THE owners of a luxury chalet in Madrid said they were driven to their wits’ end after a family of squatters moved into their one-million-euro villa – and even began renting out its rooms for profit.
The squatters, along with their children, settled into the three-storey, eight-bedroom property in Villaviciosa de Odon, west Madrid, a little over a year ago.
They allegedly paid €1,200 to a ‘squatting gang’ that had spotted the house and, unbeknownst to the owners, illegally advertised it for rent from an internet café.
One of the owners, identified only as Manuela, stressed that the property was not abandoned – she and her family regularly visited on weekends or to carry out cleaning.
“We are outraged and desperate,” she told the Spanish TV programme Buenos Dias Madrid. “I have lived in that house since I was 10 and had even started taking my own children there.”
Manuela explained that, because the squatters are living there with their children, securing an eviction order has been slow and agonising – despite the family reportedly being repeat offenders who previously occupied another villa in Majadahonda, northwest of the capital.
“We have applied for an eviction order, and now all we can do is sit and wait for law enforcement to act – but nothing is happening,” she said.
Adding insult to injury, Manuela and her family are still paying all the associated costs of the property, including taxes and utility bills.
“They are making money off our backs,” she said. “The house has eight bedrooms, and they rent them out. Imagine how much they’re earning. They live like kings, taking Ubers everywhere and eating in restaurants.”
Neighbours have even reported seeing the squatters throwing out the owners’ furniture and personal items they found inside the house.
“They threw away everything we had in there,” Manuela said. “Our clothes, our furniture. Everything.”
Earlier in November, Spain’s Partido Popular (PP) accused prime minister Pedro Sanchez of ‘handing over the keys of the housing market to squatters’ amid an ongoing row over anti-squatting legislation.
PP spokesperson Alicia Garcia alleged that squatting had increased by nearly 55% since Sanchez came into office.
“45 homes occupied every day and 45 families left unprotected,” Garcia said.
“In the PP, we are clear about this. Spain needs security, justice and respect. A home is not booty, it is a home, and a home must always be protected.
“The PP is clear on this: squatters must be evicted and owners must be respected.”
Garcia’s comments came as the PP promoted a bill that would give homeowners the legal right to cut off essential supplies, such as water and electricity, if their property is occupied by squatters.
The party argued that the measure was essential to tackling the rise in squatting and easing Spain’s housing crisis, with more than 23,000 properties currently listed for sale flagged as “occupied” or “illegally occupied.”
In 2024, there were 16,426 reported cases of squatting across Spain, with 11,133 people investigated or arrested in squatting-related cases.
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