There are more and more vacant or closed houses that are being occupied in Faro, and other locations in the Algarve, without the owners' knowledge.
According to a report by SIC Notícias, most situations involve immigrants whose income means they can't afford to rent.
Vacant and closed up houses, without water or electricity are being occupied by what is claimed to be dozens of immigrants.
SIC Notícias reported that a 49 year old Moroccan man is living in a vacant house, and when the owner was notified of this by a neighbour, he said he didn't mind, “because the house will be demolished soon”.
“The situation has been repeated in Faro and in several other locations in the Algarve. Most are vacant houses, without water or electricity. But it's not always so. A house that had been empty for about a year, still had these services connected, because it was about to go into construction. It was the high electricity bill that made the owner go to the place to investigate”, say the SIC television channel. Seven individuals lived in the house, five left in a cooperative manner when asked, while the remaining two only left the place after police intervention. The owner claims to have been the target of threats after this incident.
The PSP asked how many illegal occupations of property in Faro there had been in recent months, but said the data was unavailable, however they indicated there were numerous cases and not just in Faro.
