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Squatting in Spain: Understanding Spain's "okupas" problem

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Re: Squatting in Spain: Understanding Spain's "okupas" problem

#171

Post by KaiserPro »

giantg2 wrote: post #49
diggan wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As always, there are always multiple sides to any issue. Another commentator put it better than I could: > The reasoning behind this is that some shady landlords might try to claim that genuine tenants are squatters in order to get rid of them. There are plenty of desperate people who'd accept a verbal contract and payment in cash, after all. Not that hard of a choice when the alternative is being homeless. Oh, but y…

"Making it too easy to get rid of squatters would expose the most vulnerable people in society to even more abuse, and making it trickier for absentee landlords to get rid of real squatters is considered a fair price to prevent this." Except this is poorly thought out and not really true. You can provide better protection for both sides by requiring written and recorded contracts for real property use/rental, just as…

> You can provide better protection for both sides by requiring written and recorded contracts for real property use/rental, just as we do for real property sales today.

In england there is the "Assured shorthold tenancy agreement" which basically provides a set of rights to tenants and landlords. On the one hand its great as it sets out a clear set of expectations for tenants (24 hours notice of landlord visiting, cant be evicted without notice, deposits must be in third party)

However there is still no fault evictions, which means you can be kicked out for no reason with only 1 months notice.

For the landlord it allows them to reclaim the property at the end of the contract.

However its still the most vulnerable that get evicted.

Re: Squatting in Spain: Understanding Spain's "okupas" problem

#172

Post by throwaway2037 »

alexpc201 wrote: post #111
reify wrote: post #84

Squatters cannot break into your home and take residence. They can only enter if you leave a window or door open for them to enter. If they break-in that is a criminal offence and the police will treat it as a buglary and arrest those in the property. I used to squat here on Airstrip One in my twenties when I was homeless. We did not squat in homes where people lived, We squatted in empty properties. The utilities co…

It is not what happened a few meters from my home in a completely closed apartment. The "squatters" broke the first-floor window to enter, the Mossos took 15 minutes to arrive and did absolutely nothing. They have been there for six months, they already changed the front door, and the owner cannot get them out.

Can the owner hire thugs to show up with baseball bats? I would do that, or do it myself with a ski mask.

Re: Squatting in Spain: Understanding Spain's "okupas" problem

#173

Post by Malcolmlisk »

misja111 wrote: post #154

> if a property is not adequately secured and is left unattended, it becomes vulnerable to occupation. > Spanish law provides for an immediate eviction procedure that can be enacted within 48 hours of illegal occupation So if I understand properly, if you go away for the weekend and forget to close a window, you might find squatters in your house when you come back, and you can't quickly get them out in a legal way?

This is not true. Your first and second house are protected by the law. If someone enters in your first or second house when you are outside, they will get expelled in the same moment the police arrives, and they will face criminal consecuences.

The problem comes when you have 200 houses and somebody squats one of those where you don't live and you don't use. A problem for the banks, vulture funds and big renters. And to be honest, I cannot care less..

Re: Squatting in Spain: Understanding Spain's "okupas" problem

#174

Post by lm28469 »

misja111 wrote: post #154

> if a property is not adequately secured and is left unattended, it becomes vulnerable to occupation. > Spanish law provides for an immediate eviction procedure that can be enacted within 48 hours of illegal occupation So if I understand properly, if you go away for the weekend and forget to close a window, you might find squatters in your house when you come back, and you can't quickly get them out in a legal way?

It's the same in France so I wouldn't even be surprised.

You can't even cut electricity/heat as it is seen inhumane and in theory you have to renovate/fix the house every time something dangerous needs to be fixed because it's illegal to provide unsafe housing.

Sometimes it takes years for people to get their house back and they often are completely trashed

Re: Squatting in Spain: Understanding Spain's "okupas" problem

#175

Post by Malcolmlisk »

ekianjo wrote: post #130
panarky wrote: post #71

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What's madness is the state allowing property owners to leave vacant, dilapidated buildings to blight the neighborhood. Owners should be required to maintain their structures and keep them occupied, or forfeit the property.

