Eviction Express has now arrived!

On the 24th December 2009  a new law was bought in popularly known as the “express eviction” law (law 19/2009).
The new rules apply to both urban and rustic property, and to residential and commercial tenancies of any length.  They operate by amending previous legislation to streamline the eviction process.  The new law gives new rights  to property owners who want to recover possession of property for their own use or to provide a permanent home for their parents, children or for their ex wife or ex husband  following a divorce or separation.
A landlord can now apply for eviction on the grounds of only one month`s arrears of rent.
The first stage of the process (which although not obligatory is recommended) is the sending of a ‘burofax’ to the defaulting tenant demanding payment of the arrears of rent within 7 days.  This should contain a full statement of how the due arrears have accrued.  This is particularly important where the tenant has made occasional payments while the arrears have been building up.
If the tenant does not pay the full amount, or agree a payment plan acceptable to the landlord, the next step is to issue a Court Summons to evict the tenant and recover the money due.
The proceedings must be supported by the following documents, all in Spanish.

• A copy of the rental contract.

• A copy of the landlord’s “escritura” to prove that they are in fact the owner of the property.

• A written statement of the amount of rent owed together with the  amount of any outstanding bills for electricity, water, etc.

• Copies of all previous written demands for the money owed

The Court Summons is the delivered to the Tenant. Crucially, the Tenant does not have to accept service of the Summons in person; it need only be delivered to the property.
Once proceedings have been sent to the Tenant, the Tenant then has 20 days in which he has his one and only chance to either pay up or formally come to terms with the Landlord. The Tenant can make an offer to pay the arrears through the Court which the Landlord may accept or reject. If the Landlord accepts the offer but the Tenant breaks the arrangement, the Landlord may apply to evict the Tenant without going back to court. If the Landlord rejects the Tenant’s offer the Landlord can apply immediately to the Court to evict the Tenant.
When the Court makes an order for eviction, it also fixes the date when it is to be executed by the police which is not less that 15 days after the date of the hearing. A defaulting Tenant will not only be faced with an Order for possession of his home but also for payment of the Landlord’s legal costs including Court fees and Lawyers’ and Procurators’ fees.

In addition the Tenant will find that he has a judgement registered against him at the central registry of judgements in Madrid which will affect his ability to obtain credit and possibly rent other premises in the future.