Dilip Kuner
THE owners of the Callao Sport Hotel in sun-drenched Tenerife have been ‘slapped with a legal bombshell’ after their latest attempt to evict an out-of-control group of squatters was blocked by the public prosecutor.
Despite mountains of evidence, police reports and eyewitness accounts, the public prosecutor has recommended that the judge overseeing the case, refuse to boot out the freeloaders who’ve turned the once-bustling resort into a ‘squatters’ stronghold’.
Since 12 intruders broke into the 92-room resort back in February, the hotel has been transformed from a fitness and leisure haven into a scene of chaos – with all rooms occupiedby up to 200 people and the gym, spa, kitchen and even the reception desk trashed.
READ MORE:
- Squatters take over almost 40 rooms at a single hotel on Spain’s Costa Blanca in nightmare for owner
- Revealed: The devious tactics squatters use to find empty homes and blackmail the owners on Spain’s Costa Blanca
- ‘Home for sale; comes with squatters’: New report lays bare the crisis in Spain as over 20,000 properties listed for sale are occupied
The owners are still being billed for the power and water – costs that have reportedly tripled – while the squatters lounge rent-free and allegedly ‘sublet the rooms for cash’.
“This isn’t squatting – it’s organised crime,” fumed Carmen Margarita, the exasperated hotel owner, in a fiery radio interview. “They’re leasing out rooms like it’s Airbnb, and we’re the ones footing the bill. It’s sickening.”
Once a peaceful holiday hotspot, the area has descended into tension and fear, with residents reporting noise, vandalism and suspicious activity.
One neighbour told COPE Canarias radio: “We feel unsafe in our own community. The authorities are doing nothing – it’s lawless.”
Margarita also slammed the prosecutor’s claim that identifying all the squatters is necessary before action can be taken, branding it ‘laughable’.
She said: “These aren’t vulnerable people – the other day, a couple rocked up in a Mercedes A-Class! This is exploitation, plain and simple.”
Despite arrests being made on the night of the break-in, 10 individuals remained, and the situation has snowballed. Now, the hotel is being used as a ‘cash cow for illegal rentals’, while the real owners can’t even set foot inside – let alone sell the place.
The prosecutor’s claim that eviction would be ‘disproportionate’ has sparked national fury and reignited debate over Spain’s controversial squatting laws, which many say favour the squatters over the victims.
“It’s like we’re the criminals here,” Margarita blasted. “The law isn’t just ignoring us – it’s protecting those who broke in.”
The hotel’s sale has been torpedoed, the facilities left in ruins, and the community now lives under the shadow of an illegal takeover that no one seems willing to stop.
The court case continues.
You report that “the public prosecutor has recommended that the judge overseeing the case, refuse to boot out the freeloaders ” but we don’t know if the judge has followed the recommendation.
The judge will,no doubt, lay down the law.