Conflict over illegal subletting of an industrial warehouse in San Blas-Canillejas

In the Fin de Semana industrial estate, within the San Blas-Canillejas district, there is an 800-square-meter industrial warehouse that Odilón (a 50-year-old Peruvian) rented for 3,000 euros per month to expand his workshop and, incidentally, store his clients' cars. Outside, on the street, he claims that he constantly suffered "theft of catalysts and particle filters", which caused him serious financial losses. But when he went to request the opening license, he discovered that the property "had a history of administrative complaints from the legitimate owner, who had used the space for the fraudulent sale and purchase of vehicles." The license was denied.

He then decided to install 12 modules with plasterboard, "bungalow type", measuring 16 square meters to sublet them for between 400 and 500 euros per month, expenses included. A "provisional solution," he says, "so as not to lose money" until the ship can be disposed of. But when he spoke to the owner, he demanded that he return the property exactly as he found it. That is, without substandard housing and without people inside.

Odilón gave all the tenants a month's time to leave, forgiving them the last monthly payment. And everyone left, except Carlos, his wife and his two daughters (a three-year-old and an eight-month-old baby), who refused to leave their hut. Shortly after, according to their tenant, they stopped paying.

This increased tensions between both parties. Odilón began to remove the rest of the modules, leaving all the debris spread across the floor of the ship, turning it into a place without adequate hygienic conditions to live there. Likewise, during the disassembly, the roof of the substandard housing of Carlos, also from Peru, was damaged, who assures this newspaper that "they did it on purpose to coerce us." "We contacted a lawyer to report both this episode and the cutting of electrical supplies. They should not have been cut off. This has already been reported, and now we are preparing another complaint for illegally renting an industrial premises as a home, requesting the return of all the monthly payments paid during the time we have been residing here. They are going to give us back every last euro."

Likewise, this citizen admits that he has been looking for a new home for some time, but so far he has had no luck. "I trust that the social worker will help us find decent housing in the coming months now that I have regularized my papers in Spain. At the moment I paid my June fee, and also that of July and August, but these were not accepted."

For your landlord, this is a lie. And he launches a counterattack: "They hired an unauthorized person to carry out an electrical connection, and that constitutes fraud," says Odilón, emphasizing that he ended up sleeping in the Plaza de Castilla cells after being reported for the alleged coercion. "I didn't understand anything, they finally let me go free without a restraining order. It's incredible that the laws defend the offender," the sublessor slipped.

Without a signed contract, since everything was done by word of mouth, Odilón offered the family help to pay for one or two months of rent in another apartment in the capital, in addition to financial compensation of 3,000 euros in cash. But they rejected the offer after consulting with their lawyer.