This Thursday a macro eviction was planned that would leave around twenty families living in The Town of Mafumet (Tarragona) despite having always complied with its payment obligations. Finally, they will be able to stay in their homes thanks to the negotiation led by the Reus Housing Union, which has managed to suspend the launch of evictions. Although Sareb, owner of the properties, has opened up to negotiating with the neighbors, the foreclosure procedure is still underway, and if an agreement is not reached, it can be reactivated.
Common front, neighborhood negotiation and activist negotiation. Three elements that, according to the member of the Reus Housing Union Guillem Jovéhave been key to the suspension of the launch of the planned evictions in three blocks on Mina de Madró street, property of the Asset Management Company from Bank Restructuring (Sareb), also known as the bad bank, which the administration public created in 2012 with the objective of liquidating the toxic assets linked to real estate developers inherited from the 2008 financial crisis.
The developer that owned the buildings went bankrupt and left the apartments without an ownerso they passed into the hands of Sareb. In March 2021, a representative of the rental management company informed the tenants that they did not have to continue paying rent to the developer. During these three years, the neighbors continued paying to try to regulate the situation, taking charge of all the building’s expenses, with the “peace of mind” that they could reach an agreement with Sareb.
Their surprise was when in July of this year they received a letter with a court summons announcing that They would be evicted on November 28 because their contracts were “illegal.” The problem, as Jové explains, was that the neighbors who lived in the apartments were not listed as tenants. It was at that time that Sareb seized the homes, leaving the families in an irregular situation.
Arnau, one of the affected neighbors, explains that he has experienced this entire process with “a lot of uncertainty and disbelief.” “The logical thing is that if a property changes ownership, the first step is to contact the tenants and agree on new conditions – if they change – or agree on a departure date if an agreement is not reached. But in this case the opposite has happened. One day we received a letter with a court summons telling us that our contracts were illegal, they told us that we had no right to live at home and that on November 28 we had to leave,” he details.
An affected neighbor: “We were forced to make noise, until we did, they did not listen to our requests”
That was when they organized, under the umbrella of the union. “We were forced to make noise“Until we did it, they did not listen to our requests,” laments Arnau. Guillem laments that the negotiation has been “cruel,” since “they have maintained the uncertainty of some cases until the last minute.” In fact, until Tuesday they did not know whether all planned evictions would be stopped. Living under this “threat” has brought many health problems to the affected families.
“The key to success has been the collective strength and the union of all the affected neighbors, guided by the union. Without that, we would not have achieved it,” Arnau says bluntly.
“Mafia practices”
Arnau finds it incredible that a company like Sareb, “paid with public money”, acts in such a “mafioso” manner. For his part, Guillem reveals that Sareb “acts like any large holder, speculator or vulture fund”. “The moment they say they offer social rent, the administration already looks away, without analyzing what conditions they impose,” he laments.
In this sense, Guillem denounces that “the administration does not take into account that they design your own social rental programwith its conditions, which are subject to the monitoring of certain technicians and subcontracted companies that are dedicated to assessing and managing misery.
Next step: contracts free of abusive clauses
The result of the negotiation has been successful, so far. Both Guillem and Arnau insist that the conflict is not over. Now we will have to see what conditions Sareb places on the neighbors. “There is a possibility that, sooner or later, evictions are rescheduled. Until there are signed social rental contracts, the procedure will not be over, since Sareb will not desist from recovering possession of the properties until it has signed contracts or sales. This type of contract needs to be formalized,” explains the union member.
Guillem assures that, in the case of sales, other actors are being incorporated, such as real estate agencies and other intermediaries. “We still do not know exactly if they will be facilitators or other obstacles to overcome in this campaign,” he warns.
On the other hand, those who opt for social rent, “we know from experience from other state campaigns, that Sareb offers contracts with abusive clauses that are not acceptable.” “Therefore, we will have to be attentive, especially the most vulnerable families. Our goal is for the neighbors to have a contract that guarantees them a certain stability and that they can stay in their home. without a threat of eviction“Details Guillem. Often, “in these circumstances,” Guillem laments, “people are forced to accept whatever you propose to them in order not to be left on the street.”
In fact, throughout this long process, there have been families who have given in to pressure from Sareb and have ended up leaving to avoid, “very legitimately”, a possible violent eviction. “It’s angry, because you give them an apartment with which they can speculate,” laments Guillem.
Social rental contracts, especially that of the most vulnerable families, will be the next battle to be fought, and the union has already said that it is willing to reach out and accompany the affected families until the end.
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