Foreign owners' fear of squatters in Mallorca

Desokupación Mallorca is one of the companies which will try and get rid of squatters. Sergio Cacho, the manager, says the company has assisted a large number of foreigners who have had their homes occupied by squatters. "A German television station and two newspapers have called me about the problem, which may give an idea of ​​how much concern this issue is in Germany."

Related news

Balearics - one of the regions with the highest increase in squatting

More related news

At present, the company has four foreign EU citizens who have hired their services. "They are very worried. They want to regain their property, but eviction procedures in Spain are not quick. We have clients who have their property for sale only to discover there are squatters, and others who find out there are squatters when they come on holiday and end up putting it up for sale.

"The higher the value of the property, the more difficult it is to reach an agreement with the squatters. Our service costs 2,650 euros for a standard apartment, including legal services, but if we're talking about a villa, the rate may go up to 5,500 euros.

"There are squatters who leave immediately if they see they might get a fine and a criminal record, but the better the house, the more they cling to it. Living as a squatter in a house without electricity or water and risking ending up with a criminal record isn't the same as living in a luxury villa." Among the current clients are the German owner of a villa in Genova valued at five million euros and the owner of a house in Cas Català that is for sale at 1.5 million euros.