Many owners in Spain They face the fear that their homes will be raided or usurped by squatters, who may cause damage to their homes.
According to the data of the Idealista portal, on this buying and selling page there are about 23,000 properties that are advertised with the presence of squatters. … inside. Likewise, landlords with empty homes or who face tenants not making payments decry the legal uncertainty they face.
Data from the General Council of the Judiciary show, as of 2023, that the average time in Spain is forEviction of the squatter is 12 months. If appeals of judgments in district courts in civil proceedings are added to this average time, the process can extend up to almost two years, namely 23.2 months.
Gonzalo Bernardos gives his opinion on the situation of squatters in Spain
Given this situation, the economist Gonzalo Bernardos He reflected and gave his opinion on his social media networks. According to Bernardus, “Foreigners are surprised that squatters in Spain have more rights than owners”.
The professor also points out that the time to start laying hands in our country can be up to two years and compares it with the situation in Europe: “In most countries, within a month, squatters are on the streets.”.
According to Bernardos, the reasons are “a moratorium on evictions for vulnerable people, that the landlord cannot cut off the water or electricity, that he must declare uncollected rents in personal income tax, that the police do not act if it is not the usual residence or that the landlord cannot enter his property.”
Foreigners are surprised that squatters in Spain have more rights than owners. In most European countries, squatters are out on the streets within a month. In Spain, if they appeal the court ruling, it can take the landlord almost two years to evict them👇
– Gonzalo Bernardos (@GonBernardos) November 23, 2025
In another of his letters, Gonzalo Bernardos analyzed the market from what can be extracted from the real estate market data, and noted that “legal uncertainty leads to reduced rental supply and higher rental prices,” which is not good news for tenants.