Fredbargate

Yes I voted for it and would do so again.

Also since selling my last Spanish property in 2011 I have done my best to avoid spending money in Spain or on Spanish productds

amideislas

are you now living in the UK? Then your job is made easier since it's now more difficult to get Spanish products. Really, you don't even have to work at it.

Not that Spain is all that concerned. It has free access to a 19T$ consumer market.

scrubbedexpat142

So the mantras "take back control" & "make our own laws" only work one way - fair enough.

DOWNANDOUT

Obviously I know the UK cannot force or influence Spain to do anything but the petition is to make 100's of thousands of British people aware of the perils that await them if they buy a property in Spain . I'm on another forum and none of them knew about squatters rights until they experienced first hand.

a. This will make British people more aware.
b. If the petition gets more publicity , it could damage the purchasing of property in Spain and indirectly affect the rental market.

The Scandinavians are already pulling out of buying properties in Spain , and if the UK follows it might make the 'Spanish Ministry Of Interior' think twice about ignoring the plight of property owners whose lives have been damaged by squatters.

amideislas

This sounds like Daily Mail stuff. "Perils"? I own property in Spain, and not only is it not in any kind of "peril", but has more than doubled in value in just 5 years. And continues to do so.

As far as "squatter" law is concerned, I'm not clear on the details, but I've heard it's quite difficult to get them out once they've installed themselves. And I'd applaud any reasonable changes to that.

The UK however, isn't an appropriate jurisdiction to lobby for this. It has zero influence over these matters.

Assanah

Maybe people that own second homes should be punished. They push up prices, make housing unaffordable for the people living there, make most communities deserted shitholes for most of the year. I see no value in foreigners buying up houses on a big scale. Maybe the Spanish should hold a referendum about British buying houses in Spanish soil.

bobd22

Even should this get sufficient signatures to warrant a response from the UK government they will simply say its not something we can change and we can't change the laws of foreign countries. Imagine the outcry if Spain interfered with UK law in this way? Petition the Spanish Government not the British. This is the sort of thing you could have written to an MEP about but we don't have such representation after Brexit.

agree_to_disagree

I think this thread is a bit ridiculous.

With the backdrop of Brexit and Gibraltar relations are well strained already.

UK government have enough to worry about without sticking their nose in Spanish internal affairs...

With regard to house buyers who were unaware of squatters rigts in Spain, ignorance of law excuses no one...

SanNico

Including the property you need to sell.

DOWNANDOUT

People are already being punished by the biased pro-squatter laws and its not just about second homes. A squatter can wait for you to leave your permanent residence (even Spanish domiciles) and then just break in , change the locks and you've got the owners house and his possessions for at least 1-2 years. The electricity and water cannot be cut off otherwise the owner can be prosecuted for coercion and the added bonus is that the owner must pay the utility bills too until the day of eviction. If you've caught the squatter red-handed breaking in then you may have a chance for the police to arrest/evict them but it depends on how the police feel on the day (too much paperwork) and they'll just say 'go through the courts'.

Reasons not to buy a property in Spain? Quite a few come to mind, and someone needs to write about them, so I'll make a start here (spanishpropertyinsight.com)

DOWNANDOUT

Even if you aren't ignorant of the laws, it doesn't matter how many locks and alarms you've installed , if a squatter wishes to get in he will and then your life will become a nightmare.

DOWNANDOUT

Yes , it will affect sales prices too but why take the risk of spending 1000's of euros through the courts and then reclaiming a house that has been trashed, your possessions sold off or thieved ( building insurance will not cover any damage/loss except the breaking and entering aspect).

DOWNANDOUT

"I've heard it's quite difficult to get them out once they've installed themselves" - gulp!

Squatters - General La Siesta discussion - La Siesta forum - Costa Blanca forum in the Alicante province of Spain

Squatters - General Playa Flamenca discussion - Playa Flamenca forum - Costa Blanca forum in the Alicante province of Spain

Safety and security information in Pedreguer - Pedreguer forum - Costa Blanca forum in the Alicante province of Spain

Legal procedure to deal with SQUATTERS - General La Siesta discussion - La Siesta forum - Costa Blanca forum in the Alicante province of Spain

Squatters - Safety and security information in Torrevieja - Torrevieja forum - Costa Blanca forum in the Alicante province of Spain

SQUATTERS - General property discussion in Monte Azul - Monte Azul forum - Costa Blanca forum in the Alicante province of Spain

Here to stay, Javea squatters claim - News in Javea / Xàbia - Javea / Xàbia forum - Costa Blanca forum in the Alicante province of Spain

Squatters - General Torrevieja discussion - Torrevieja forum - Costa Blanca forum in the Alicante province of Spain

Squatters hurl rocks at holiday homeowner and TV crew after being filmed breaking into house in Spain’s Seville - News in Costa Blanca - Costa Blanca forum, Spain

Squatters on Spain’s Costa Blanca took over TWO houses – one to live in, the other to store stolen loot - News in Costa Blanca - Costa Blanca forum, Spain

Spain’s Costa Blanca Sees Squatters Extorting Money from Holiday and Rental Home Owners - News in Costa Blanca - Costa Blanca forum, Spain

Spanish Police Evict Gypsy Squatters from Expats home on the Costa del Sol stuck in the UK under lockdown - News in Costa Blanca - Costa Blanca forum, Spain

The City Council of Alicante urges the Government to fight against squatters - News in Costa Blanca - Costa Blanca forum, Spain

Squatters - General property discussion in Torrevieja - Torrevieja forum - Costa Blanca forum in the Alicante province of Spain

Squatters in Spain, and how to avoid adverse possession (spanishpropertyinsight.com)

Squatters in Spain, and how to evict them from a Spanish property (spanishpropertyinsight.com)

Squatter horror stories in Spain - extortion in Sitges (spanishpropertyinsight.com)

The cost of dealing with squatters in Spain (spanishpropertyinsight.com)

Squatters in Spain: The good, the bad, and the ugly (spanishpropertyinsight.com)

Notdunroamin

Who, in terms of Brits, probably don't amount to double digits!

I know that personally you've had an horrendous experience but you need to keep it in perspective.

agree_to_disagree

You need to think like a burglar here…

They want a soft-touches, not ones that could see and charged with ´allanamiento de morada´ or breaking and entering.

Any burglar worth his salt will stake out a place and work out the routine when the place is empty. They do their homework and then move in when the occupant is on holidays or away long term like holiday homes. Why run the risks of entering the home of someone who is a permanent resident and has just gone to work. Makes no sense! Lots of properties to target so a smart thief will go for the soft touches not the riskier ones… No data to support that but it is just my instinct on the topic…