The Mariposa block replaces the Casa Orsola as a symbol of the struggle for housing

BarcelonaJust over 550 meters separate Casa Orsola from Casa Fajol. Two modernist buildings in the Left Eixample district and two examples of Barcelona's housing crisis. Just over a year ago, large street protests were pushing the City Council to acquire the blog From Consell de Cent, attention now shifts to the residents of the building on Llançà Street. Popularly known as the Mariposa block for its iconic facade, this building is poised to become the new symbol of the fight for housing in the city. One of the affected residents is Marga Aguilar, who, after more than thirty years living in the building, saw everything change one summer day in 2024. She received a letter in which the building's new owner—the investment fund New Amsterdam Developers (NAD)—informed her that her rental contract would not be renewed. The other residents received identical letters. "When the postman gives you the paper that says you have to leave in thirty days, you don't believe it," Aguilar explained in a conversation with ARA. As is often the case, the nightmare for the residents began with the death of the building's longtime owner and his heirs deciding to sell the block. The arrival of an international fund that buys the property with the intention of turning it into a co-op does the rest. Communication with the landlord—previously close—becomes exclusively through notifications, emails, and certified mail. And what was previously taken for granted—that despite being rented, the apartment would be permanent—now vanishes.

"It's a tragedy because it affects you psychologically a lot. Life's slap in the face is very hard," explains Aguilar, who since NAD's arrival has seen half of the building's residents leave, including families with minors. The rest, like her, have decided to fight. They all have open legal proceedings to evict them. Aguilar's is the most advanced. A week ago, the court ruled that NAD had the right to terminate her contract and set March 11 as the eviction date. But she has already appealed the ruling.

Despite being optimistic, Aguilar admits that "it's tough fighting against an investment fund." "You realize that the resources the administration itself has aren't enough to stop these people," she laments. Regarding whether she thinks her case could become a second Casa Orsola, she's hesitant. Although she admits that "it's a very real possibility" that they might try to evict her one day, she says she can't picture that moment or people defending her against the Mossos d'Esquadra (Catalan police). She also emphasizes that the formula used by the City Council in the Casa Orsola case doesn't convince her. "I don't want these people to earn a single euro of public money," she stresses, and hopes that the City Council, the Generalitat (Catalan government), and the State will regulate housing in a way that makes it unprofitable for funds like NAD to carry out these kinds of operations. €20,000 in fines in Gràcia

City Hall sources explain that, for now, they have opened a mediation process between the property owner and the tenants with the ultimate goal of converting the blog into a residential rental and ruling out other options such as renting rooms. However, for now, NAD has refused to halt the legal proceedings initiated against the tenants. They are avoiding, for the moment, discussing a possible acquisition of the property, but emphasize that to exercise the right of first refusal, a report must first be prepared to prioritize the purchase of buildings with more than ten dwellings, those with vacant apartments, and those where vulnerable people live. They also stress that, in the event of a purchase, the maximum price cannot exceed the average sale price in the neighborhood, deducting the cost of any necessary renovations.

The Papallona blog case, however, is not the only issue the city council has with NAD. As explained this newspaperThe City Council has long been locked in a battle with this fund, also over the building it owns on Sant Agustí Street in Gràcia. In this case, it's because NAD has done nothing to comply with the district's demands, which in the summer of 2024 ruled that the construction work that allowed part of this apartment building to be converted into a shared housing unit was illegal. As explained by the First Deputy Mayor, Laia Bonet, at last week's District Court hearing, the council has already imposed fines totaling €20,000 on NAD for the Sant Agustí case. An amount, she said, that "has never been exceeded" in coercive fines.

Consumer Complaints

Meanwhile, pressure on these types of funds, which are used by buildings for seasonal or room rentals, is also coming from civil society. Last week, the Rental Companies Union and the Socialist Housing Union of Catalonia filed a complaint with the Catalan Consumer Agency (ACC) and the Catalan Housing Agency (AHC) against two real estate agencies for violating the cap on seasonal and room rentals in their advertisements, which has been in effect since February 1st. Many of the reported advertisements were for rooms in buildings owned by NAD.