Squatters take over holiday homes for sale as sellers stop listing them

Squatters are causing growing concerns among homeowners in the Canary Islands following an increase in people illegally occupying uninhabited properties.

This has taken a heavy toll on the property market as the islands saw a rise of 7.3 per cent in home invasions in the first four months of the year, while the national average fell by 11.8 percent. 

The Canary Islands is only one of three areas in Spain, along with the Balearic Islands and Asturias, where the situation has gotten worse between January and April according to official figures from the Interior Ministry. 

This increase can be attributed to adverts not displaying pictures and numbers of the properties online. There were 191 squatting cases in 2023, up from 178 last year. 

The secretary general of the Canary Islands Association of Real Estate Management Companies (Acegi), Juan Manuel Vega said that due to the fear of a break-in, people have stopped advertising for property sales and lettings on the streets. 

These offences are usually carried out in empty homes or second homes, with the State Tax Administration Agency stating that out of 121,770 of these properties on the Islands , only 0.16 properties of those properties are being affected.

With more than 38,000 holiday homes, Ms Borrego stresses the importance of having alarms and electronic locks to prevent break-ins. 

“I always tell my clients: an alarm is better than a lawsuit to evict an occupant,” Juan Manuel Vega added. He warns that eviction can take up to two years after the first 24 hours of entering the property.

The police statistics do not indicate the difference between break-in and home invasion offences. However national data from the Attorney General’s Office reveal that 99.15 per cent of these cases are squatting while 0.85 per cent are break ins. 

The country reformed its housing law in May of this year which included a series of amendments to how homeowners and the authorities can deal with squatters. 

This new legislation protects squatters “in situations of vulnerability” and states that owners must select a time and date for the proposed eviction before starting any legal proceedings. 

For those who are unable to pay and are proved to be “vulnerable” the court can suspend payments for a short period of time. 

‌Real estate expert Vanesa Rubio said: “If you protect illegal tenants, you discourage private investment by large companies.”

Mr Vega insists on the need for a law to be passed to reflect ” regulations in other European countries”, which will speed up the procedures for eviction and provide more security for owners.

Ms Rubio echoed his view given that while in Spain the eviction process can take between 21 and 22 months – almost two years – in Germany the maximum is 24 hours and in Italy squatting involves prison sentences and heavy fines.

Additional reporting by Maria Ortega