Authorities in Málaga launched the eviction of a sprawling caravan settlement near Sacaba Beach, targeting more than a hundred people who had turned to mobile homes as the city’s rental market became increasingly unaffordable. Local police, accompanied by support units, began identifying residents and notifying them that the area lacked basic sanitation and infrastructure. The move followed years of complaints from nearby residents about safety, along with concerns over noise and hygiene.
The camp occupied a plot owned by Repsol near the mouth of the Guadalhorce River and had become a last resort for workers unable to secure conventional housing. Many, like Ángel González, a construction laborer earning around €1,000 a month, said they had no realistic way to pay for an apartment in Málaga’s overheated market. Residents described steady work but few options beyond living in caravans or vans as rents and property prices climbed.
Police began the operation after informing residents that vehicles had to be removed for cleaning, a routine that had previously involved moving caravans within the site. This time, officials ordered them to leave the plot entirely and warned that failure to comply could lead to criminal charges for disobedience. By midday Wednesday, only 45 of the original 138 vehicles remained. Officers were documenting owners, and those who refused to leave faced the prospect of having their vehicles towed.
Residents and activists called for negotiations, arguing that the city had offered no alternative at the time of the eviction. Some, including Eddy Fabio Pena, who moved to the camp after a divorce, were still paying off their vehicles while working in local warehouses. Others pointed to the difficult conditions, from extreme summer heat to flooding during storms, and said living in the camp was a necessity rather than a choice.
The relocation later became a municipal issue. Málaga councillor for Palma-Palmilla Francisco Pomares said the city had begun looking for a place for the displaced residents after the clearance of Sacaba. On 8 October 2026, an agreement was signed to make a site at the Parque Periurbano de La Virreina available for the caravans, with the first vehicles scheduled to arrive afterward. The proposal was described as a low-cost municipal campsite, with no permanent conventional housing included, and residents of La Virreina objected to the planned location.
The PSOE’s municipal group called for the transfer to La Virreina to be halted and asked the council to consider another parcel with impressive utilities and sanitation. The group said it would raise the issue at the next municipal plenary session. Its request put the adequacy of the proposed site at the centre of the political dispute, including whether it offered suitable infrastructure for habitation or simply parking space.
Local neighborhood associations had pressed the city to act, citing deteriorating safety and cleanliness. Fernando Rueda, president of Los Sacabeños, described uncollected waste and uncontrolled fires, along with wastewater from caravans reaching the river. The city council, led by Mayor Francisco de la Torre, acknowledged residents’ complaints and outlined plans to develop the land for public use. The relocation plan offered a municipal site for those displaced.
Rental-market figures underline the financial pressure facing households seeking conventional accommodation. The Observatorio del Alquiler put Málaga’s average provincial rent at €1,316 in the third quarter of 2026, making it the most expensive province in Andalucía for renting. Its report recorded a 3.22% year-on-year increase, while available rental supply rose 0.11% from the end of 2025. The same quarter’s figures showed 101 prospective tenants competing for each available property in Málaga, up from 86 the previous quarter. These are provincial market measures, not individual rents, but they indicate high costs and intense competition for listings.
The pressure is also visible in housing values across the city. Data from the Instituto Nacional de Estadística’s 2026 Indicadores Urbanos, reported by La Opinión de Málaga, put average housing values in Málaga neighborhoods between €201,589 in Portada Alta-San Rafael and €651,535 in Malagueta-Limonar. Malagueta-Limonar was also listed with average monthly rental expenditure of €1,214 and ranked 40th among Spain’s 50 most expensive neighborhoods for renting. The contrast across districts does not capture the circumstances of individual residents, but illustrates the scale of the city’s housing costs.
Opposition parties criticized the city’s approach and urged dialogue, along with a suspension of the eviction. Representatives from Con Málaga and Adelante Andalucía argued that the authorities were relying on police measures without addressing the underlying housing crisis. The municipality also announced plans to block vehicle access to the Sacaba site once it was cleared, to prevent further settlements there.
The dispute reflects wider concerns about neglected urban spaces and the social effects of rapid real-estate development. A major fire on ADIF-owned land in Zaragoza had prompted renewed scrutiny of abandoned plots and the risks they pose to nearby communities. For Málaga’s caravan residents, the immediate challenge was finding a place to live as the city cleared the informal settlement and later arranged a new municipal site.
Across Spain, housing pressures have intensified, particularly in coastal cities where tourism and investment have contributed to rising prices. Limited affordable rental options have pushed some people into precarious arrangements, including informal camps and overcrowded apartments. In Málaga, the relocation debate combines enforcement of an informal settlement with questions about basic services at any new site, against the wider shortage of housing within reach of working residents.
