Squatting in Spain has become a professional ‘mafia’ that is increasingly targeting high-value homes in holiday resorts like the Costa del Sol, experts have warned.
According to civil and real-estate lawyer Sandra Aurrecoechea Ríos, partner at Marín & Mateo Abogados, Spain’s most valuable empty homes have become ‘strategic targets’ for those who know the weak points of the system.
She told Idealista that many recent cases have nothing to do with vulnerability or housing need, but with groups who intentionally choose luxury properties because they are difficult to recover and the legal response is slow.
Squatting spreads to prime holiday zones
This newer trend is concentrated in areas with high numbers of second homes, such as the Catalan coast, the Valencia region, Madrid and Andalucia, particularly parts of the Costa del Sol.
Properties left empty for much of the year, urbanisations with minimal surveillance and inherited homes still tied up in paperwork have become especially vulnerable.
It means many British home owners who only spend a few months of the year in their properties are particularly vulnerable.
Interior Ministry data (Crime Balance 2024, published April 2025) show that Catalonia leads with 6,300 cases (38% of all reports nationwide) followed by Andalucia, Valencia and Madrid, each reporting between 1,400 and 3,000 cases per year
Although official statistics don’t distinguish between luxury and non-luxury homes, specialist law firms say they have seen a sharp rise in consultations involving high-end second residences over the past two years.
The 48-hour window
Spanish law makes a crucial distinction that many owners are unaware of. If an owner reports the occupation of their main or second residence within 48 hours, police can intervene quickly.
But once a property is classified as empty or uninhabited, the process becomes a civil matter, requiring a judge’s order, and timelines can expand dramatically.
Aurrecoechea warns that owners often don’t realise that taking matters into their own hands – such as cutting utilities, changing locks or trying to negotiate with the occupants – can legally be treated as coercion, exposing them to criminal charges. Only the police or a court can authorise an eviction.
This is where organised groups have learned to operate. If they can remain inside for the first 48 hours, the matter typically shifts from ‘allanamiento de morada’ (a criminal offence with fast police response) to ‘usurpación’ (a civil procedure), and the owner may then face six to 18 months of legal proceedings, sometimes more.
Spain’s new ‘express eviction law’ was designed to speed up these cases, but its practical effect has been modest. When occupants claim vulnerability, social services assessments can further delay eviction.
The result is that owners continue paying mortgages, taxes and utility bills on properties they can’t access, while the occupants remain protected by a legal framework that prioritises social reports over property rights.
The rise of the ‘professional okupa’
Lawyers describe a marked shift in the profile of illegal occupants. A decade ago, most cases stemmed from economic hardship. Today, many follow a calculated strategy.
Common patterns cited by specialists include:
- Groups who scan real-estate portals and social media for homes known to be vacant
- Break-ins carried out using professional tools
- Locks replaced immediately after entry
- Forged rental contracts presented to police or courts
- False claims of vulnerability filed to slow down proceedings
- Some groups even sublet rooms inside the occupied property or use the address to request registration
Aurrecoechea notes that these individuals often understand the judicial timeline better than the owners themselves.
Once inside, they know they can stretch the process for months through fake documents, administrative appeals and procedural delays.
