Landlord claims apartment back from squatters

A RESIDENT of Mataro, in Barcelona Province, has been accused of trespassing after trying to evict a married couple who had been illegally occupying an apartment for six years.

According to Manuel, the owner of the apartment, he took full advantage of the fact that his ‘tenants’ had snuck off on holiday to Ibiza, and entered the home so he could brick up the doorway to stop them from being able to enter again.

“There was no one, I went up and took back my house,” he explained to Spanish television’s Antena 3.

“I have not coerced anyone, I have come here, I have looked around and as there was no one I got inside, just like they did,” he explained.

Once inside his house, he found mountains of dirt and an awful mess. The occupiers had not only destroyed his house, but they had also taken over the roof of the building and even rented out rooms to third parties.

According to the aforementioned media, Manuel could now face crimes of coercion and breaking and entering into his own apartment. For the moment, the legislation seems that it will not change after the words of Minister Margarita Robles who this Monday, August 24, indicated that “we have legislation that allows us to respond to the problems of ‘squatting’.”