[flagged]

The government literally tells you what to eat and wear. And thank god... since without those laws we would eat the worst and toxic foods and wear toxic and low quality clothes.

Re: Squatting in Spain: Understanding Spain's "okupas" problem

#176

Post by erremerre »

Malcolmlisk wrote: post #173
misja111 wrote: post #154

> if a property is not adequately secured and is left unattended, it becomes vulnerable to occupation. > Spanish law provides for an immediate eviction procedure that can be enacted within 48 hours of illegal occupation So if I understand properly, if you go away for the weekend and forget to close a window, you might find squatters in your house when you come back, and you can't quickly get them out in a legal way?

This is not true. Your first and second house are protected by the law. If someone enters in your first or second house when you are outside, they will get expelled in the same moment the police arrives, and they will face criminal consecuences. The problem comes when you have 200 houses and somebody squats one of those where you don't live and you don't use. A problem for the banks, vulture funds and big renters. An…

Do not forget to mention that every news tv program is sponsored by Alarms companies. That the banks, the phone companies, are sponsored and sell alarms.

Which potentially, might have something to do, which so much does this situation appears on news in comparison to other problems the country has.

Re: Squatting in Spain: Understanding Spain's "okupas" problem

#177

Post by throwaway2037 »

dheera wrote: post #119
prmoustache wrote: post #68

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You are living in pure fantasy. The squatters would simply fix the thermostats and disconnect the sprays. The buildings are occupied because the owner do not live there. Squatters target housings that are left empty by owners who are just speculating on the market.

They wouldn't know how to fix the thermostat if I design the thermostat with huge amounts of obscurity, to the point where the heater doesn't even turn on without a secret key being sent to it, the heater has obscure security screws, and if the screws are breached, fart spray in sugar syrup gets released followed by a huge gust of feathers coated in itching powder. Bitter melon juice would be sprayed into the occupan…

Is this Mark Rober from YouTube!? If not, please send your suggestion to him. This sounds like the ultimate Rube Goldberg machine to evict squatters.

Re: Squatting in Spain: Understanding Spain's "okupas" problem

#178

Post by debugnik »

misja111 wrote: post #154

> if a property is not adequately secured and is left unattended, it becomes vulnerable to occupation. > Spanish law provides for an immediate eviction procedure that can be enacted within 48 hours of illegal occupation So if I understand properly, if you go away for the weekend and forget to close a window, you might find squatters in your house when you come back, and you can't quickly get them out in a legal way?

You can still get them out relatively quickly if it's your main residence. But otherwise, yeah, that's correct, which is why, instead of contacting the police, many people kick them out the old fashioned way or hire people experienced in doing so tiptoeing the line of legality.

Re: Squatting in Spain: Understanding Spain's "okupas" problem

#179

Post by [deleted] »

misja111 wrote: post #154

> if a property is not adequately secured and is left unattended, it becomes vulnerable to occupation. > Spanish law provides for an immediate eviction procedure that can be enacted within 48 hours of illegal occupation So if I understand properly, if you go away for the weekend and forget to close a window, you might find squatters in your house when you come back, and you can't quickly get them out in a legal way?

[deleted]

Re: Squatting in Spain: Understanding Spain's "okupas" problem

#180

Post by skirge »

reify wrote: post #84

Squatters cannot break into your home and take residence. They can only enter if you leave a window or door open for them to enter. If they break-in that is a criminal offence and the police will treat it as a buglary and arrest those in the property. I used to squat here on Airstrip One in my twenties when I was homeless. We did not squat in homes where people lived, We squatted in empty properties. The utilities co…

how do you prove all windows and doors were closed? Alarm is enough? Police certificate? Cameras on each wall?
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