Costa News Spain Breaking News | English News in Spain.
The squatter issue in SPAIN is not going away and continues to affect the lives of everyday people.
Here’s a round-up of some of the worst stories from recent weeks, apologies if it drives you mad…
Porsche drivers illegally seize a villa with two stories
A luxurious Riba-roja property has been taken by squatters, who have parked two Porsche outside.
The home they are occupying is worth almost a million euros – it has two stories, a garden and a swimming pool.
The occupants of the house have been living there for 10 month without paying anything. However, the landlord continues to pay all bills and the mortgage.
The squatter, who works for a dealership, bought a new 750-pound dishwasher for his home after initially refusing to pay rent due to damages.
The landlord tried to talk to the squatters and was met with a shocking response, including threats.
This homeowner is at his wit’s end.
A family occupies a luxury cabin
Squatters have taken over another luxury property, this time Villaviciosa de Odon.
This million-euro luxury chalet has been occupied for one year by a family of children.
Manuela and her family have tried unsuccessfully to evict occupants from their home. They are desperate for a solution and spoke with Buenos Dias Madrid.
‘I have lived in the house since I was ten years old, and again later with my own children,’ Manuela said.
Manuela added that the house was not even uninhabited at the time of occupation – they went every week to clean the property and spend their weekends there.
It is difficult to evict the squatters because they are a Peruvian Family with Children. They would be left without a place to live if evicted.
The chalet’s legitimate owner also claims that the squatters family is renting out rooms within the three-story property.
The landlords continue to pay the bills and the tenants make money.
‘They live like kings: they travel in Ubers and go to restaurants. Manuela says that they are repeat offenders, as they have previously squatted a house in Majadahonds.
Grandson stays illegally in the home of his deceased grandmother
In Northern Spain, an order was issued to remove a grandson who has illegally occupied the home of his deceased grandmother against other relatives’ wishes.
This squatter received four eviction notices from a judge in 2022 but none amounted to his departure – court officials stated that they could not find him and, therefore, left eviction notices on his front door step and in the mailbox.
The court asked that the Policia Judicial of the Vigol police station also investigate the location of the grandson.
Afterwards, the plaintiff asked for a trial. This was finally held in February of 2024.
The summons this time was sent via post, and the squatter picked it up twelve days prior to the court date.
He did not appear at the hearing, but requested that the proceedings be annulled and his default declaration revoked when the eviction was issued.
Only in October of this past year did the Audiencia de Pontevedra, Vigo, sixth section confirm his expulsion in a written sentence.
Squatters fight each other in Vitorio
El Correo reports that squatters in Vitorio have been threatening each other because they believe the other has cut off his electricity, which he had illegally tapped into.
Seven Ertzaintza patrols (Basque Police) and three Policia Local agents were deployed to handle the fight that broke out between these squatters
The squatters who were involved in this case had, according to reports set up a small business within the building they illegally occupied.
His fellow squatters did not like the strip club he had opened in the property, and they were scared when he started to threaten them.
The situation deteriorated when the owner shut off the power to a squatter.
It was this escalation that resulted in police presence – the Ertzaina has told the media that ‘in recent weeks, several people who are not typical of Errekaleor, which is more linked to the radical left, have moved in’.
A hotel is taken over by 100 squatters
Hispanidad reports that 100 squatters occupied a NH Hotel in Madrid during renovations.
The squatters occupied the property for several hours before being evicted.
The eviction was accompanied by the arrest of ten individuals, who were detained after being accused of assaulting a Police Officer and living illegally in Spain.
A WhatsApp group was used to plan the occupation by a man who has been arrested.
Last Monday, in the early hours of the morning, an organised group gathered to force open the doors to the building.
However, the intrusion triggered alarms in hotels which alerted Policia Nacional.
When officers arrived, many squatters had already taken up residence and were making arrests.
They allowed those who were vulnerable to stay in the building overnight until the Unidad de Intervencion Policial arrived.
The building was evacuated in its entirety with the help of the Policia Local de Parla.
The mayor of Parla, Ramon Jurado (PSOE), confirmed the incident on social media stating that it ‘prevented the squatting of the former NH hotel on the eve of its reopening’.
He thanked all the people involved in the operations.
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