Malaga housing: eight families living in prefabricated homes in Casabermeja face eviction next week

The Andalusian regional government has scheduled for 16 June the sealing off of Finca Colores: a plot of land in Casabermeja, currently home to eight families, including five children.

The document orders "the immediate suspension of all use, construction, installation or any other activity without a permit, as well as the cessation of public utility services".

In practice, this is an eviction order against the eight families who live in rented portable, mobile or prefabricated homes, many of which are equipped with solar panels they have installed themselves to ensure electricity supply, representing costs of around 20,000 euros in many cases.

"We have no other housing option. We've invested all our savings here, hoping for a better future," one of the residents said.

"I found an ad on a real estate website and came to live here, initially in the camping area and then in a mobile home for which I pay 550 euros in rent, plus the electricity bill, which could reach 250-270 euros," another resident explained.

Other residents reported paying between 250 and 350 euros for plots of land between 200 and 300 square metres where they have installed the prefabricated houses they themselves had bought for between 12,000 and 24,000 euros.

The previous owner of the property was J.G.R., who was arrested on Sunday, as the Guardia Civil have told SUR.

The residents, after not knowing his whereabouts for a long time, saw him on Sunday morning and alerted the authorities. One of the tenants asked him: "What are you doing here? Weren't you on the run?" The same sources said that when the two officers arrived, the man appeared to be preparing to leave again, as he was putting a suitcase into a vehicle.

Rubén Sánchez from consumers' organisation Facua said that the tenants are not responsible for the alleged irregularities the property owners have committed. Finca Colores was advertised online, although its marketing went through several phases over the years.

Initially, the house with the original swimming pool was rented out. It was also offered as a campsite for motorhomes and, more recently, for prefabricated homes intended to become permanent residences.

"These families are there because of the high cost of housing in Malaga. At all times, there was an appearance of legality, with advertising everywhere, because it was presented as a tourist and residential complex," Rubén Sánchez said.

Facua has asked the Andalusian regional government to consider suspending the planned closure next week, especially because the eviction will impact families with dependent children.

Meanwhile, tenants are preparing a lawsuit against their "landlord" which they anticipate will be filed this week.

There is precedent for this sealing order. In 2024, the Seprona nature protection service of the Guardia Civil detected illegal dumping resulting from the sanitation having people living there requires.

Subsequently, the regional government observed construction, as well as the subdivision of the land to lease the property in sections or to install the rented dwellings on them. These are considered "alleged violations of land use and urban planning regulations", given that these activities were taking place on rural land.

At that time, the regional government compiled an inventory of plots and dwellings, recording the rental contracts then in force, specifying whether only the land was being rented or if the portable house was also included in the contract. This again gave the residents the impression that they were living there legally, despite these issues.

The residents do hint that they have had problems with the electricity and water supply since the beginning. They suffered continuous blackouts, until they found out that they were hooked up to a neighbour's pole, which did not stop their landlord sending them "outrageous bills".