Alex Trelinski
VALENCIAN president Carlos Mazon has announced a plan to fight the rising number of squatters in the region.
Mazon said on Thursday that measures will be introduced to `prevent, combat and curtail the activities of squatters’.
1,800 complaints about illegal occupations were filed in the Valencian Community last year compared to just 277 in 2010.
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A ‘care centre’ for victims will be introduced to offer legal and psychological support.
Personalised and professional advice from lawyers, psychologists and social workers for owners will be set up via the existing network of 37 crime victim assistance offices and the 66 Justiprop municipal offices.
A new dedicated 012 telephone number will also be available for victims to make complaints and to access help.
Carlos Mazon said: “Most of the problems involve people who have a second home and there are cases of elderly owners who rent out their property to cover nursing homes costs but tenants then stop paying and become squatters.”
He explained that anybody who is the victim of squatting will be helped by regional offices ‘straight-away’.
Another measure will be the development of anti-occupation protocols for police and public employees including drafting a guide on how to stop squatters and act against them.
Mazon also mentioned special training starting this month aimed at regional and local police officers to offer immediate help.
A protocol will be enabled via the 112 emergency number to coordinate the police over their response to complaints and to go to homes ‘immediately’ to start an express eviction process.
They will also get instant access to a property registrar database to find out immediately who is the actual property owner.
Carlos Mazon emphasised that the regional government’s anti-squatting plan will use ‘the maximum powers’ it has to deal with the problem.
He added that ‘much more must be done’ and that such measures are down to the national government and Congress.
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