Elche launches legal guidance office for illegal squatting victims

The Elche City Council and the Illustrious Bar Association of Elche (ICAE) have launched a legal guidance office to assist families and small property owners affected by illegal housing occupations. Located at the Casa de la Orxata, the service provides technical and legal advice through in-person, telephone, and digital consultations.

The initiative features more than 30 lawyers specifically trained to handle queries regarding property occupation. While the office offers information on administrative and judicial procedures to recover possession of homes, it does not provide direct judicial defense for individual cases.

The program also includes community outreach, such as informative sessions in neighborhoods to explain prevention methods and the necessary steps to take during the first 48 hours of an occupation. The service aims to act as a link between affected citizens, the City Council, and the Bar Association, while also generating anonymized statistics to better understand the issue.