Britons are being kicked out of their holiday homes in Spain after falling prey to ‘shameless’ squatters who act with impunity thanks to the country’s lacklustre laws, MailOnline can reveal.
Homeowners this week said they have sold up or are planning to do so after spending years trying to remove illegal occupiers with ‘no help’ from police.
The problem has become so pervasive that the profile of the squatters, once mostly limited to Spaniards and Moroccans, now includes British expats themselves – who have cottoned on to how easy it is to take over homes for months or even years at a time.
The process to kick squatters out is mired by red tape and courtroom backlogs, placing a ‘traumatic’ strain on victims, many of them elderly.
One 75-year-old Brit has developed severe anxiety and high blood pressure over her ordeal, while another 84-year-old is battling cancer as he tries to get his home back.
‘It’s getting worse and worse,’ claims Liverpudlian estate agent Paul Stuart, 44, of Marbella-based Palm Estates.
‘It’s a ticking time bomb, there is so much anger that I fear we are going to see a lot more cases ending in violence.
‘Since Covid there’s been a perfect storm of surging rents, stagnant wages and lack of new housing; it’s caused a noticeable increase in squatting.
‘I’ve had to confront squatters myself and I have been threatened with stabbing twice.’
A woman accused of squatting in a property owned by Brits on the Costa del Sol glares as her picture is taken
A Spanish police officer outside a building where properties owned by Brits have been invaded by squatters
A woman accused of squatting in a property owned by Brits in the Costa del Sol
The belongings of Brit expats Emma and Ian Williams are dumped by heartless squatters after occupying their home in Cala d’Or, Mallorca
Paul added: ‘They are really clever and know how to manipulate the law, it’s disgusting and horrible what they do. You feel terrible for these homeowners, most of them have saved all their lives to buy a place here and it’s just been ruined.
‘I know there are genuine people who fall on hard times and can’t pay the rent for a while, but the majority of cases I see are just straight up criminals.’
Paul explained how gangs of squatters operate on the Costa del Sol.
‘They stake out properties to make sure they are empty, before breaking in and calling a locksmith to change the locks,’ he explained, adding that he knows of at least one professional locksmith who is actively working for a squatter gang.
He said the network then sells the keys on to a squatter family or thugs who want to use the home as a base of criminal activity – with some often becoming drug dens or brothels.
This has been the experience of Emma and Ian Williams, who own a studio in Cala d’Or, Mallorca, which was broken into and occupied last December.
Photos shared with MailOnline show how the Williams’ clothes and other belongings were thrown into rubbish bags and dumped on the street.
The Williams’ were informed by concerned neighbours that the squatter moved on within a few weeks, only for a second man to occupy the flat.
In the interim, neighbours filmed the disasterous state the flat had been left in, with a washing machine stolen and furniture trashed.
Emma said: ‘Someone else came and barely stayed, potentially storing drugs, then finally the locks were changed again by a third man who was fresh out of prison and who moved a prostitute in. She was heard having sex by our neighbours.
Emma and Ian Williams, who own a studio in Cala d’Or, Mallorca (right), which was broken into and occupied by squatters last December
The squatters left a trail of destruction behind when they finally vacated the Williams’s property with damage done to locks and the bathroom
The squatters ransacked through the couple’s drawers and damaged their shower
‘The police have attended to every squatter and haven’t done anything… we have flown to Spain and gone to their offices and still nothing happens.
‘The squatters have illegally tampered with the electricity and water supply, and again, the police don’t do anything about it.’
She added: ‘The same person has recently broken into a villa and made a fake tenancy agreement and it looks like they have moved prostitutes over there as it’s bigger.
‘Our solicitor says we can take the squatter to court but after the day of the court order another squatter could break in and we would have to start the whole process again.
‘It’s a vicious circle and no one wants to help.’
Scottish homeowner Kathy Philip, 75, has been through the wringer after her tenant has refused to leave her two-bedroom apartment in Estepona, on the Costa del Sol, since he stopped paying rent in April 2024, owing them thousands.
