A homeowner in Cadiz has been forced to sleep outside his own property in a desperate attempt to reclaim it after more than a year without rent.

Oscar Vinaza bought his flat in Rio San Pedro when he was just 18, turning it into a home before work took him to Mallorca, where he now lives with his family.

To make ends meet, he rented out the property. At first, everything went smoothly. But for the past year and a half, his tenant has stopped paying rent and utility bills altogether.

‘I’m supporting two families’

Vinaza says the situation has become unbearable.

‘I feel like I’m carrying two families on my back, mine, and another one that isn’t paying me anything,’ he told Diario de Cadiz.

The rent was modest – €450 a month, later raised to €500 for a three-bedroom flat with sea views. Today, similar properties in the area go for up to €900.

During the pandemic, he even allowed the tenant to stop paying for four months to help them through difficult times. But after that, payments became irregular until they stopped completely.

‘One day she told me she wouldn’t pay anymore and blocked me,’ he explains.

Sleeping outside to be heard

After months of trying to resolve the situation and nearly a year waiting for court action, Vinaza has taken drastic steps.

He has left Mallorca and is now camping outside his own home, watching the tenant come and go.

‘I can’t sleep. This is affecting my health,’ he says. ‘I just want someone to help me.’

In a last attempt to resolve the issue, he even offered to forgive all the debt and pay the tenant €2,500 to leave. He says he never received a reply.

Neighbours rally around him

Residents in the building have shown strong support, stopping to check on him and offering help. ‘This could happen to anyone,’ one neighbour said.

Despite suggestions to take more extreme action, Vinaza insists he doesn’t want to go down that route.

‘I just want my home back,’ he says.

Anger at the system

His frustration is also directed at the legal system, which he believes is too slow to act.

‘If I stop paying my taxes, they come after me straight away,’ he says. ‘But someone living in my house without paying faces no consequences.’

Vinaza fears that when he eventually recovers the property, it may be damaged, adding to the financial strain he is already facing from legal costs and unpaid bills.

For him, the situation highlights a wider issue. ‘With laws like this, people will stop renting out their homes,’ he warns.

Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.