Nov 6, 2025
The problem of illegal occupation and unscrupulous tenants continues to grow. According to a study published by the real estate portal Idealista, 3% of homes for sale in Spain are currently illegally occupied.
The report indicates that, during the period analysed, 23,010 properties were identified as advertised on Idealista as "without access", meaning that they were in the process of being illegally occupied.
According to a spokesperson for idealista,
“Despite attempts by some to downplay the phenomenon of squatting, the number of owners who give up, tired of waiting for the justice system to intervene, is very significant, especially because it forces them to sell their property at a price that in many cases is close to 50% of the real value. Sadly, these sales are a reality in the market, and to reverse this situation, policies are needed that protect owners, offer them legal certainty and ensure that they can recover their homes...”.
Despite the serious problems of access to long-term rental housing, the authorities are unable to resolve the legal uncertainty faced by landlords in relation to defaulting tenants or squatters. faced by landlords with regard to defaulting tenants or squatters.
This lack of protection further exacerbates the situation: many potential landlords withdraw their properties from the rental market for fear of losing control of their properties and being left without effective means of defence..
The city where the phenomenon of squatting is most widespread is Girona, where 8.9% of homes for sale are occupied by squatters. is most widespread is Girona, where 8.9% of homes for sale appear to be occupied. It is followed by Tarragona (8.8%), Seville (8.4%), Almería (6.4%) and Murcia (6.3%).
Other places with percentages above the national average are Lleida (5.7%), Huelva (5.6%), Huesca (5.2%), Barcelona (3.7%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (3.6%) and Málaga (3.4%).
In the other capitals, the proportion of occupied dwellings put up for sale by their owners is below the national average: Palma: 2.5%, Madrid: 2.4%, Valencia: 2.3%, Alicante: 1.9%, San Sebastián: 1.7%, Bilbao: 1%
Soria is the only provincial capital where there are no occupied homes for sale, while in León the proportion barely reaches 0.2% of the total. It is followed by Salamanca, Guadalajara and Segovia, with 0.4%, and Pamplona, Lugo and Melilla, and Melilla, with a 0.5% each
Capital | № de viviendas okupadas en venta | % okupadas sobre total en venta |
Barcelona | 855 | 3,70% |
Madrid | 776 | 2,40% |
Sevilla | 558 | 8,40% |
Murcia | 427 | 6,30% |
Málaga | 304 | 3,40% |
València | 200 | 2,30% |
Palma | 184 | 2,50% |
Almería | 158 | 6,40% |
Tarragona | 157 | 8,80% |
Alicante | 155 | 1,90% |
Girona | 132 | 8,90% |
Granada | 115 | 1,20% |
Córdoba | 113 | 1,50% |
Lleida | 95 | 5,70% |
Las Palmas de G.C. | 85 | 2,90% |
Zaragoza | 77 | 1,70% |
Huelva | 61 | 5,60% |
S/C de Tenerife | 45 | 3,60% |
Valladolid | 42 | 1,50% |
Jaén | 41 | 1,90% |
Badajoz | 40 | 2,20% |
Castellón de la Plana | 38 | 1,40% |
Bilbao | 31 | 1,00% |
Albacete | 30 | 1,30% |
San Sebastián | 27 | 1,70% |
Santander | 27 | 1,40% |
Oviedo | 27 | 1,00% |
Cádiz | 24 | 1,40% |
Burgos | 19 | 1,10% |
Logroño | 19 | 0,80% |
A Coruña | 18 | 1,00% |
Vitoria-Gasteiz | 16 | 0,90% |
Pontevedra | 15 | 2,00% |
Ciudad Real | 15 | 1,30% |
Cáceres | 15 | 0,80% |
Huesca | 13 | 5,20% |
Toledo | 12 | 1,60% |
Ourense | 12 | 0,60% |
Palencia | 11 | 0,90% |
Salamanca | 10 | 0,40% |
Zamora | 8 | 1,00% |
Lugo | 7 | 0,50% |
Ceuta | 5 | 2,60% |
Cuenca | 5 | 1,00% |
Pamplona | 5 | 0,50% |
Ávila | 4 | 0,70% |
León | 4 | 0,20% |
Guadalajara | 3 | 0,40% |
Teruel | 2 | 1,40% |
Melilla | 2 | 0,50% |
Segovia | 2 | 0,40% |
Soria | 0 | 0,00% |
The above figures are extremely alarming, as they only reflect the number of occupied homes that their owners, tired of fighting for their property, put up for sale.
The actual number of illegally occupied dwellings is even higher.
The only way to curb this growing trend and normalise the Spanish long-term rental market is to pass legislation that protects landlords from unscrupulous tenants and squatters.