PP claims 45 homes are taken over by squatters every day in Spain – as problem ‘surges 55% since Pedro Sanchez took charge’

SPAIN’S conservative opposition have gone on the offensive, accusing prime minister Pedro Sanchez of ‘handing over the keys of the housing market to squatters’ amid an ongoing row over anti-squatting legislation.

Alicia Garcia, spokesperson for the Partido Popular (PP) in the senate, where the party holds a majority, said squatting – the unlawful occupation of an uninhabited building – had increased by almost 55 per cent since Sanchez came to power.

Garcia, last week, said that “45 houses are occupied each day and 45 families remain unprotected.” 

We are very clear in the PP about this. Spain needs justice, security and respect. Home is not booty. It is a place to live, and it must be protected.

The PP is very clear: squatters have to be evicted from their homes and owners have to be respected.

Garcia’s remarks come at a time when the PP is looking to push through a law that gives homeowners the right to cut essential supplies like water and electricity if squatters are occupying their property.

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They say the move is essential for countering the problem of squatting and relieving Spain’s housing crisis, with over 23,000 properties currently listed for sale flagged as ‘occupied’ or ‘illegally occupied’.

The housing committee in the lower chamber has debated the proposal and it was passed by the senate.

The PP needs the support of regional and smaller parties such as the extreme right Vox or Catalan Separatists to achieve a majority.

If passed, the amendment will alter the criminal code to ensure that interrupting the supply of utilities to an illegally occupied house will no longer be considered as ‘coercion’. 

In 2024 there were 16,426 reported squatting cases in Spain. This is an increase of more than 7 percent from 2023, and the third highest number since records began.

Catalunya is the most affected region, accounting for 7,009 cases – over 5,000 of which took place in the province of Barcelona, representing over 30 per cent of cases nationwide.

Squatting cases accounted for 11,133 arrests or investigations in the past year.

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