Abandoned properties, an unique feature of Valencia are the product of slow courts and a lot of red tape.
Valencia is a city with an abundance of derelict and abandoned properties – buildings, flats and houses. Many times we ask ourselves – why? Well, part of the problem could come from the courts.
Every time someone dies in the Valencia Province, without heirs, the Generalitat becomes the beneficiary of their legacy. When a person dies without a testament and the heirs can´t be found, it is the job of the Ministry of Finance to transfer his property to Generalitat. It all works well in theory, but, at the moment, according to the Las Provincias, there is a total collapse in courts in transferring this type of property.
From the period of 2009 to 2019, there are 439 properties still waiting to be transferred. And the list is growing bigger every month because more properties enter this domain.
Once these properties are transferred to the Generalitat, they become the property of the state. Generalitat can either use them or dispose of them on the property market. The problem is that the procedure takes so long that by the time the legal part is finished, those properties are usually in a derelict state, some of them become occupied, the cost for their maintenance ads up, and generally, there is a lack of manpower to manage these resources.
There are many suggestions what to do with this properties, from selling them for a reduced price on an open market to repurposing them to serve as “social” housing for people that are in need, but, to get through complicated Spanish judicial system, and to jump through all the red tape hoops, almost looks impossible.
So, next time you see an abandoned building or a flat with the broken windows in a decent looking house, you will know where a part of the problem lies.
