Family lets their flat free to repossession victims

They said they are 'fed up' with trying to 'look the other way' when they see so many reports of people having their homes repossessed and being left on the street due to having been made redundant.

The couple live in Bilbao, in the Basque Country, and have one adult daughter, who has a property of her own and has so far escaped the negative effects of the recession, and they own a flat in Gijón – which used to belong to the husband – and is currently empty.

In the three days since the advert was published in their local newspaper, La Nueva España, the family has received over 800 calls.

“There is nothing behind it, no ulterior motive,” said the wife, who was interviewed under the pseudonym of Isabel.

“We simply want to help – it's a gesture from one family to another.”

The flat still has a mortgage on it, and until two years ago, was rented out, but has since stood empty – during which time they have used it merely as a holiday home.

Isabel, 33, is a public sector worker in the legal profession, and her 40-year-old husband is a high-flying company boss.

Both are in salaried employment and, as Isabel states, “luck has smiled on us and, fortunately, we are in a good position, financially.”

Their only conditions are that the successful applicant is able to prove they are in financial need, such as having their home repossessed, and are able to produce evidence that they have previously had a job.

“A few years ago in Spain, in 2005 or 2006, you could find a job – but if a person of, say, 50 years of age, is unable to prove they were employed during this time, we would have to filter them out and look for someone who is more directly affected by the recession,” Isabel explains.

They say they have heard numerous horror stories and desperate situations, including immigrants who want to bring their family members over to Spain, a couple and their 31-year-old son who are all unemployed and living in a hostel, and another family which only survives by selling scrap metal.

But the couple say they are soon going to have to make a very tough decision – that of deciding whose situation is the most desperate – although they have decided to give priority to families with dependants who are disabled or still children.

They are due to travel to Gijón this weekend to start interviewing candidates, and expect to be able to hand over the keys to the flat within three weeks, although they say they will take as long as they think they need to find the family who most needs their help.

They say they will not ask for explanations as to how each family ended up having their homes repossessed, nor how they managed their finances.

“We are not here to judge people,” Isabel explains.

She said the recent suicides, among these a former female councillor from the Basque Country town of Eibar, has meant they can 'no longer turn the other cheek'.

“For us, it's not an act of charity – it's a moral obligation,” Isabel insists.

“Nobody needs to thank us for it.”

The advert in La Nueva España reads: “Because today more than ever, we cannot close our eyes to the dreadful things happening around us. Because some of us can contribute to alleviating the suffering that many families are going through today.

“Family who feels the moral obligation to share their luck with those in need is offering the use, free of charge, of a two-bedroom property, fully furnished, in the centre of Gijón.

“This will be for one year, and the property will be let to the person or persons who most need this honest and genuine offer of help.

“We do not belong to any political or religious group, or any other type of movement, we are just people with a conscience.

“You must be able to prove you are genuinely in need – priority will be given to families with one or more children who have been evicted after their home has been repossessed.”

Photograph: Gijón (Asturias) on Spain's northern coast