Day 8
We
watched the documentary “Es.Col.A da Fontinha”, which shows the occupation of a
vacant school in Porto by an activist group for social and didactic activities
that was embraced by the local community and evicted by the authorities. After
the film, we discussed the theme of “occupation” with José Soeiro, a
sociologist who was also a leftist candidate for the Mayor of Porto and Carlos
Moreira, a designer and member of the association “Fora da Porta”.
The
discussion was rich and lively, with the themes being approached from different
perspectives. We noted the need for emergency housing centres in Porto or other
models for temporary inhabitation that can offer dignity to residents. It was
also mentioned that the city council must make its inventory of properties
available to the public. There was a big debate about the value of conflict and
about the paradoxical relationship between occupying and negotiating with
authorities. If occupation serves to determine the terms of negotiation a
priori, there is a moment of dialogue that should be aimed and honoured by both
parties – occupants and authorities. The discussion then geared towards the
possibility of manipulating legislation to encourage private landlords to lend
their buildings to those in need of them, the potential incentives for
landlords – such as the rehabilitation of the buildings but also the protection
and increased value offered by occupation, and alternative current models such
as bailment contracts. José Soeiro criticized the Country’s housing policy,
which has transformed Portugal into a country of property owners, instead of
tenants, and the social implications of such model. He proposed a system where
the city council would provisionally take buildings from private owners,
refurbish them and have them rented at low cost for enough time as to cover the
refurbishment expenses, then return it to the owners. This model would benefit
all parties – the city by offering more housing and the proprietor by
refurbishing their property at no cost. We talked about international models
such as Camelot, an international
property management services provide with a growing network of offices in
Europe (United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Ireland, France and Germany). Their
live-in guardian scheme provides housing at symbolic rent in exchange for
protection of the properties of their clients. Their website, which addresses
property owners, reads: “Vacant property is an easy target for vandals,
squatters and thieves who present a very real threat to your investment as well
as holding up any plans you may have for the property. In response, Camelot
offer the pro-active Live-in Guardian solution that vastly reduces these risks
for a fraction of the cost of traditional security. While Guardians are in
residence, the property is secured; reducing risk and eliminating any delay in
response to crime and maintenance issues on site. Live-in Guardians are not
tenants, they are residing in your vacant property as a security solution and
therefore require just 3 weeks notice before your property can be handed back
for its primary use. The service provides clients with the peace of mind that
the property is safe, secure and retaining its value while vacant.”
