Many people tend to buy houses with squatters inside, mainly because they are usually much cheaper than ordinary houses.
Even property buying and selling platforms offer this type of flat and house on their websites. Indeed, they are usually much cheaper and the description often warns that it is ‘a squatted property’ and that the buyer is responsible for the squatters.
However, José Antonio’s case is even more unusual. The resident of Santa Susana, Barcelona, told journalists from the programme Los Canarios that four years ago he bought a house that he has not been able to live in because it is squatted.
The house is in the middle of construction, so many areas are still open. A dog and the squatter’s belongings can be seen through the fence surrounding the property.
In addition to the cost of the property and the legal process to evict the squatter, he has had to pay rent for the flat where he currently lives for the past four years.
‘I thought it would all be over sooner.’
When you arrive at the house, it is clear that it is under construction. Inside, you can see the squatter’s clothes hanging up and her belongings arranged in the house without walls.
‘My wife started building this house with her ex-partner and there was a mortgage involved. That’s when my wife found out, through her ex-partner, that it was squatted,’ said the victim.
The price of the house, which was under construction, spacious and squatted in, was ‘180,000 euros,’ said José Antonio. When he discovered that the house he had bought was already being illegally occupied by someone else, he began legal proceedings.
‘It’s been four years of legal proceedings,’ explained José Antonio. ‘The idea when I bought the house was that we would be able to move the furniture in soon and, even if it wasn’t habitable, leave it there.’
However, he explained that ‘obviously, as the process dragged on, what could I do? Well, rent a storage room, which has been rented for three years.’
He explained that during this time, in addition to the money invested in the squatted property, he has had to pay rent: ‘Because, obviously, I couldn’t come and live at my house for a while.’
‘We’ve been paying extra rent with all this. The truth is that I thought it would all be shorter, but of course, it’s been four years and I haven’t even been able to get close to the fence,’ said the frustrated owner.
He added, visibly affected, that ‘as soon as I get close and there’s someone at home, they start shouting at me, asking me what I’m doing there and that this isn’t my house.’
