Residents of two estates in Barcelona make a common front to prevent them from being expelled

2023-12-05 21:29:58

Barcelona”We were told not to worry, and our fears have materialized.” La Paloma is one of the neighbors of a property bought a year ago by Second House SL. in Carrer de Tapioles in Barcelona. She and the other residents of this block of Sants-Montjuïc complain that the new owner wants to “kick them out” of their home and that, to force them, he raises their rents or promotes works in the common areas and on the flats to not allowing them to return – a phenomenon called “invisible eviction” -. The tenants of another building acquired by the same real estate company, those at Carrer d’En Cortines 10 in Ciutat Vella, report the same mode of operation. To fight against what they consider a “speculative practice”, the neighbors of the two blocks have joined forces and this Tuesday they demanded from the real estate company the renewal of all contracts without price increases, an option they say the company refuses to do because their goal is to resell the flats. In fact, both properties can already be found for sale on the internet.

In a joint press conference with the Tenants’ Union, the Housing of the Old Town and the Barri del Poble-Sec, representatives of the two blocs have stated that Second House does not want to offer social rents. In the case of En Cortines 10, of the five flats where there are still residents (out of a total of 16), two no longer have a valid contract and are asking for social rent. According to the unions, they have the vulnerability accredited by social services. In the case of the Tapioles estate, since the real estate company acquired it in December last year, five contracts for the eleven inhabited flats (there are 16 in total) have expired. Among the tenants who have been left without a contract, there is a neighbor with a certificate of vulnerability who is claiming a social rent and another who is asking for indefinite surrogacy, according to the unions. The other three homes claim affordable rents, as Second House has no intention of renovating them.

The property acknowledges that it has not offered the residents of Tapioles to renew their contracts at the same price. Sources from Second House explain that they have invested approximately half a million euros to be able to replace the beams of the building, with the presence of aluminum cement, which must have an impact on the price of rents. However, the start of the works is being postponed because the neighbors, some of whom are already without a contract, do not want to leave the flat in order not to suffer an eviction without a court order. According to the real estate company, the neighbors’ refusal to relocate is causing them extra costs that, he adds, he does not rule out taking to court.

From Second House they assure that the procedures are already being carried out to study the granting of the social rent in the four cases in which the law states that compliance is mandatory. If they appreciate vulnerability, they will offer it, they say. Instead, the unions receive that the social services have already recognized this vulnerability and that if the real estate company is postponing the award it is because it has no intention of complying with the law.

The main objective of the neighbors affected by the conflict with Second House – linked to the “real estate giant” Renta Corporación – is to have all their rental contracts renewed without price increases. They are also asking that the works carried out by the property are aimed at the needs of the residents and not used against them. They also claim to be able to exercise collective bargaining, as they complain that the property does not recognize the negotiating capacity of the unions and addresses the neighbors individually. The real estate company itself admits that it has no intention of negotiating with the union, because they “crossed a red line” by holding a demonstration in front of a company foundation, which would have ended with graffiti.