Flat owners in the Santa Adela district (Zaidin) of Granada are obligated by law to carry out repairs to their property, even though it is awaiting demolition.

The residents of these government-subsidized buildings have become trapped in a bureaucratic loop ever since the economic downturn stopped the renovation work in its tracks. Thanks to recent building regulations, all homes over 50 years old have to undergo stability inspections – in the case of this humble housing estate, that means all of them.

The situation is bordering on the ludicrous as these same buildings are due for demolition to make way for modern apartment blocks, but as there is no money, it’s on hold.

The neighbours association have tried to get some sense from the City Hall, but nobody wants to listen to their problem, they claim. Yet, municipal inspectors came around and ticked off things that had to be repaired. Whereas the inspectors found deficiencies in each flat that work out between 200 to 500 euros per block, the actual building work could work out around 7,000 euros because the block roofs need to be repaired, as well as the block wiring in the common-area parts of the blocks.

(News: Zaidin, Metropolitan Granada, Granada, Andalucia