verde in Murcia city have organised neighbourhood patrols to prevent the illegal occupation of a block of flats by squatters.

The locals, who have come together in a grassroots attempt to drive away illegal squatters, are taking it in turns to sit guard outside a block of 88 flats which have been uninhabited for nearly 10 years and are owned by the ‘bad bank’ Sareb, which buys up bad debt in Spain.

See also: Spanish government to buy majority share in Sareb bad bank

According to sources, the residents in question tried to report to the local police that in recent weeks there have been several raids on these houses located in a residential area. In one of these raids, the squatters had even changed the locks on the doors and illegally connected electricity and water with the aim of putting the houses up for sale illegally.

Until last month, the flats were being patrolled and protected by a private security firm, but the contract has since ended and has not been renewed, opening the door for illegal squatters to try and move in.

Faced with this situation, the locals have coordinated a system of shifts to keep the area under surveillance 24 hours a day. Every day they set up tables, chairs and umbrellas around the perimeter of the residential block, in the vicinity of Calle Pedánea Carmen Ros street, and have been there day and night since last weekend. They bring food and drinks and even share out paella right there in the street to make the surveillance more bearable, and the whole thing is even serving to bring the community together.

Meanwhile, the Policía Local are inspecting these properties to verify that they remain empty. The Town Hall has explained that the police patrols in the area are watching this residential complex every day on their route, although they admit there is little more they can do as it is a residential block owned by a bank.

You might also like: Professional squatter breaks silence on his 500,000-euro scam on empty homes in Spain

The main demand of the residents is that a private security company should be hired again to control the area, as was the case until March. In fact, those affected explained that, during the time that this company was in operation, there was never any attempt to break in to the properties.

Police and courts in Spain are often ineffectual and incredibly slow at evicting squatters because their hands are tied by legal red tape. Private companies who monitor empty properties to prevent squatting in Spain, such as Vesta Vigilar, are regularly more able to detect the presence of potential criminals trying to enter a property and they can stop it in time. They are also able to act within the crucial first 24-hour window to remove squatters if they do manage to enter the property.

Anyone concerned about illegal squatters occupying their empty property in Spain are advised to contract a 24-hour monitoring service to protect their home.

Image: Google Maps