Her daughter Laura Wilson told MailOnline this week that her mother has developed anxiety and high-blood pressure, placing her at an increased risk of having a stroke.
Kathy had been renting the property to an English estate agent at a bargain price of just €650 per month (similar properties could easily fetch three times as much).
Scottish homeowner Kathy Philip, 75, has been through the wringer after her tenant has refused to leave her two-bedroom apartment in Estepona, on the Costa del Sol, since he stopped paying rent in April 2024, owing them thousands. Pictured: Kathy Philip with her late husband
Kathy’s daughter Laura Wilson told MailOnline this week that her mother has developed anxiety and high blood pressure, placing her at an increased risk of having a stroke. Pictured: Kathy’s place
Kathy had been renting the property to an English estate agent at a bargain price of just €650 per month – similar properties could easily fetch three times as much
But following the death of her husband from Parkinson’s in January 2023, Kathy decided she wanted to have the home they had shared so many memories in back to herself.
They gave the tenant a generous six months’ notice, but when Laura and her sister flew out for the handover last April, they found he had changed the locks and installed security cameras.
‘He is running his business from the flat, my mum’s address is on his real estate website,’ said an incredulous Laura, who works as a teacher.
‘Meanwhile we are still paying the electricity bills and community fees, amounting to thousands each year.’
She said she is ‘trying to do everything by the book’ but that the lack of movements or updates from the courts is ‘painful’.
Her mother tried to go to the police but they essentially told her there was ‘nothing they could do.’
Laura added: ‘We just get told to keep waiting, we feel totally powerless. My mum won’t go back now, it’s had real health implications for her.
‘We want to sell the flat, that’s it now. My mum is 75, we’re keen to look after her like we promised our dad we would, and this has just been horrific for her, it’s given her anxiety and she couldn’t sleep for weeks.
‘Her doctor said she had high blood pressure and an increased risk of having a stroke.
Maureen Findell, 76,has just sold her two-bedroom apartment in Punta Prima, on the Costa Blanca, after squatters ‘completely ruined’ the home for her and her family. Pictured: Maureen with her granddaughter
The grandmother, from London, told MailOnline she was first informed by her neighbour last December that people were in her flat, using a set of keys to come and go. Pictured: Exterior of Maureen’s home
‘They told them they had rented it, they had a fake rental contract with the name of another owner in the building,’ she said
‘We just have to hope something is eventually going to happen but we still haven’t been given a court date.’
In Spain, there are two types of squatters; an ‘okupa’, who has broken into a property with the sole purpose of occupying it, and an ‘inquiokupa’, who is a tenant that has stopped paying the rent and refuses to leave.
When a tenant stops paying, landlords must seek an eviction order through the courts, which can take months, a year or even longer.
However, there are many ‘tricks’ used to delay the process further, including the squatters having themselves declared ‘vulnerable’ by the local authorities – granting them extra time.
In April this year, a new law came into effect which says ‘okupas’ who have broken into homes can be removed via an express eviction order within 15 days.
However, squatters are creating fake rental contracts bearing the real names of the property owners – which they obtain by rummaging through trash or letterboxes.
They tell the police they are tenants and have a right to stay, kicking the can down the road.
Susan Travers (pictured), 57, from Glasgow, is owed thousands of euros in rent. Her two-bedroom, €220,000 flat in Manilva was squatted at the start of this year
The tenant had been paying rent to Susan’s father, but stopped when he died in January and the apartment was left to Susan. Pictured: The exterior of Susan’s home
It’s a legal landmine that would prove overwhelming even for the typical Spaniard, let alone an elderly Brit who can only spend a few months in the country at a time.
Maureen Findell, 76, has just sold her two-bedroom apartment in Punta Prima, on the Costa Blanca, after squatters ‘completely ruined’ the home for her and her family.
The grandmother, from London, told MailOnline she was first informed by her neighbour last December that people were in her flat, using a set of keys to come and go.
‘They told them they had rented it, they had a fake rental contract with the name of another owner in the building,’ she said.
‘They broke in via the back doors and had been living there for months or even longer before people realised they were squatters.’
