It is well known that the problem of housing in Donostia is serious: tourist activities and speculation have significantly increased the prices of the square meter of rent in recent years and, given the lack of price control, vulture funds have increased in the city. Blackstone and Testa Socimi have taken land in the western part of the city, and although it is scattered throughout the city of Azora, its kingdom is located in Gros. The Gros Housing Union, Saretxe, explained that he arrived in the Azora neighborhood in 2020, after buying all the properties of Inmobiliaria Vascongada. Since then, the residents of housing owned by the Buitre Fund have suffered from various pressures and problems that, with the support of the union, have had to unite in an organized manner to deal with abuses. In particular, they have held a press conference in which they have explained the latest problems they face.
According to Saretxe, the tenants of Azora’s homes are obliged to pay annually insurance to cover the alleged lack of payment. This clause began to be reflected in the agreements made since 2022, in the contracts for new rentals signed by Azora following the pandemic: ‘The main substance of this clause is to ensure the owners’ profit rate’. Thus, each year, every time the agreement is renewed, around EUR 500 is paid, in more than half a dozen houses owned by Azora.
Isaac Iagos lives in one of those homes with his partner, his two children and his sister-in-law. The tenant explained that they have been in the centre for two and a half years and that from the very beginning they have had rental insurance as an ‘essential’ requirement: ‘This clause came from the signing of the contract, but we did not know that it was unfair’.
In addition to Iagos, the members of Saretxe consider that this condition to be fulfilled in the small letter of the Convention is ‘excessive’. As they have pointed out, this type of insurance ‘faces the homeowner’, as confirmed by members of the Catalan countries. They have also warned that "if a complaint is lodged, the judge may invalidate this clause". Thus, they have launched a protest action called a ‘rental strike’, to demand the withdrawal of insurance and to boost the negotiating table. “Neighbours have declared on strike and only receive threats, but no complaints. They may also know that they have nothing to do in court.'
Dejadez, to expel the neighbors
However, tenants have acknowledged that insurance is nothing more than a sour of the abuses they have been subjected to in recent years. According to Iagos, despite the fact that “rentals are high”, the infrastructure is not in the right conditions: “Every day we live in fear of being kicked out of the house, and we are also anxious and grumpy, because there are parts of the house and appliances work badly. We have problems with the boiler and there are homes where there is a lack of hot water, so children have to get wet with hot water in a pot." Also, water leaks, shutters that do not close, household appliances that do not work properly and broken crystals are the daily lives of many neighbours: “For years, Inmobiliaria Vascongada has stopped dealing with the repair that was in the building and, since then, the situation has become unsustainable for many neighbours,” they have denounced from the union.
The Saretxe trade union made a mobilization last year in the streets of Gros barrena.Inaxio Esnaola
As these conditions did not improve, some residents have had to leave their homes in recent years: “We are aware that all of this responds to the property’s own interests, through the dismissal of current neighbours and the increase in the value of apartments, which aims to continue to enrich us with our effort and sweat. Indeed, the accumulation of capital,’ the members of Saretxe denounced at a press conference.
Besides having to establish insurance to cover the lack of payment, residents of the Azora vulture fund live in precarious conditions
The road to mobilizations
The members of Iagos and Saretxe have explained that since the vulture funds arrived in the neighborhood, they have often tried to contact Azora and Inmobiliaria Vascongada, but today they have no answer. Not on the part of private companies or the public administration. The tenant explained that, during this time, only the protection of the residents of the property has been found. In particular, they have managed to get neighbours to join the Saretxe trade union and although they have not yet managed to ‘build bridges and connections’ in all cases, they are already weaving the safety net. In this way, door-to-door curtains, propaganda, videos and numerous press conferences have been carried out to publicize the situation and seek support.
Also, given the lack of improvement in the situation of the neighbours, the union has called on to demonstrate on the 25th day against speculation in housing and in favour of the right to housing. The demonstration, starting at 11:30 from Plaza Cataluña, will travel the neighborhood to denounce the situation of the neighbors. Sources from Saretxe have also indicated that a stop can occur, as the neighbors are also organizing themselves in another block of the neighborhood against eviction orders.