A family in Malaga faced an eviction when a 42-year-old man named Antonio J., his wife Cristina, and their four young children were forced to leave an inherited apartment yesterday morning. The residence sits on Eduardo Carvajal Street near Andalusia Street, following a court order issued in Malaga.
The eviction appears to involve Antonio J.’s mother and four of his siblings, as the home was passed to the children and their mother after the father’s death. Behind the dispute lies a long-standing family conflict with accusations exchanged on both sides.
The court’s decision did not account for Antonio J.’s health. He relies on an oxygen machine, and he had contracted Covid along with his wife. He works eight hours a day and is currently unemployed.
After a meeting on 16 November, the first eviction attempt began. Antonio J.’s mother and brothers agreed to hand over roughly a dozen items yesterday, with national police and firefighters assisting in accessing the home after more than an hour and a half, after the door, reinforced with bars and a second metal barrier, had to be broken open.
No credit is given to the eviction team in the report, but the situation prompted neighbors to watch closely as the occupants were moved out. The family was then transported to safety as the authorities coordinated with medical teams. The evacuation was followed by a hospital visit due to concerns about Antonio J.’s health, and he was taken to the Regional Hospital by ambulance after the living space was cleared.
Several neighbors witnessed the scene and criticized Antonio J.’s mother for expelling her own family from the home. One neighbor asked what mother would do this to her children and grandchildren.
Witnesses recalled that the home had been blocked for years, and a relative had attempted to live there at times. The house reportedly contained clutter, mattresses in poor condition, and rubbish, with water services cut off during the process. A local neighbor noted that he had taken on responsibilities to maintain the property so Antonio J. could reside there with his family.
As the children stood by, one of the younger members spoke through tears about leaving behind the pets and belongings that had been part of their daily life, including a turtle enclosure, a parrot, and a family dog. The family planned to stay with Antonio J.’s wife Cristina at her mother’s home, the children’s grandmother, while they search for another place to live.
Neighborhood residents described the housing crisis affecting the entire block, with some expressing concern about the living conditions and the disruption caused by the eviction.
About six years earlier, Antonio J. had decided to return to his parents’ home despite his mother’s objections. A neighbor recalled accompanying Antonio to the apartment and finding it in disarray, with rubbish and unusable facilities after power and water had been cut, and noted that he had taken on the task of cleaning up so the family could live there again.
Yesterday, a child spoke softly of leaving behind a pet turtle and the family’s other small comforts as they stepped into uncertainty. The wife Christina explained that the family would seek shelter with her mother until a new place could be found.
Local officials reported that a former Malaga City Council member had announced support for rental assistance, though the family ultimately declined. The Municipal Mortgage Brokerage Office had offered help with rent for three years, but Antonio J. declined, saying there might be a more suitable resolution that would benefit both parties in due course.
In the community’s account, Antonio’s siblings were described as creating tension within the family dynamic. A sister recalled that tensions escalated as arguments over possessions and responsibilities intensified. A brother contested that the father’s death had not resolved the underlying dispute and that the house remained contested among relatives, including concerns about possessions and living arrangements as the family tried to move forward.