Andorra la VellaFrancesca Munté and her two daughters, aged 28 and 31, have been living in an occupied house in Mont-roig del Camp (Baix Camp) for eight years, after they gave theirs to the bank because they could not meet the mortgage . The property is owned by the investment fund Divarian, according to the newspaper Ara.catand, as a large holder with five or more urban properties is obliged to offer a social rent to the squatters before starting the eviction process.
The Councilor of Communal Services and Parking of the Municipality of Escaldes-Engordany Marc González Soto visited the family. in August he explained to them that he was the new owner because he had already paid 10,000 euros for the land in Solvia. This real estate company was one of those that had the property for sale. The house has a price of 100,300 euros, very low because it is occupied illegally and the owner is not responsible for the state in which the property is. He even recommends it to interested buyers “professional and legal advice before making the purchase decision”.
As he explained to the ARA, the Scandinavian councilor was convinced that he could reach an agreement with the squatters. According to the family, he offered them a financial settlement. The occupants said they would think about it, but then rejected it because they want it to be “a social rental” as the mother of the family explained.
The next day González Soto returned, but the mother was not there. The Andorran politician spoke to Agnes, one of the daughters, and asked her insistently to let the appraiser in. They didn’t let him. The councilor of Escaldes warned that since it was impossible to reach one “friendly deal” would call “an unemployment company” (Desokupa) The girl, advised by her official lawyer and the Housing Union of Reus, filed a complaint with the Mossos d’Esquadra.
González Soto, as he explains to ARA, kept his promise and called an unemployment company, but did not end up hiring it. “When they explained to me the inhumane methods they apply, I decided not to do it,” he says In fact, as he asserts, he was unaware of this reality because “in Andorra there are no occupations”.
Guillem Jovéspokesperson for the Reus Housing Union, explained to L’Ara that it is not normal for this type of action to be carried out by someone who is not the owner. “The most absurd thing is why he makes this decision to go and intimidate someone without being the owner and, moreover, saying that he is a councilor in Andorra”comments the trade unionist. He adds that “lhe told the family in person and on the phone to leave them alone and we wrote him an email demanding that he stop this harassing behavior. We tried to act as a firewall and protect the family. There are people who end up giving in to these threats and intimidation”.