A score of Born residents, forced to pay rent a month after being evicted

BarcelonaLast May, about twenty people were evicted from their homes in the Born neighborhood of Barcelona due to the risk of collapse. The Barcelona Fire Department and the Guàrdia Urbana had to urgently evacuate the residents of the building, located on Sant Agustí Vell street, because of a water leak on the ground floor that had eroded the ground supporting one of the entrance walls of the building. The Catalan Socialist Housing Union assures that the leak occurred during a renovation, but the property, the investment fund New Amsterdam Developers, never repaired it correctly. Even so, neither the fund nor its real estate agency offered any alternative to the families when they had to leave their homes, who, despite not being able to access them, were obliged to pay rent. On the other hand, Barcelona City Council reports that for this property, the Ciutat Vella district has three ongoing cases for unlicensed works.

Faced with this situation, the families sent a burofax in which they demanded temporary accommodation, suspension of rent, payment of all related costs, a specific repair schedule, and a commitment to renew the rental contracts. This week, as explained by the union's spokesperson, Anna Olesti, an agreement has been reached whereby New Amsterdam Developers commits to suspending the rent and paying the expenses incurred by the residents. "Now they have to comply," insisted Olesti, who is also a resident of the

Papallona building, where they are also in conflict with the fund. In her opinion, it has been the intervention of the Catalan Socialist Housing Union that has turned around the situation for the affected families of the Born building.

City Council sources explained that a team from the Barcelona Emergency and Social Emergencies Center (CUESB) went to the property at the request of the Fire Department and the Guàrdia Urbana to assist the evicted people. After speaking with all the residents, an emergency accommodation resource was activated at the short-stay center for two of them, who slept there for one night, while the rest of the people did have another accommodation alternative. Once the cases were studied, those affected who required social support were referred to the Casc Antic Social Services Center for follow-up, according to the same sources.

"Business model"

For Olesti, this case "is the direct result of a business model that puts profit before people's safety". The union accuses the City Council of facilitating the conditions for funds like New Amsterdam Developers to "operate freely" in the Catalan capital, while "residents are left helpless against companies with legal and economic resources far superior to theirs". Furthermore, in the specific case of El Born, it assures that the consistory does not allow families to enter to collect their belongings from home while the eviction lasts.

On the other hand, from the City Council they defend their commitment to the right to housing and work "to protect its residential use against funds like News Amsterdam Developers". They have also recalled that in the Eixample district they have an open table with residents affected by the purchase of vertically owned buildings, including several properties owned by the fund, with the aim of advising them and seeking alternatives. In addition, the City Council and New Amsterdam Developers have an open mediation promoted by housing unions with the ombudsman for the Sant Agustí property, in the Gràcia district. "The City Council has always demanded that the owner stop all pending judicial proceedings and offer housing alternatives to people affected by evictions," they concluded from the City Council.