FREE COPY THE NEWSPAPER FOR SOUTHERN SPAIN Official market leader Audited by PGD/OJD September 18th to 24th 2020 www.surinenglish.com News . 2 Comment . 20 Lifestyle . 22 What to do . 27 Health&Beauty . 32 Food&Drink . 36 in English Sport . 38 Costa hotels close PREHISTORIC FIRSTS en masse after FOUND IN ANTEQUERA disastrous summer season Experts from Seville and Southampton Many have no date for universities have unearthed human reopening - “The virus and remains in a new dolmen P13 tourism are incompatible” Some of the Costa del Sol’s iconic hotels have closed for the winter season for the first time ever. Ho- teliers estimate that only 20 per cent of hotels will stay open dur- ing the low season and most don’t know when they will reopen. P6 An archaeologist works on the site near the ‘Lovers’ Rock’. ANTONIO J. GUERRERO Struggling expat Two injured in Malaga province sees 19 bar owners call for crash with drug- more support from packed car in Covid-related deaths in local council P8 Estepona P10 a week as cases soar The Andalusian president has not ruled out new restrictions and advises against non-essential family gatherings Six new coronavirus-related deaths that he had not ruled out new re- were reported on Thursday in the strictions if the number of cases province of Malaga, making 19 fa- continues to soar, although he said talities so far this week. The num- that the infection rate in this re- ber of cases in the area grew by gion is half that of Spain as a whole, 350 on Thursday. The Andalusian where more than 10,000 new cases president, Juanma Moreno, said were reported on Thursday. P4&18 2 September 18th to 24th 2020 NEWS SUR IN ENGLISH Experts blame mafia groups for the increase in illegal property occupation The mafias break into the abandoned when in fact it is to delay and prolong the legal nections and locksmiths to ures to try to protect their prop- properties, damage them owned by a private individual. proceedings. change the locks so the owners erty during their absence. He also says there are manu- “There are real ‘underground’ can’t get in. They ‘sell’ the squat- In theory, if squatters move to make them look als on the internet with advice estate agencies,” says Luis ters the keys, usually for around in to somebody’s home the evic- abandoned and then ‘sell’ not only on how to choose and Quiñones, a lawyer and founder 1,000 to 1,500 euros. tion process should be rapid, them to people who need break into a property, but what of the Recupro (Recuperación Under the existing law in but lawyer Javier Morales, who a roof over their head to say to the police or the court Profesional de Propiedades) com- Spain, if squatters move into your often acts for people in this “and even what type of lawyer pany, which helps people to get property it is often difficult to get situation, admits that this is not F. TORRES/I. LILLO to choose to act on your behalf”. their homes back from squatters. them out, which is why many always the case because the po- These documents also explain The mafias look out for empty people, especially those abroad lice cannot identify the person MALAGA. The problem of ‘squat- what tactics to use if the situa- properties, find people to move who have a second home here, or people who have taken it over. ters’, people who break into tion ends up in court. At the very in to them, electricians and are investing in reinforced doors, The backlog of work at the courts someone else’s property and re- least, the squatters can use them plumbers to carry out illegal con- alarms and other security meas- doesn’t help. An eviction should fuse to leave, appears to be get- be carried out in a matter of ting worse. According to the Min- days, but it can take weeks or istry of the Interior, last year 350 even months, even if everything cases of this type were reported is straightfoward. to the police, and in the first six months of this year there were Recovery firms 170 cases in Malaga province So, what can people do if ‘oku- and 1,183 in Andalucía as a pas’, as they are called in Span- whole. However, these figures ish, move into their home? Or only show part of the picture, how do they prevent them do- because they are the cases re- ing so? One option is to turn to ported to the Guardia Civil or what has also become a grow- National Police and do not in- ing business as a result of the clude those which are resolved increase in squatting, and use through direct negotiation or in- a ‘desokupación’ company. termediaries, private court cases There are half a dozen of these or those handled by the regional specialist firms in Malaga prov- police. ince, all working completely le- In many cases, squatting has gally and with a double strategy: become a business, and a grow- to control entry to the property, ing one at that: those who use with a security guard and sup- this method of obtaining a roof port staff, so that if someone is over their head are sometimes occupying it illegally they can’t advised by mafia groups who get back in when they have gone find and even break into the out anywhere, and to negotiate property for them. with the squatters so they move José María Páez, a judge in out quickly and as peacefully as Malaga, says these mafia groups possible. It costs around 2,000 often cheat people who are in to 3,000 euros to contract a serv- real need of somewhere to live, ice of this type, depending on by telling them a property be- the danger level and how many longs to a bank or has been Recovery firms are seeing a surge in business across Malaga province during this period. FERNANDO TORRES people are needed. These firms Government introduces new measures that will make it easier for property owners to evict squatters quickly CRISTINA VALLEJO ing on whether the owner is a per- reasonably justifies the unlawful son or a company. situation being brought to an end. MADRID. Malaga lawyer Luis Breaking into and occupying a The measure must be ‘proportion- Quiñones says the law needs to be property which is somebody’s ate’ and does not apply if the oc- changed. “In other countries, squat- home or holiday residence is con- cupants of the property have been ters would be arrested,” he says, sidered more serious than that of given permission by the owners to “but not in Spain”. a vacant property, because it vio- be there. It seems the Spanish govern- lates the owner’s privacy. In the case of empty properties, ment now sees the need for a In this case, courts will be able a swift eviction order may be Police are called to investigate an illegal squat. SUR change and announced this week to order that squatters be evicted granted if they are owned by an in- that it is introducing measures as a precautionary measure be- dividual or non-profit-making com- ters as long as a further set of con- being used and there are no plans to help owners to evict people fore the legal proceedings have pany of public interest, and it can ditions are also fulfilled. to use it will also apply. who are occupying their property been completed, where there are be shown that the squatters are If a vacant property is owned by Another change is that swift evic- illegally. “solid indications” that somebody contravening the property owner’s a company, an eviction order may tions may be granted before the The new measures will apply to has broken into the property and rights. Where the property is not be applied for when it is found that end of legal proceedings even if main residences, holiday homes is occupying it illegally, that there used or expected to be used, not there is an effective risk of the prop- the squatters are classified as be- and vacant properties, although is evidence that the owner’s rights for sale or being reformed, the erty being damaged. However, the ing in an especially vulnerable for the latter they differ depend- are being affected and that this owner may apply to evict the squat- condition that the property is not situation. September 18th to 24th 2020 NEWS 3 SUR IN ENGLISH do not usually intervene if chil- tion was resolved differently. A dren are involved. “I used a private company and in young couple with a baby moved Companies such as Desokupa into an apartment his family Exprés, Evictions Staff and Recu- owned in Malaga city during the pro have now been joined by oth- two days the squatters had gone” lockdown. They said they had ers such as Antiokupas Group, been told it was owned by a bank which was recently set up in Mar- and they could rent it cheaply. bella in response to the increase We talked to three They paid 1,500 euros for the in properties being illegally oc- keys. Manuel reported them to cupied by squatters. In just one property owners who the police but didn’t hold out month they have successfully re- have experienced a much hope of success in evict- solved around a dozen cases in problem with squatters, ing them.