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The Guardia Civil controls the exits of some 'squatters' in the residential area. A. Mengíbar
Guardia Civil gives squatters ten days to vacate 27 houses on Spain's Costa Tropical
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Guardia Civil gives squatters ten days to vacate 27 houses on Spain's Costa Tropical

Nine properties in the luxury Almuñécar Hills residential area above El Tesorillo have already been vacated after a decade with illegal tenants

Ángel Mengíbar

Granada

Friday, 10 May 2024, 17:04

After nearly a decade of squatters occupying houses in the Almuñécar Hills residential are above El Tesorillo on Granada province's Costa Tropical the Guardia Civil has started evictions in a total of 36 luxury homes. The illegal tenants have a maximum of ten days to leave the properties of their own accord. Nine of them are already empty after two days of action by the police who have a court order to carry out the evictions.

According to sources close to the operation, a total of 27 houses are still occupied in the Almuñécar Hills area including Calles Citalsol and Citalmar. These properties were left unfinished and abandoned after the bankruptcy of the construction company during Spain's 2008 financial crisis. Families and individuals in apparently vulnerable situations took advantage of unfinished buildings and moved in, illegally in 2015.

The eviction operation started on Wednesday 8 May by informing the illegal tenants of the ten-day deadline for them to leave the property by their own means. Some have already left, while others have begun to move their belongings.

Relief among local residents

Almuñécar Hills is just a few steps away from Fuentes de Almuñécar, another residential area which is home to around 1,000 people. The announcement of the eviction order has relieved the homeowners, who describe the area as "unsafe".

"We have problems with squatters because they don't respect anything. They have broken into our communal swimming pools several times, even in broad daylight. They do it when the guard is not there. They have no right to go in there and we have had to change the entry system. When they leave we will be more relaxed," a resident of Fuentes de Almuñécar told Ideal, SUR's sister newspaper, anonymously.

Another local resident told Ideal, "The residents drive through the entrance to Alhambra Hills to go down to the town centre of Almuñécar. We often have to brake because they drive around with scooters or cars without respecting the speed limits. We go with children and are afraid of getting into trouble. Especially as pedestrians and at certain times when it is safer not to pass," she said.

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surinenglish Guardia Civil gives squatters ten days to vacate 27 houses on Spain's Costa Tropical