Valencia Launches New Service to Reclaim Occupied Public Housing

The Valencian government is moving to decisive measures in the fight against okupas (Spanish: okupas — people who move into an apartment or house without the owner's consent). The head of the government, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, announced the launch of a tender for a new service to reclaim illegally occupied apartments from the region's public housing stock.

According to the Valencian Housing and Land Agency (EVHA), of the more than 14,500 apartments owned by the autonomous community, around 13% have been illegally occupied.

"We're aware that we've been facing a serious problem of illegal squatting for many years now, with no measures being taken. So the time has come to act and provide the necessary resources to put an end to a situation that's preventing many vulnerable families, who respect the law and are on waiting lists, from gaining access to housing," Pérez Llorca said.

According to him, the squatters also prevent apartments from being renovated, and illegal connections to the power grid create serious safety risks for entire buildings.

A key element of the new service is a round-the-clock emergency response line, operating every day of the year, with a maximum response time of one hour.

Under the terms of the tender, the contractor must have a multidisciplinary team: a legal coordinator and at least three technical inspectors, as well as vehicles, computer equipment, and mobile devices. The contract runs for three years, with the option of two one-year extensions, and covers the entire territory of the Valencian Community. The authorities will allocate 796,831 euros (excluding VAT) to the new service. Applications are being accepted until July 30.