Alberto Lejarraga
THE CATALAN Government has announced the expropriation of 70 empty flats belonging to large property owners.
These apartments will be converted to social housing in areas of high residential demand.
The expropriated properties will be located in Cornella de Llobregat, Figueres, Lloret de Mar, Mataro, Mollet de Valles, Reus, Roda de Bera, Rubi, Salt, Tarragona, Valls, Vic, Viladecans and Vilanova i la Geltru.
The Govern will act in accordance with a law passed by the Catalan Parliament in 2022, which establishes that regional and local authorities can expropriate a house if it remains unoccupied without appropriate justification for more than two years.
Letters asking property owners to use their flats for the residency of people will be sent in the next few days.
If they do not follow these guidelines, their houses will be expropriated.
The Catalan Government has €5 million which are thought to be enough to buy between 50 to 70 flats at the set expropriation prices.
These will be made available to vulnerable families.
“We are doing everything we can to help families that are in a vulnerable situation,” Territorial Councillor Juli Fernandez has said.
