Alex Trelinski
A MAJOR change in Spanish law that allows property owners to remove squatters far quicker than before comes into effect on Thursday.
The important modification is to the Criminal Procedure Law and two penal codes covering illegal occupation and trespassing.
Legal procedures will be shortened allowing for ‘speedy trials’ to quicken up the resolution of problems and evictions of squatters.
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High-profile lawyer Xavi Abat, said: “Evictions are going to be expedited in the face of those squatters who break into homes and usurp real estate.”
He said the change was approved thanks to an amendment to improve efficiency of the judicial system, which was passed by Congress three months ago.
“It means that we get a faster trial date than before which allows squatters- according to the law- to be evicted within 15 days,” said Abat.
The lawyer did make the important caveat that ‘we already know that justice is slow and bad’ and that the process is still going to take some time, but ‘much faster than now’.
He added that there might be more good news on the way for squatter victims.
This follows this month’s agreement by judges in the Barcelona provincial court that victims can cut off essential supplies to a property and not be prosecuted.
Abat said: “You were previously accused of a crime of coercion if you shut off any supplies like electricity, water, or gas.”
“This will create a precedent that will hopefully spread throughout Spain,” he added.
