Far from giving up, the alleged mastermind of the largest plot of illegal tourist apartments seen in Barcelona is not backing down. La Vanguardia announced that the City Council is finalizing a record fine of up to 600,000 euros for renting 71 apartments in the center for days without permission. Airbnb then took down the 80 or so ads used. Furthermore, meanwhile, residents of number 16 Giralt el Pellisser Street reported in the Ciutat Vella plenary session that they continue to harass them, that they are still trying to evict them in order to turn the property into another complex of illegal tourist apartments.
And the response of the alleged mastermind of this plot, that of the Chinese – that is how he is known in the neighborhood of Sant Pere, Santa Caterina i la Ribera, where he has his offices – is none other than to reactivate his advertisements on the internet. This plot took advantage of the fact that the removal of the hosts' profiles posted on Airbnb is more cumbersome than that of the advertisements and for a few days it used those they still had left to offer their rentals again. In addition, they recovered other ads on Booking that had been deactivated for months.
The inspectors are not surprised by this behavior. The management of the inspection services and the Urban Guard continue to investigate this plot, and warn that they are preparing new sanctions against all its participants and that given what they have seen, they will put together another record sanctioning file of up to 600,000 euros as soon as they can. “The inspection services – say municipal sources – send the advertisements of detected illegal tourist apartments to the platforms every month so that they can be removed immediately. “Booking has already confirmed to us that it is removing all advertisements for this plot.” The City Council will continue to require platforms not to post advertisements for apartments without a license.
La Vanguardia goes again to its offices on Carders Street and a young Asian woman says in a very blasé manner that they only speak in English there, that the alleged mastermind has no interest in giving any explanation, that there is no need for them to leave him again. a phone number, which is not going to call us anyway.
Meanwhile, the residents of 16 Giralt el Pellisser attend the last plenary session of the Ciutat Vella district to accuse him of the real estate harassment that they claim to have suffered for months. Cracks, calls to the intercom at dawn, insults on the stairs, suspicious water leaks and the curious cut of the TV antenna cable. Mossos and Guardia Urbana are also aware of these events. Some of these episodes are recorded in various fire department reports.
It all started in spring, when the new property started renovation work without the relevant permit. The City Council suspended some work that left a string of worrying cracks. “The works were hell, an attempt to embitter us so that we would leave and set up apartments, as they did on 14 and 18, in the two adjacent properties.” “And then they sent false squatters, who entered two floors in very bad conditions.” “One of them confessed to us that they were sent to annoy us until we leave.” “Another person could have been killed trying to take down a protest banner that we hung.”
“From time to time we see them entering and leaving the Chinese man's office. He actually takes advantage of them to do his dirty work.” “They are people from the Forat de la Vergonya who have very little to lose, who are happy to be allowed to live anywhere, even if they have neither water nor electricity.” “These days with so much media impact are calmer. They only call the intercoms at night…”
In the Sindicat d'Habitatge del Casc Antic, a neighborhood entity that helps neighbors in these situations, they detail that this is the most economical way to expel tenants from a building, installing people in one of the homes in a very vulnerable situation, people with so many problems that with their presence they already dynamite the coexistence of the staircase. “The other systems are the works and the thugs who try to show themselves as mediators – they are still in the Union –, crush them with drills all day and send people who are professionally dedicated to intimidation. In the long run they often end up getting their way. It is difficult for administrations to intervene in a decisive manner. But when the neighbors organize and stand up to them..."
