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Issue 13 SEE OUR EDITORIAL ON PAGE 60
costa calida EDITION
roundtownnews.com
La Unión council introduce reduced charges PAGE 6
25 - 31 january 2013
A walk in the sunshine with the oldest resident of Santiago de la Ribera PAGE 15
FAST seeking more volunteers
With over 3000 residents in Camposol there are bound to be accidents and incidents involving health. PAGE 20
A touch of the Gremlins PAGE 54
Homes for 6,000 evicted families
Part of the process to deal with the current situation of evictions caused by the economic crisis in Spain has been the creation of the Fondo Social de Vivienda, the social housing fund, which aims to rent properties to families who have been evicted from their own homes as they are no longer able to meet financial repayments on their mortgages. by
Romería de la Candelaria, Alhama de Murcia Although a Romeria is based around a religious act, it’s so much more than that, blending tradition, history, culture and an integral part of the region’s identity, drawing the town and community together to participate in an act which engenders pride and belonging. Read the full story on page 58.
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The properties being incorporated into the programme are coming from the banks and cajas themselves, and it’s actually a fairly practical alternative to having empty, repossessed properties deteriorating until they can be resold, as it gives the new owners some form of income for the duration of the economic downturn, as well as providing housing for dispossessed families. The first of the properties will receive their new tenants from the 31st March onwards, and the banks are now working to renovate the homes that they will transfer to the evicted families who need them. Currently, the Fund has 5891 homes which are being provided by banks and savings banks. These homes will be rented to evicted families at a monthly rental of €150 - €400, which will be established once the families’ needs have been assessed. Those who will have access to these homes must have been evicted from their homes for unpaid mortgages after 1st January, 2008, have a monthly family income not exceeding €1597.53 a month and meet any of the ‘conditions of vulnerability’ laid down in the decree by which evictions were halted for two years.
The properties come from stock that has not been transferred to Sareb, ( the bad bank or banco malo) the organization responsible for the management of toxic assets from the banks. Each bank or fund has created their own housing fund in their regional area and customers affected by foreclosure processes will be informed regarding the characteristics of the homes they can apply for. When dealing with second –hand houses, the banks may have to undertake renovations, as the agreement requires that, at the time of delivery, ( ready for March 31st) a house is ready for immediate use and that the tenant should not have to invest a single cent on repairs. This can mean a simple coat of paint, renewing of wiring or plumbing or even more substantial repairs, so the banks have provisioned capital funds for this purpose. Figures being given at the moment are that the average price of these repairs is around €3,000 per home, an investment which will, nevertheless, be profitable in the end. At the moment, BMN ( which includes Cajamurcia) have confirmed that the 180 homes they are contributing to the fund are ready to be used. Continued on page 6