It is the first time in Spain that representatives of an investment fund have been sued for alleged real estate harassment. The protagonists of this judicial battle are a group of neighbors who are resisting in the building located at number 7 Tribulete Street, in the Madrid neighborhood of , and the Elix Rental Housing Socimi, the investment fund that bought the property in March 2024. The judge investigating the case questioned directors and employees of the investment fund this Thursday, who have denied the existence of the real estate harassment of which they are accused. They have also denied that with the works started after having purchased the building, they seek to pressure the neighbors to stop, as alleged against them, that it was admitted for processing.
The session was held in the Plaza de Castilla courts and took around four hours. The magistrate has questioned five representatives of Elix Rental Housing: the head of the company, the investment director, two workers and the architect, as summarized by Alejandra Jacinto, lawyer for the Tenants’ Union and who represents the complaining neighbors. The lawyer has appeared before the media and said that Elix’s legal representative “has recognized that there is a business plan that involves emptying the building.” At the end of the court date, Elix’s representatives did not offer statements.
Jacinto has criticized that the directors of Elix “have thrown the ball away” by ensuring that the residents of Tribulete 7 “are lucky” because they can “start over and have a second chance”, highlighting those who have arrived with tenants who have already left the building. However, Jacinto noted, “they have not been able to answer the questions about how it is possible that debris falls on the beds or that unbearable noises are made every day to the point that children are afraid to go through the portal.” Representatives of the fund have said that they are not aware of this type of incident.
The residents of Tribulete denounce that, since the works began in November 2024, their “life has been made impossible.” The complainants allege the permanent presence of scaffolding, open holes and works that have caused constant noise, water leaks, humidity and episodes of insecurity due to the possible fall of rubble. “Through the , the fund has managed to execute its mission. Of the 55 homes in the building, only 15 homes are now inhabited and 3 of them are scheduled to be evicted in the coming days. These practices have achieved the purpose for which they are carried out: emptying the building and replacing these lifelong residents in the Madrid neighborhood of Lavapiés with others that are more economically profitable,” Jacinto explained.
But the Socimi Elix Rental Housing denies the existence of the campaign of real estate harassment reported by the residents of Tribulete, 7 and specifies that “the works carried out in the building are aimed at improving accessibility, the structural reinforcement of the start of the pillars and the renovation of the roof. The fund assures that these are “essential actions to guarantee the safety and habitability of the property” and affirms that the works are carried out “in line with the technical specificities of the Madrid City Council.” “As owners, there is responsibility “legal right to execute these improvements to protect residents and keep the property in usable condition and, for these works, the company has all the necessary permits according to current regulations,” he responded in writing to EL PAÍS.
Additionally, it highlights that the property has reached agreements with more than 30 residents of that building. “Aware of the inconvenience that this type of intervention can cause, and to minimize the impact on the lives of residents, the property has from the beginning offered alternatives for residents directly affected by the works, making available temporary relocation options to other homes and accommodation adapted to their needs.”
The statements will be resumed on March 3 with the appearances of the property’s caretaker, the architect of the Tribulete residents and the construction manager. The Tenants’ Union also plans to request more procedures, such as requiring the Municipal Police and firefighters to provide the reports that they have prepared as a result of the calls that neighbors have made warning of the damage that the works have caused to the building. The lawyer has assured that, at this moment, “it is sufficiently proven that Elix’s intentions were and are to vacate the building and to do so they have been willing to do whatever was necessary to empty it quickly.” Jacinto has stressed that, at least for the moment, the complaint has served to “stop the torture”, since now the works are not being produced “in that wild way” as they had been developing.
