62 families evicted in Manilva amid heavy police deployment
Manilva town hall has made the municipal sports complex available for the 25 families who have no housing alternative
A large police deployment carried out the eviction of 62 families from a housing complex on Calle Sarmiento 2 in Manilva on Tuesday morning. The order came from the court of instruction of Estepona, allegedly without the input of social services.
According to sources, some of the residents had been living in the complex since 2015, initially with rental contracts with right to buy and with all utilities in their name. Others had been living as squatters.
The sitation at a glance. Why have 62 families been evicted from one complex in Manilva?
The Conflict: For over a decade, dozens of families lived in a housing development they believed was safe. Many moved into abandoned, unfinished shells of buildings and invested their own money to install water, electricity, and flooring. They claim they had rental agreements (some starting as low as €50/month) and had been paying rent and community fees for years.
-
The Eviction: The property was eventually acquired by an investment fund (SPV Reoco 3 SL). The courts ordered a mass eviction to clear the building for the new owners.
-
Vulnerable Residents: The affected group includes approximately 50 children, elderly people, and individuals with disabilities (such as Rosalba, a wheelchair user who suffered a stroke). Many are workers with limited resources, victims of gender violence, or migrants who fear speaking out.
-
Timing: The eviction was originally scheduled for February 2026 during a period of severe weather alerts ("borrascas"), which added a layer of humanitarian concern. After several delays and protests, the final "launch" (eviction) took place yesterday, March 24, 2026.
-
Lack of Alternatives: Residents and the Tenants' Union (Sindicato de Inquilinas) denounce that the local and regional governments offered no real housing alternatives, suggesting only temporary shelters for a few days.
-
Political Response: Local activists and the political group Por Andalucía have criticized the regional president, Juanma Moreno Bonilla, accusing his administration of favoring "speculative models" and "investment funds" over the basic right to housing.
-
The Final Outcome: As of March 24, a massive police operation involving roughly 60 Guardia Civil officers executed the eviction, leaving many families on the street without a permanent place to go.
The large-scale eviction happened amid protests from residents, social groups and the legal defence of 32 of the families, who denounced the "violation of the rights of minors" and vulnerable people.
According to municipal sources, in the early afternoon the town hall and the Red Cross set up the sports complex to accommodate the 25 families (53 adults and 32 children) "who have no housing alternative".
The operation, in which more than 100 police and security officers participated, took place without incidents.
"The justice system has abandoned us"
Most of the tenants waited for the Guardia Civil in the patio, while others preferred to remain inside their flats. Rubén and his family were among the people who waited at home.
"The Guardia Civil knocked on the door and we opened it willingly. We had a faint hope, but it didn't work out. Then the people from the court gave us a letter saying that for a supposed solution we have to go to the social services. This is a very difficult situation. We entered 12 years ago with a rental contract with an option to buy. We have been commercially deceived and the justice system has abandoned us," he told SUR.
Similarly, José, another resident, said that the police had given them a bit of time to gather their belongings before proceeding with the eviction. "They entered the flats around 9am and started to kick everyone out," he stated.
Although there was no resistance, the deployment led to a medical emergency, when an elderly woman fainted upon seeing the Guardia Civil. Her neighbours said that she was taken to hospital by ambulance.
Other residents, social, trade union and student groups, CJS, Un Techo por Derecho, Málaga para Vivir, the Sindicato de Inquilinas, the Sindicato de Estudiantes and Izquierda Revolucionaria, among others, rallied in the surrounding areas, with slogans that criticised the authorities and the company that has purchased the complex - SPV REOCO 3, S.L.
Rosa Galindo from social platform Un Techo por Derecho denounced the absence of court and social services officials. "We have never seen an eviction like this," she said. Galindo criticised the lack of resources and support for families with children and vulnerable individuals.
Sources from the provincial authority, whose social services have attended to the 21 families considered as vulnerable, state that "it is not the function of this department to be in the eviction".
Protection of minors
Malaga-based lawyer Francisco Granados represents 32 of the families, who last week took legal action against Manilva town hall "for failing to adopt protective measures for the minors". Granados filed an administrative appeal with the courts in Malaga, alleging "inaction on the part of the local ruling team".
The court allowed the appeal to proceed and opened a separate case for precautionary measures, although it rejected the urgent precautionary measures requested.
According to Granados, "there is an ongoing procedure to determine whether the town hall should guarantee the protection of the minors. For this reason, the Estepona court should not have carried out the eviction until these precautionary measures were resolved. Public institutions must look after minors and vulnerable people. The right to property cannot be preserved at the expense of their protection".
In February, the Manilva ruling team unanimously approved an institutional motion to try to stop the evictions, initially planned for 10, 11 and 12 February, which was finally postponed due to the lack of sufficient Guardia Civil officers because of the storms.
The motion expressly recognised the existence of "a housing and social emergency situation in the municipality, which will leave numerous families homeless, including minors, elderly people and residents with disabilities". Different bodies took charge of the motion, without this having any real effect.
