After a gruelling two-year legal battle, the rightful owners of the Los Teques apartment complex in Puerto Rico, Mogán, are finally beginning to reclaim their property. Nestled in the Agua La Perra ravine, the once-thriving tourist accommodation had been overrun by more than 100 squatters, leaving the premises in disarray. The squatters have not only trashed the facilities but have also become notorious for causing disturbances.
Miguel Rodríguez, the lawyer representing the community, reported that eight apartments have already been vacated and secured, with another four set to be cleared soon.
Although the complex has 32 registered units, there are actually only 28 apartments, as some have been ‘combined’. All were occupied illegally and are now embroiled in ongoing court cases. The remaining 16 are still awaiting a resolution.
Local hoteliers and apartment owners are relieved by the gradual evictions at Los Teques, one of the few complexes in Puerto Rico's tourist area that had been comprehensively occupied. According to Rodríguez, this was the last holdout.
Many of the squatters were young North Africans, with one notable exception: a German man living in a double apartment surrounded by rubbish and cats, who has now been evicted.
Rodríguez explained that more than 100 people lived there at times, with as many as five or six in a single apartment. The building became a hotspot for problems, with frequent fights among the squatters.
Local authorities often linked disturbances in Puerto Rico to people staying Los Teques, including a notorious case where four young men residing there in 2021 were accused of a sexual assault.
The road to reclaiming the complex has been fraught, not just due to slow judicial processes but also because victories in court did not guarantee a solution. “We’d evict an apartment and seal it up, only for the squatters to break back in,” Rodríguez explained.
The community had to invest heavily in security, employing two guards per shift around the clock to prevent re-occupation of the vacated apartments. Evictions, supported by a strong police presence, have been conducted without incident.
The decline of Los Teques began when the company managing it, Vista Noruega SL, opted to take advantage of renovation incentives from Mogán’s Plan for Modernisation, Improvement, and Increased Competitiveness.
A promising agreement with the local council turned sour when construction was left unfinished, leaving the building vulnerable to squatters. Though Rodríguez believes the issues began in mid-2022, complaints and reports date back to 2020, during the pandemic.
Rodríguez started advising the owners, all Norwegian, in early 2023. His legal campaign has been challenging due to procedural bureaucracy. Initially filing a joint complaint for minor property usurpation across all 28 apartments, he was required to separate them, which prolonged the process. He has managed 12 trials and appeals, an ordeal for the owners who have yet to enjoy their holiday homes.
The lawyer is now trying to leverage Spain’s latest legislative change, Organic Law 1/2025, effective from April 2025, designed to expedite evictions via quick trials. However, progress has been slow; despite filing 16 new complaints, no hearings have been scheduled as yet.
Even after evictions are complete, the owners face a daunting task ahead. The complex is in ruins and will require substantial investment to restore it. Currently, it resembles a dump, with rubbish littering the common areas, visible from the steep public staircase alongside the property on Avenida de Guayadeque.
