Francisca Riutort and her nephew live in fear of being evicted. “He has to undergo surgery in the coming weeks and will need a roof, a hygienic place to live. “I’m going to look for a house that has been seized by the bank and is closed,” explains the woman concerned.
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After thirty years of living in inhumane conditions, eviction threatens Francisca Riutort, a resident of Menorca, who is 34% disabled, and Joan, her nephew, who requires permanent care and suffers from a 71% disability. “They wanted to evict us this Thursday, even though they charged me the entire month’s rent. “They don’t care about anything,” says the woman, who finds herself in this situation because the real estate company, Inmobiliaria Impons SA, does not want to renew a contract she signed with her mother thirty years ago.
According to him, for four years the bathroom in the apartment, located on the second floor without a lift, has been without water and in disrepair, to the point that the shower ceiling fell on him this summer. “These buildings are fifty years old and no one has ever invested in their maintenance. I have been without hot water in the bathroom for four years. I am getting by thanks to an arrangement made by a family member. Do you know what it is like to be without water for so long? The pipes are so old that there were leaks upstairs and the entire ceiling collapsed. The firefighters and the architect from Ciutadella City Hall had to come because the roof collapsed and fell on the firefighters,” says the woman concerned.
Accompanied by her neighbours and family, Francisca affirms that both the officials of the Court of First Instance and Instruction No. 1 of Ciutadella and the representatives of the company that owns the house, Inmobiliaria Impons SA, are aware of the situation of extreme vulnerability in which she finds herself. She also assures that, in the case of the court, the documents proving the delicate state of health of her nephew were presented on time.
“He has to undergo surgery in the coming weeks and will need a roof, a hygienic place to live. They didn’t take that into account either,” he insisted. For his part, the victim’s lawyer stressed that “the court knows perfectly well that there is a guardian in the house, it knows that she has a serious disability and that Francisca is also disabled, but they don’t care.” He also added that “there are reports from social services.” “They didn’t want to look at them, they didn’t want to see him in one way or another,” the lawyer lamented.
My nephew has surgery in the coming weeks and will need a roof over his head, a hygienic place to live. They didn’t take that into account either.
Neighbours of the affected people and members of the Habitat Platform are blocking the entrance to Francisca’s house to prevent the eviction.
Sisca and her nephew, 37, managed this Thursday to postpone the eviction of their house, located on Carrer Maó in Ciutadella, for a few weeks, thanks to the support of the neighbors and the work of the activists of the Menorca Habitatge Digne Platform and members of the CGT Minorca. The woman, in tears, thanked the people present at the door of her house for their help, even though she knows that this is a temporary situation. “Fortunately, we have reached an agreement and I will be able to stay until the end of October,” she commented.
When the police left and calm returned to the neighbourhood, the Ciutadella resident reflected with elDiario.es on her future: “What am I going to do? I don’t know. I’ll fight until the last moment, but if I don’t succeed, I’ll have to occupy. Why don’t I have the right to live in a decent place? I don’t want a luxury house, I want a place to live. I’ll look for a house that has been repossessed by the bank and is closed or something that is not too deteriorated and can be, because I don’t want to bother anyone either,” Francisca explains, wiping away tears.
“I’ll look for a house that has been repossessed by the bank and is closed or something that is not too deteriorated and can be, because I don’t want to bother anyone or anyone either,” Francisca explains, wiping away tears.
30 years without a decent bathroom
Thirty years ago, the problem of access to housing in Menorca had other characteristics and, above all, other prices. The origin of the contract that Inmobiliaria Impons SA refuses to renew for Francisca and her nephew dates back to 1993. “When I arrived here, I was young, I had just come out of a conflict situation and the owner, to ensure that he would receive the rent, put the contract in my mother’s name. Since then, the contract has been renewed every year,” says the person concerned, who emphasizes that, since the beginning, the maintenance of the property has been his responsibility.
Consulted by elDiario.es, Francisca Riutort’s lawyer was perplexed by the speed with which the Court rejected all the requests presented in recent days and stressed that he considers that the reasons for the expulsion decision are not sufficient to proceed with the launch of his represented.
“It is a complex and difficult issue to explain, but in any case, it is worth noting that Francisca has not been convicted. There is no decision that prevents her from ordering her release, because the decision is taken against her mother, who does not live and has never lived at that address. The lease was signed thirty years ago and was renewed year after year until a few months ago. The launch was not carried out due to lack of payment, but because the contract was not renewed because the owners refused,” explained the lawyer.
Francisca with the official of Court No. 1 of Ciutadella demanding that the days of the month that she paid be respected.
The judicial officer informed Sisca and his nephew that he would return in October, probably with another release order. Asked about the reasons for so many closures and lack of dialogue, Francisca’s lawyer offers a possible explanation: “In 31 years, she has not done a damn job and lately there have been discussions with the property. She dared to demand that he do some work, and the response to the complaint was a burofax for her to leave first and a lawsuit for eviction later. “That’s clear.” And he specifies: “The trials for the work are long and the eviction procedures are quite short in comparison.”
In 31 years he hasn’t done a damn job and lately there have been discussions with the property. She dared to demand that he do a job, and the response to the complaint was a burofax for her to leave first and a lawsuit for eviction later. So clear
For their part, representatives of Inmobiliaria Impons SA present during the eviction have repeatedly refused to answer questions from elDiario.es about why they refuse to renew the contract of a former rental apartment in ruins for two disabled people. In addition, this newspaper tried in vain to contact the company after the eviction attempt, which again refused to make any statement.
Two evictions per day in the Balearic Islands
The call to stop the eviction of Francisca and her nephew has also been followed by other people affected by the deep and chaotic housing crisis that Menorca and, by extension, all the Balearic Islands are going through. According to data from the General Council of the Judicial Power, during the year 2023, 880 evictions were carried out in the archipelago. A little more than two per day.
Neighbors and relatives, leaning over the balcony of Francisca’s house, await the court’s decision.
Manuel SH came this morning from Maó with his wife and minor daughter. She learned about the appeal through the networks of the Minorca Platform for Habitat and decided to show solidarity with Francisca. He was evicted on July 31 from his home on Santa Rosa Street, in the minority capital of Menorca, after failing to renew his contract due to the death of the owner.
“The bank took the house where I lived for years for 10,000 euros. We tried to buy it, we don’t want anything for free, we decided to leave after several weeks of harassment from the court and the bank,” he says. He also adds a reflection: “In the end, the only thing they will achieve is that we squat. We have to live somewhere.
