The City Council of l'Hospitalet was working to buy the block where the shoe store of the man who committed suicide was located

BarcelonaThe City Council of l'Hospitalet was finalizing the paperwork to purchase the block where the shoe store run by Javi was located, the 60-year-old man who committed suicide this Wednesday before he was to be evicted from his business. Municipal sources confirm, just as the man's acquaintances explained, that he was to be evicted from his shoe store this October 5th and specify that he had outstanding payments since 2024, which was the reason this legal procedure was open. Sources from the council also confirm that the man lived in another apartment, which was his primary residence, although he had recently spent some nights at the shop.

The council also asserts that it had been working since November 2025 on the purchase of this block, located in Samontà, and four entire buildings in the same area to prevent them from falling into the hands of an investment fund. The current owner, a family real estate company that has kept these properties for rent since the sixties, had communicated its intention to sell them to a fund and the City Council applied its right of first refusal, the council states in a statement. In this document, they specify that next Tuesday, October 6th, was the day scheduled for an extraordinary plenary session to evaluate and approve the credit modification that would allow the 2025 surplus to be allocated to the purchase. The objective was to buy them in two phases: two or three buildings in 2026 and the rest in 2027.

The City Council had no knowledge of it

The city council states that it wanted to subrogate all current rental contracts, including those with old rent control. The planned investment is 27 million euros. Municipal sources admit that this action would not have stopped the eviction of Javi's premises, scheduled for October 5th, but they also state that they had no knowledge of his situation or this eviction, as he had never turned to social services nor did he have any vulnerability report.

From Javi's circle, they lament that the man was very worried. "He didn't know what to do, neither with the machines in the shoe repair shop nor with his life," explain those close to him. This Wednesday, a neighbor of the building where the business he managed was also located saw the shutter half-lowered and suspected that something was not right. Throughout the morning, several neighbors had wondered why the business was closed. Finally, he decided to lift the shutter and found Javi's lifeless body.