Almost fifty families living in the Green Park complex in Golf del Sur are being coerced and threatened to leave their rented apartments, after a vulture fund offered to buy up the complex, so they are now trying to make them leave as they can only collect the sale money if the apartments are empty.
These tenants moved in to the Green Park apartments with supposedly legal rental contracts, and after a long time paying up to 550 euros per month in cash, they have found that the management company has denounced them for squatting and is suing them so that they leave, some through legal channels, but others, by breaking doors when the family are inside, changing locks, and removing their belongings when they are out, and by disconnecting the electricity and water.
Those affected have not wanted to reveal their identities due to fear of repercussions, given the violence, that according to them is being carried out by the private Security Guards (called ‘vigilantes’ in Spain) of the complex, who are from companies with the same administrator who acquired the rights to the Green Park complex from the son, who is now deceased, of the developer of these apartments.
The resort began as tourist apartments in 1986 and became residential as of 2008, with a few owners, although most are tenants, who they want to kick out to collect the two million euros that the vulture fund has offered to acquire those apartments.
Most of the people affected are lifelong workers in the tourism sector now unemployed or with minimal income, who are very concerned and do not see a solution, nor do they have the income to afford a rental elsewhere. The worst thing is that they do not have proof of their payments, because the money does not appear in the bank accounts of the theoretical company to which they paid the rent, Gae Communities Sur SL, as it was always required in cash, says Carlos one of those who has been in the complex for less time, just six months.
Given the seriousness of the matter, different anti-eviction platforms have contacted the Department of Social Services of San Miguel de Abona and mediation is expected to try to find a prompt solution.
