The latest figures published by Spain’s judicial authorities confirm a worrying trend for property owners: the number of court cases linked to illegal occupation—known locally as ‘okupación’—is on the rise once again, with the start of 2025 recording the highest levels seen in nearly a year.
According to the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ), 592 possession-related lawsuits were filed during the first quarter of the year, an increase of 5.2% compared to the same period in 2024. Not only does that mark a year-on-year increase, it also represents a notable uptick from the last quarter of 2024, when 527 cases were registered.
Catalonia remains the epicentre
Once again, Catalonia takes the unenviable top spot as the region with the most recorded cases. Between January and March, 122 new claims were submitted in this region alone, representing 20.6% of the nationwide total. Within Catalonia, the province of Barcelona stands out starkly, with 85 of those cases filed there—more than any other province in the country.
Trailing Catalonia were Andalucía (111 cases), the Valencian Community (72), and Madrid (66), reflecting a familiar geographical pattern with larger urban centres and tourist hotspots being the hardest hit.
When adjusted for population size, however, the Balearic Islands suffer the highest incidence rate, with three claims per 100,000 inhabitants. Castilla-La Mancha (2), the Canary Islands (1.7), and Catalonia (1.5) also exceed the national average on a per capita basis.
More reports, fewer evictions
The rise in lawsuits goes hand in hand with a broader increase in reported okupación incidents across the country, as registered by the Ministry of the Interior via its Crime Statistics Portal.
In 2024 there were 16,426 incidents reported to the police, up 7.4% from the year before. That makes 2024 the third-highest year on record for illegal occupation since the dataset began in 2010, exceeded only by 2021 and 2022. It also breaks the downward trend of the last two years, suggesting that hopes the problem was beginning to abate were premature.
Bear in mind that these police data only include cases formally reported to law enforcement agencies—National Police, Guardia Civil, local police forces and their regional counterparts. They do not reflect cases resolved via extra-judicial means, such as negotiated payments or third-party eviction companies, which remain common practice due to the slow pace of the legal process.
Protracted legal timelines are a driving force behind this informal workaround. Experts in property law warn that it can take as long as 24 months to reach a final eviction ruling when legal appeals are included—meaning many property owners prefer to negotiate directly with squatters to take back control of their property swiftly.
One legal expert told Idealista/news, “We’re seeing more and more clients willing to avoid courtroom drama and pay off squatters just to recover possession quickly. That’s become the pragmatic decision, however distasteful.”
Inquiokupación: The hidden crisis
In addition to these formal okupe cases, a growing number of incidents fall into the murky category of ‘inquiokupación’—in other words, tenants who enter a rental legally but then stop paying rent while remaining in the property. These individuals don’t show up in formal okupación statistics but are often just as difficult to evict.
Because of their legal grey area, such scenarios blur the lines between renter protection and unlawful occupation, sparking concern among property investors and landlords alike. According to legal professionals, many inquiokupas use loopholes and procedural delays to remain in homes rent-free for extended periods—all within the boundaries of Spain’s existing tenant-friendly legislation.
Meanwhile… evictions drop
Despite the rise in okupe-related lawsuits, overall evictions executed by the courts fell slightly in early 2025. A total of 7,334 evictions took place nationwide during the first quarter—down 1.2% year-on-year.
Predictably, Catalonia led the eviction count as well, totalling 2,069 (28.2% of the national total), followed by Andalucía (1,125), the Valencian Community (794), and Madrid (702).
Notably, the vast majority—over three-quarters (76.9%)—of these evictions weren’t related to squatting, but were instead the result of rental defaults under Spain’s Urban Rentals Law (LAU). Foreclosure-related evictions made up just 16.2% (1,189 cases), while the remaining 501 were due to other causes.
Interestingly, while squatter-related lawsuits went up and evictions went down, foreclosures saw an uptick. Mortgage repossessions jumped 8.2% year-on-year in the first quarter, totalling 6,120. The largest share of these was again in Andalucía (1,463), followed by Catalonia (1,226).
What it all means for property owners
Whether you’re a private landlord, a buy-to-let investor, or a holiday home owner, the message from Spain’s judiciary and police is clear: illegal occupation is not only still a problem—it’s on the rise again. And with the judicial system moving at a snail’s pace, more and more owners are turning to alternative methods for recovering their properties quicker.
The phenomenon may be complicated, with causes ranging from organised criminal squatting to vulnerable families seeking shelter, but for landlords and property investors, the consequences are often financially and emotionally draining.
Given the rapidly changing legal and political environment surrounding housing, real estate owners will need to stay informed—and perhaps even rethink their strategies around leasing and property protection.
At the very least, it’s a stark reminder that in Spain’s property market, possession isn’t always nine-tenths of the law… especially when squatters move in.
