For those who want to consider squatting as a form of lodging, I decided to dedicate this post to you, you lazy bums.
First, terminology. A squatter in Spain is called an okupa. Okupas like to think they squat for ideological reasons, not because they’re really just lazy bums. Whichever side you might be on, the okupa sport is rather popular in Spain. You will find many squats all over any major town. I can provide you with some lists (see below), but the truth is that they usually live in colonies and they get kicked out on a regular basis, so they’re always moving around. So no guarantees on the addresses being correct.
A squatted house is most easily identifiable in Spain because of the following sign being displayed somewhere semi-obvious:
The ideology behind their actions is that they do what they do in a “form of protest” for the high prices one has to pay nowadays to rent or buy. If you have a normal job, renting an ok-to-decent room in a shared flat should be about 250ish, so I don’t really see what the problem is. It just happens to be that these people also complain about the lack of jobs. For some crazy reason immigrants that come here- like me, maybe you- seem to be able to find jobs and housing, but, whatever.
Okupas are easily recognized on the street, since they mostly look like and smell like dirty hippies. They also like to partially shave their heads- girls too. They seem to have lots of sickly looking dogs hanging out with them, and the girls like to wear their stinky boyfriends’ clothes. They’re also such hardcore rebels that they refuse to use the letter “C”. For example, in Spanish, a squatter’s house would be called a casa ocupa, but they prefer the spelling kasa okupa – this could also just be a result of a poor education, which would explain their bad hygiene and hair cuts. See example.
Bad hair+dirty+bad spelling+rad ideologies=OKUPA
Becoming one of them my dear foreign squatter friend, is not so easy. You have to gain their trust. They have to know that you’re an independent-thinker and a liberal anarchist that thinks just like them. You can do this by just showing up and hoping they’ll think you’re cool. Or… you can go off squatting on your own and form your own independent and rebellious colony.
Squatting in Spain is not very hard. All you have to do is look for a place that is obviously inhabited. Once you find it, you just have to “break” in, put your own lock, and “claim it”. The reason behind the fact that squatters usually work in groups and squat whole buildings is that squatting on your own, a single apartment out of a whole building, is silly. The neighbors will hate you and make your life miserable. I’m sure you will too, but it’s not fun being the odd one out. Trust me, Spanish neighbors are very annoying even if you do pay your rent. We’re talking about the type of people that will throw food (eggs, tomatoes, POTATOES) or water (in big plastic bags) out of their window just because you’re being too loud on the street. Imagine living in the same building. And them hating you. Not fun.
Whichever route you may decide to take, just be aware about the current law. Right now, if you squat- on your own or with your okupa homies- they can’t kick you out until the owner of the property files some paperwork and presents it to a judge and this judge approves. This takes about 2 years. So you have 2 years to stay there, more or less. But, the owners of squatted buildings have gotten smarter. Instead on filing complaints against squatters, they have started filing complaints against vandals and trespassers, which makes the evicting process much quicker.
If you are still not sure about becoming one, you can just contact them and join some of their free workshops. You can learn all about singing cumbayah, making friendship bracelets and growing organic gardens. Sometimes they have free, or very cheap food. Kindda like being back in summer camp, but stinkier.
Barcelona- (TIP: If you want to contact the Catalan okupas, you better learn some Catalan, they are usually very “nationalistic”)
CSO ELS TIMBRES ———-> Name
Av/Generalitat, 27———->Address
RENFE Viladecans———–>Train or Metro Stop
KOP-ALTA TENSIÓ
C/Soler i torrents, 36
FGC El Prat
ATENEU SANTBOIÀ
Av. Maria Girona, 2
FGC Sant Boi L
CNT KNY
c/Florida 40
<M>L5 Gavarra
LA BANKA ROTA
c/Rubí i ors 103
<M>L5 i FGC KNY
CSO LAFORSA
Av. Fama, 41
FGC Almeda (KNY)
ATENEU MULEI
c/Iglesias, 10
RENFE Molins s. Rei
EL ESKONDITE
Av. Terraplè, 33
RENFE Molins s. Rei
CAL SUIS
C/Finestrelles, 36-38
Esplugues de Llob.
CSO LA ASTILLA
Av Vilafranca, 22
<M> L1 La Torrassa
CSO LA FARGA
c/ Rossend d’Arús 36
<M> L1, L5 Pl. Sants
C.S.A. CAN VIES
c/Jocs Florals, 42
<M>L1 Mercat Nou
NOU ESPAI OBERT
c/Violant d’Hongria, 71 1
<M> L5 Badal
LA CIUTAT INVISIBLE
c/ Riego 35 baixos
<M> L1 L5 Pl. Sants
CASAL M. PEDROLO
C/ Bertràn, 106
<M> L3 Vallcarca
AT.POP. VALLCARCA
Av. Vallcarca, 65
<M>L3 Vallcarca
BLOKES FANTASMA
Av.Coll del Portell 59a
<M>L3 Lesseps
DIY KONTRA ATAK(A)
Av.Coll del Portell 59b
<M>L3 Lesseps
KASA MUNTANYA
Av. St.J. Muntanya, 33
<M>L3 Lesseps
ATENEU MAIG 37
G.Mitre 238 / Lesseps
<M> L3 Lesseps
LA QUIMERA
c/Verdi 28
<M> L3 Fontana
LA TORNA
c/St. Pere Màrtir
<M> L3 Fontana
INFOESPAI
P. del Sol 19-20, baix
<M> L3 Fontana
HORT COMUNITARI
C/Banyoles 5
<M>L4 Joanic
AT. POP EIXAMPLE
Ptge Conradí, 3
<M>L5-L2 S.Familia
CSOA REVOLTOSA
C/Rogent 82 bxs
<M> L1 L2 Clot
LA ENKANTADA
c/Castillejos, 245
<M>L2 Encants
HORT POPULAR
c/Nació 46
<M>L5 Camp Arpa
CSOA LA PAPA
c/Sagrera 14
<M> L5-L1 Sagrera
CSO LA GORDISSIMA
c/ Pons i Gallarza, 10
<M> L1 Sant Andreu
CSOA LA TEIXIDORA
c/Marià Aguiló 35
<M>L4 Poblenou
EL LOKAL
c/Cera, 1
<M> L2 Sant Antoni
CSO LA CARBONERIA
C/Urgell 30
<M> L2 Sant Antoni
CSO BARRILÒNIA
Rbla.Raval 8 bx
<M>L2 Sant Antoni
ANTIGA RECICLETA
C/ Fonollar, 10
<M> L4 Jaume I
AT.LLIB. CASC ANTIC
C/Fonollar, 15
<M> L4 Jaume I
CSO LA PANSA
c/Panses 6
<M> L4 Jaume I
SOLAR BICIOS@S
C/Joaquim Valls 137
<M>L4 Via Julia
CAN MASDEU
Camí St. Llatzer, s/n
<M> L3 Canyelles
CASA AL FIN
c/Pomaret 82
FGC Sarrià/Peufunicul
ATENEU DEL BESÒS
Rambla Prim, 76
<M> L4 Besòs Mar
LA FABRIKETA
C/Santa Rosa, 23
<M> L1 Sta Coloma
AT. JÚLIA ROMERA
c/Sta Rosa, 18
<M> L1 Sta Coloma
LOCAL SOC. KRIDA
c/Sicília, 97
<M> L1 Fondo
Madrid
(COMING SOON, LOOK OUT FOR UPDATES)
