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Tourist Apartments in Alicante: The New Target for Squatters

Tourist Apartments in Alicante: The New Target for Squatters

Residents of San Antón alert the police about these criminal practices using platforms like Booking or Airbnb

Tere Compañy Martínez

Alicante

Sábado, 18 de enero 2025, 07:25

They rented the apartment for three days and then refused to leave. This is the new modus operandi of squatters in Alicante, who have found tourist apartments to be a new opportunity for carrying out this criminal activity, causing concern among property owners. tourist apartments are a new opportunity for carrying out this criminal activity, causing concern among property owners.

On December 11, the National Police responded to a call from a resident of the San Antón neighbourhood. In her property on Olvido Street, three tenants of a holiday home refused to leave after their rental period had expired. The owner was also surprised to find that the person who made the reservation was not among those staying there.

When the officers arrived, the apartment manager explained that after booking for three nights, which ended that day, the tenants had barricaded themselves inside and refused to leave. Additionally, the squatters had changed the locks of the apartment and another property in the same building, owned by the same person. They had also disabled the key reader that provided access to the building, a common feature in such tourist accommodations.

Once on site, the National Police attempted to persuade the tenants to open the door, which they initially refused, although they did peek out. Eventually, these individuals agreed to open the door, and the officers explained that they were committing a criminal offence. Following this exchange, the women, along with a third man who was not in the apartment, left the premises.

Neighbourhood Watch

The San Antón neighbourhood association reports that this is a new trend in squatting that has become "fashionable" in the area. "A man, who is the ringleader, makes a reservation for three days and brings a family from France, baby included, for 1,500 euros upfront," explains its president, Celia Martínez.

The association insists that this is a new way of committing this crime, using platforms like Booking or Airbnb to find rental properties. Residents report that fake or expired IDs are used to make reservations, and then, after payment, "people from abroad are brought in." They stress that these individuals "knew what they were getting into" and that the same ringleader "told them they no longer needed to leave, to stay there, in other words, to occupy the property."

Following the December incident, the property owner also reported the person who made the reservation on Booking, discovering that the ID used was fake. Residents explain that this is a new method for a well-known crime in the neighbourhood, squatting.

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