By David Averre and Gerard Couzens, May 16, 2023
Criminal gangs are invading Britons’ second homes in Spain and taking advantage of lax housing rule that prevent squatters from being evicted to sell their possessions and charge ransom money.
A movement of squatters, known as Los Okupas, has long advocated for those who are struggling to find and pay for proper housing to move into unoccupied properties on a semi-permanent basis.
But opportunistic gangs have carved out a business model whereby they enter unoccupied holiday homes, change the locks and effectively ‘sell’ the property to squatters.
