20/09/2025
Should you be worried? 🏚️
The image you see on the news —going to the supermarket and coming back to find okupas have changed your locks— is not the norm.
It is a real problem that has grown in the last decade, but apartment owner fears of a massive okupa wave are probably overdone.
Most cases involve abandoned buildings, half-finished developments left after the 2008 crash, or bank-owned properties that sit empty for years.
The vast majority are usurpaciones, that’s when someone takes over a place without the consent of the non-resident owner (who is thus usually an investor)—as opposed to allanamientos de morada—which happens when they move into your castle (i.e. your actual home or beach pad).
Which is sorta encouraging, right? Lawyers say most complaints are from funds that own tons of apartments, not small landlords.
📊 Surveys show many Spaniards think up to 20% of homes are at risk of being occupied, but the real number of impacted homes is far lower (0,057%, according to the Ministry of the Interior.)
Politicians and media use okupas as a talking point, while the real issue is Spain’s slow courts: eviction cases can drag on for months.
The issue is often politicized. Parties like Vox use okupas as a rallying cry, portraying it as an out-of-control crisis to push for “24-hour eviction” laws.
Meanwhile, experts say the real fix lies in reforming Spain’s slow courts so landlords feel secure without discouraging long-term rentals.
So, is it a housing crisis, or just a political football?
