SanDiegogirl

Been reading this thread off and on and are very pleased that you have finally got rid of the 'vermin'

Hope they will stay out - what a nightmare.

VFR

Guessing ?
About 2k max that includes fitting I would think, maybe the solicitors you are using in that area have contacts/knowledge ?

Palmerston

Hi DOWNANDOUT,

I was thinking that you ask a gestor for help - them being able to give you recommendations for a reliable, trustworthy keyholder to do the checks. A security firm doing that job would be very expensive - almost overkill - given the state the flat is now in.

It's the quickest option I could think of to allay your fears of their imminent re-entry without you knowing about it.

VFR's suggestion of getting a good security door is wise. The only problem is the possible lengthy lead time (from agreeing to the quote, to getting it fitted). You could possibly be looking at months. In that same article I mentioned in my last post about owners fears of okupas, a security door manufacturer said he had never been busier and couldn't keep up with demand.

In the past I'd seen the prices range from below 500 to over 3,000. The entry level ones looked industrial and had lower specs. So, 2000 probably isn't far off

But until you fit one, I wouldn't know what to do other than get a gestor to help you out with keyholder inspections that, unlike security firms, wouldn't cost the earth.

DOWNANDOUT

Hi Palmerston

Many thanks for the advice and I've heard the same about security firms being booked up for fitting security doors and alarms plus we don't have much spare cash now. We have still to learn from the 'Community Of Owners' (the President is the tenants mother) about any backlog of Comunidad that is owing . There shouldn't be any debts up to the date of the eviction because it was agreed that the tenant pay the Comunidad when he first rented the property. In the courts , the 'Community Of Owners Administrator' signed a document stating that the tenant had paid the Comunidad up to 2017 , so we might be looking at a debt of 4 years , approx 1.6k.

The utility bills are contracted under the name of the tenant and we'll just let them cut off the electricity and water supply until this lockdown issue in the UK has finished and we've all been vaccinated. If someone wishes to break in , they'll find it difficult to live there without any utility services.

Rotor

I do believe a monitored alarm would stop any future potential squatters , I have a dual path system in the UK which is monitored , if its ever triggered the monitoring company call me immediately , if I dont answer they call the Police , it was expensive , £1200,00 including supply , installation and 1 years monitoring , I`m sure you would get a much cheaper deal in Spain with a small flat , ADT are in Spain , whatever they charge I`m sure it will be cheaper than lawyers fee`s and the stress caused .

https://adt.com.es

Prevention is better than cure.

DOWNANDOUT

Hi Rotor - many thanks for the advice but maybe no-one will bother to stay in the flat (even if they do break in) if there is no water and electricity.

Rotor

I think you`ll find the devious types will find a way for water and electric , ie run it in from a neighbour/friend or just open an account with the suppliers fraudulently , it would give you great piece of mind if you know the property is being monitored 24/7 , you could even have a web cam in the flat and see it live on your phone .

Rotor

Security doors only buy time , nothing is impregnable , if the neighbours are in cahoots with a would be squatter it will be opened , a Spanish cortijero I knew fitted a very strong steel door to his corijo , thieves went around the back and removed the stonework out of the wall and robbed the place .
Obviously you cant have someone in the house / flat 24/7 so a monitored alarm is the obvious choice and considerably cheaper than a 2k euro door.

DOWNANDOUT

There isn't a landline at our flat so unsure how a 24 hour alarm monitoring system would work. My brother has setup remote monitoring cameras (with motion detectors and audio) in his own house that can be viewed from his smart phone with all the recordings stored on some 'cloud'. If motion is detected he gets an immediate message sent to his mobile. Unfortunately , I don't know how this all works from a technical perspective but I'll discuss it with him . If it's possible to set up wireless cameras (possibly battery charged) and somehow transmit the images via some local -wide area wireless network , then that might end up the cheapest but effective option (depending on the networks capabilities). If someone breaks in we'll be able to phone the local police immediately but the problem will be language difficulties .

Obviously , we cannot do anything at the moment until the lockdown restrictions have been lifted and we are given the vaccination (probably in Autumn) so fingers crossed that no-one breaks in.

jonboy

This may fit the bill?

https://www.leroymerlin.es/fp/823749...-lacada-blanca

Get a builder to fit it (via a Gestur) and check that whatever exterior patio doors/ windows are too high to reach or and are secure.

Failing that get a local Expat to live there rent free. Far easier to move on.

Rotor

The reason I`m pushing this idea is it was stated if squatters have been in the house 48 hours they suddenly have rights , so you need to act swiftly or you could end up back at square one , if the Police are called immediately they would be treated as burglars, if you went the way of a monitored system it `s the monitoring company who calls the Police , not you so no language issues , you just need a gestor to be a key holder and get them to arrange with ADT or the likes for an installation.Simples.

Fredbargate

10 or more years ago I had a Securitek system in my finca it had a dedicated mobile sim.

jonboy

Javea is a nice enough place. Perhaps put it on the market as is and price it to go. Get the agent to arrange for the property to be visited each day and have a dated and time stamped image of the (empty) interior sent to you daily. Given how much they charge to sell a property they should do it as part of the service.

Perhaps get an individual to provide that service and pay them? Plenty of people looking for a bit of extra cash I an sure.

inbarcelona

Yes...I agree. Clean the place up, give it a lick of paint, and make it look as good as you can. Then sell it. The nightmare will be over..although I think I would be SO angry for years afterwards....but try not to dwell on it and just put it down to a bad experience.
I can assure you that you are not alone.....a friend of mine had a similar problem when he let out his flat....although not as serious as yours. It still took him 2 years to get them out....plus my friend had tp pay all the bills including water and electricity for a family of 5.

VFR

The flat is in Javia then ?
There are a few Facebook sites ............... Javia Connect being one I know of.
Wanted a big angry looking fellow to visit my flat each day who will take a picture with time & date to mail me each day, payment by agreement.

That door that has been linked to was what I had in mind so that would be around 1200 fitted.