Malaga town rallies to pledge 40,000 euros before a notary to prevent disabled neighbour's eviction

The future of Fran Custodio, who has a 93 per cent disability and was on the verge of being evicted last October from the home where he has lived his entire life, is slowly but surely becoming clearer.

As SUR reported a few weeks ago, several local residents were willing to buy Custodio's home from the investment fund that currently owns the property.

As SUR reported a few weeks ago, several local residents were willing to buy Custodio's home from the investment fund that currently owns the property.

The latest developments point in this direction, following confirmation that one of the neighbours - representing a majority group supporting his situation - signed a notarised agreement to purchase Custodio's home for the final price set by the investment firm, which is around 40,000 euros. The plan is to allow the current occupant to live there until his death, after which a decision will be made regarding the property's future.

It's worth remembering that the conflict originated more than four decades ago, when Fran's father put up the house as collateral for the purchase of a rural property.

A debt of around 36,000 euros, which has been subject to successive payment proposals with some even exceeding the outstanding amount, has ended up in the hands of an investment fund that, despite receiving offers of up to 60,000 euros, has not responded to any settlement proposal.

This situation forced Alameda town hall to intervene. Aware of the difficulties in negotiating and the secrecy surrounding the investment fund that owns the property, the council acted as a direct intermediary in the process. This proposal has now reached judicial channels, formalised by the council before Court No.3 in Antequera via a notarised document signed by several residents interested in purchasing the property.

For now, the main problem remains the same: the investment fund continues to be unresponsive, ignoring all proposals. Since last October, even before, the financial institution has not responded to any of the proposals made by Fran, local residents or Alameda council itself.

There was a mediator for a few months with whom talks were held, but "she no longer works for the company and regional management has recently changed, further complicating any attempt at dialogue", stated mayor José García Orejuela.

Despite these attempts, the mayor explained that even the court itself has taken action to contact the investment fund. García points out that the court has managed to contact the institution, which maintains that there is no formal offer for the property. Both the mayor and Custodio's lawyer responded to this claim by submitting to the judge the emails exchanged with the former mediator to demonstrate "that these contacts did indeed take place, that these figures were discussed, first 28,000 and then 40,000 euros", he said.

At the same time, the town hall has also submitted to the court a petition to halt any eviction proceedings against this 64-year-old man. According to the town hall, around 4,800 signatures have been collected from neighbours and people close to the cause. This document, along with the notarised statement of the residents group's intention to purchase the property, are two important steps to prevent a new eviction date.

While the legal proceedings and the possibility of a new eviction date remain uncertain, Alameda council insists that the proposal backed by local residents is the most humane, realistic and fair solution. For Fran Custodio, the house is not only his home, but also the only space adapted to his reduced mobility. "This house is the only thing that truly meets his needs," stressed García Orejuela.