Court stops eviction of family with six children in Gran Canaria
A court in Telde, Gran Canaria, has stepped in to stop the eviction of a family from Ingenio who were about to be forced out of their home, despite having six young children. The judge has paused the process so that authorities can look for a place for them to live and so the family can continue trying to secure a social rental agreement.
The decision follows a request from lawyer Isabel Saavedra, who represents the housing rights group Right to a Roof. She argued that parents Moisés Macías and his wife Raquel risked being left with nowhere to go if the eviction went ahead.
Their case has been dragging on since 2019, but it is now on hold while the regional housing company Visocan searches for alternative accommodation. At the same time, the couple are negotiating with the investment fund that took over their mortgage debt, hoping to agree on an affordable social rent that would allow them to stay in stable housing.
The court has given Visocan five days to explain what steps are being taken and how long it might take to find them a new home. It has also contacted the investment fund to ask whether it is willing to consider a social rental option.
Once both responses are received, the judge will decide whether to set a new eviction date or approve another housing arrangement.
The family’s problems began when both parents lost their jobs shortly before the pandemic, causing them to fall behind on their mortgage payments. Their debt was later sold to an investment fund, which then began the eviction process.
The eviction has already been stopped twice in recent months, but it was reactivated after social services ruled that the family was no longer considered “vulnerable” because Moisés now works for a supermarket chain. However, the couple say that finding a rental they can afford, especially with six children, has been impossible, even with his income.
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