A joint operation by the Local Police of Caravaca de la Cruz and the Guardia Civíl in Caravaca de la Cruz, in the north-west of the Murcia region, has carried out inspections on a number of properties in the old quarter of the city, most of them illegally occupied, detecting a number of illegal modifications to tap into the supplies of electricity and water.
The inspections were carried out first thing in the morning in the Santos Olmos and Cantarerías streets of the urban area, with around thirty members of the combined security forces, together with technicians responsible for the supply of water and electricity, accessing the common areas of the buildings, where they verified the existence of tampered meters and illegal connections to the public supply networks.
The utilities supply services have been aware that illegal connections had been made, which in some cases had been in place for more than a year, with an estimated fraud of up to 7,000 euros.
Caravaca de la Cruz City Council have been investigating the illegal occupations for some months and have indicated that the investigation may be extended to cover other areas of the historic city centre and surrounding districts.
Mayor, José Francisco García, positively valued the operation but once again denounced the little margin left by current state laws to fight quickly and forcefully against the occupation of homes, “a problem that has been aggravated with the passage of time and which represents an attack against the fundamental right to property and a serious impairment to neighborhood coexistence ”.
He added that "although current legislation does not allow a solution to this problem directly and in the short term, at a municipal level we will continue to use the tools at our disposal to address the occupation issue."
Illegal occupation of properties is becoming a major issue in Spain due to the lack of legislation supporting the eviction and prosection of squatters.
This is becoming so serious that in some major cities there are now groups of “heavies” setting up in business to “negotiate” with squatters and remove them from premises which landlords wish to rent out.
Last weekend the BBC ran a major piece discussing the growing problem of squatters in Spain and the increasing use of professional companies willing to negotiate with squatters and persuade them to leave illegally occupied premises for a cash payment. This is, in turn, a growing business, with “professional squatters” targeting empty high-end properties with the specific intention of achieving cash payments to vacate them.
In response, there is also considerable growth in security companies who will work to secure a property and offer absentee property owners protection against squatters.
Images: Ayto. Caravaca de la Cruz
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