NEARLY 300 public housing flats across Malaga province have been recovered by the Junta after they were taken over and converted into squats or drug flats.
The Andalucian Housing and Rehabilitation Agency (AVRA) says it has reclaimed 288 publicly owned homes since 2019, many of which had been boarded up, damaged or converted into safe houses for criminal activity.
More than half of the recovered homes – 157 in total – are located in Malaga city.
In the neighbourhood of Llano de la Trinidad, an entire building on Calle Bustamante, 2 was retaken and refurbished at a cost of €500,000, returning 18 flats to the public housing pool.
Another block on Calle Canoa, 4 underwent a similar process.
Officials said some interventions required police raids to dismantle drug operations and remove criminal groups.
One building had even been used by a jihadist cell, according to Patricia Navarro, the Junta’s delegate in Malaga.
READ MORE: Brits and foreigners are still hoovering up property in Spain – here’s where they are buying
“They had used these homes to commit crimes and run fraudulent businesses,” Navarro said. “Every time a social housing flat is misused, we are denying it to a family who needs it.”
Once recovered, the flats are repaired, inspected, and reallocated to people on the social housing waiting list, including low-income households, single parents and vulnerable residents.
READ MORE: Spain hits luxury property giant Engel & Völkers with €16m ‘fake self-employed’ fine
AVRA has also carried out evictions of legal tenants who stopped paying rent after repeated warnings and offers of alternative payment plans.
“The aim of social housing is support and stability – not permanence,” Navarro added. “The goal is to help families regain autonomy.”
To prevent further takeovers, the Junta has launched a €7.7 million inspection plan to regularly monitor all public housing stock across Andalucía.
In Malaga province alone, AVRA manages 7,290 public homes.
Click here to read more Malaga News from The Olive Press.
