Laurence Dollimore
A BRITISH homeowner is at her wit’s end after her Malaga property was taken over by squatters for a second time just hours after installing an alarm and cameras.
Louise Bawn (pictured above inset) is demanding answers from Spanish authorities who have ‘twice failed her’ during a ‘two-year nightmare’.
She now faces losing €100,000 on the sale of the home if she fails to kick out the squatters – and has already spent €10,000 on legal fees and trips back and forth to deal with the mess.
Speaking to the Olive Press, she explained how the two-bedroom property in Sexmo, Cartama, which she inherited from her late father, was first broken into in February 2023.
She reported the squatters to the police but they did nothing to remove them until September of this year, when the home was finally raided due to it being used by drug dealers.
The property was sealed off on September 20 and Louise flew out and installed alarms and changed the locks under the advice of the authorities.
Under Spanish law, if a home is broken into and an alarm is triggered, notifying police, then arriving officers can remove the people inside as they have clearly broken the law.
However, just five hours after installing her own alarm, Louise’s home was successfully squatted again, despite cops being called to the scene.
Louise told the Olive Press: “The alarm was triggered and the police attended along with myself and my estate agent Peppe.
“The police refused to remove them because they claimed they had lived there for two years which was a lie. Peppe verified this but they still did nothing…I am desperate to have them removed as the house is for sale and now my agent cannot go there.”
She added: “I believe at the very least that Guardia Civil were negligent and in dereliction of duty by not removing them from the house under Article 245 of the Spanish penal code.
“When I was at the house at the time of the break in and said how corrupt it was that they were doing nothing about it they threatened to arrest me, so I must have touched a nerve.
“I have been failed twice now… there is something seriously wrong and they need to be held accountable for not doing their job.”
Louise’s estate agent has also allegedly been threatened by the squatters for trying to remove them.
The Brit is currently trying to sell the home, which was valued at €130,000, but the presence of squatters seriously impacts its price tag.
She said: “It was valued at €130,000 but if I sell it as occupied to a company who specialises in buying this type of property I stand to lose €100,000.”