Maureen hadn’t been able to fly out to the home for some time as she was caring for her sick sister back in the UK.
‘They must have realised mine was empty,’ she said.
‘I know three other properties had squatters, there are two still living there and different families come and go and they don’t seem to be able to get rid of them.
‘The police don’t give a monkeys, and the squatters are intimidating people and often have aggressive dogs.’
Given the lack of faith in the system, Maureen said her ‘incredible’ neighbours, mostly Brits, decided to stand outside the property day and night, waiting for the so-called ‘sitter’ to leave.
The sitter is the person used by the squatter gangs to ‘reserve’ a home until one of their families move in.
Often, gangs sell the keys of occupied homes to other squatters, in what has become a lucrative business in areas where properties are left empty for months at a time.
Suffering a far worse fate is fellow British victim Kenneth Jobe, 84, who has been left exhausted after trying to remove squatters from his Costa del Sol home for over five years
As previously revealed by MailOnline, the squatters have allegedly failed to pay more than €50,000 in rent for the three-bedroom house in Mijas, since 2020
Unfortunately, it means British-owned flats or villas in holiday hotspots are among the top targets, alongside bank repos.
Maureen added: ‘I was one of the lucky ones, eventually they realised they could not move in another family so they left.
‘But they left the place in such a mess and the whole ordeal threw me so much that I couldn’t bring myself to go back there, I sold it because I couldn’t cope with it.’
Maureen had bought the home off plan more than 20 years ago.
She said: ‘The whole family used to go there, it was lovely, but this just spoiled it.
‘These are not vulnerable, homeless people, these are mafia type people, they go around stealing.
‘If it was genuine homeless people I could kind of understand it, but they’re not.’
Hundreds of kilometres away on the Costa del Sol, Susan Travers, 57, from Glasgow, is owed thousands of euros in rent.
In an update this week, Kenneth’s son said his father has been diagnosed with cancer after the disease was detected in his liver
The shocking news has dealt a crushing blow to the family, who are now more desperate than ever to win their home back. Pictured: The Mijas area of Buenavista
Her two-bedroom, €220,000 flat in Manilva was squatted at the start of this year.
The tenant had been paying rent to Susan’s father, but stopped when he died in January and the apartment was left to Susan.
Susan told MailOnline how the woman, who was working for a well-known estate agency, has only recently abandoned the home after refusing to pay for over six months.
‘I was emailing and texting and calling her and she just ignored me,’ Susan added.
‘When I did get her on the phone she was quite aggressive and told me there was nothing I could do, saying I can’t get her out and “I know my rights” and all this.
‘I even tried to arrange for her to pay what she owed in instalments but she was not interested.
‘Then one day she just vanished without warning and we were able to get in and change the locks back.’
Susan is now going through the courts to get what she is owed in rent, while the squatter is believed to have taken over another home nearby.
‘I was just shocked that she was an estate agent and doing this,’ added Susan.
Suffering a far worse fate is fellow British victim Kenneth Jobe, 84, who has been left exhausted after trying to remove squatters from his Costa del Sol home for over five years.
As previously revealed by MailOnline, the squatters have allegedly failed to pay more than €50,000 in rent for the three-bedroom house in Mijas, since 2020.
In an update this week, Kenneth’s son said his father has been diagnosed with cancer after the disease was detected in his liver.
The shocking news has dealt a crushing blow to the family, who are now more desperate than ever to win their home back.
‘We’re not giving up,’ his son told MailOnline, ‘We’re in court in September where the judge will rule on whether or not the squatters can be declared vulnerable, and we are optimistic of winning and getting an eviction date.
‘But it’s disgusting, my dad got diagnosed with cancer last week. He’s having a biopsy right now in hospital, and he can’t even go to his own house in Spain, it’s breathtaking, he wants to live out there.’
He added: ‘The system is broken, especially for expats, if you’re spanish it moves along a lot quicker.’
Brits who plan to leave their home in Spain empty for any period of time are advised to install good quality security cameras and an alarm.
If squatters are filmed on CCTV breaking into your home, and an alarm notifies police immediately, there will be a much stronger case for an immediate eviction.
