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POLL: URGENT WARNING: HOLIDAY LET SQUATTERS - HAVE YOU BEEN A VICTIM
A warning to those who own a holiday let apartment in Caleta and elsewhere. It would appear as though there is a gang of criminals at the moment who break into an empty property, create false rental agreements and let out your property to others. They feel that as owners live abroad and cannot travel due to COVID-19 that they have plenty of time on their hands and lots of properties lying available for the pickings.
They even have the audacity to even break and remove even security gates before entering your property and changing all your locks. This happened to us on Thursday evening.
The law across the EU unfortunately in such matters always seems to be on the side of the criminal, and squatters are notoriously difficult to evict. Also, whilst they are in your property YOU are still responsible for paying ALL the bills such as utilities such as electricity etc. and it is illegal to disconnect a property that is occupied.
If your property has been occupied, you need to act very quickly if you are to have any chance of success. The local police can do nothing and the Guardia Civil can only act with a court order which if you do not have a lawyer can take weeks to sort out. DO NOT take the matter into your own hands or you can end up in Prison, not them.
This happened to us on Thursday night when our property was occupied by a group of Morrocons. We went to the Guardia Civil on Friday morning who confirmed our property was occupied and that the locks had been changed - but that was all they did and advised us to go to a lawyer. We saw our Lawyer that same day who required power of attorney in order to act on our behalf, we then had an appointment with a Notario yesterday and had him create a power of attorney which we delivered to our lawyer immediately.
Our lawyers now request via the courts that the occupants prove they have a legal right to be in the property, if they cannot they are told to leave and if not are fined for every day they stay. If they miss one day it is a prison sentence. Normally this works but if not there are more drastic legal ways of eviction. Saying this it all takes time and the longer the squatters are there the less chance you have of eviction.
Yesterday we heard that there were hammering and drilling going on. We are now going again to the GC again to make a formal complaint to see if such activity classes as a Criminal Act, and that maybe they can gain entry to at least see the property and the people inside.
I am telling everyone this as if you are reading this and have such a property, have a friend or neighbour who lives nearby ensure that your property is VERY SECURE.
POLL: URGENT WARNING: HOLIDAY LET SQUATTERS - HAVE YOU BEEN A VICTIM
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