[Anonymous]

Would be really grateful for some advice. I had a tenant that left owing rent and also water and electricity. Has anybody had any experience in taking someone to court to recover the loss?

[Anonymous]

More info would help.

Where is the property – which region?
Are the tenants local or foreign?
Do you know where they are now?
How much do they owe?
Did you have a signed contract?

[Anonymous]

and do they have young children in the property?

[katy]

The tenant has left. Knowing the horrendous problems getting anyone out I would write off the loss and be thankful you have got rid of them.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for the response. It was a single working Spanish woman with no children. I know I should be glad she is gone, but feel why should she get away with it. I just wonder what the chances would be if I took her to court. Don´t really want to lose any more money. So far I am out of pocket of about 900 Euros. Any thoughts or advice?

[marios]

Walk away and put it down to experience, could have been a lot worse, its not worth the time and hassell.

[Anonymous]

Agree with the others. You got away lightly. I personally will not rent it to a Spaniard. I know I should not generalise and will get shot shot down by the politically correct brigade.

The fact is this is business & one has to take into account the viabilitlity of who one deals with. The fact that a Spaniard

a) Looks at a landlord as some rich blood sucking leech.

b) Do not have respect for law & other people’s property.

c) has very low income.

d) Knows that the legal system in the Country does not work.

e) Will get the judge’s sympathy of a non Spaniard using/abusing a Spaniard.

If others was not an issue I would have bought all the properties from the Bank. Well, almost all of them as we do not know how many are there.

[Anonymous]

Hello everybody and thanks for your input. If I do take her to court, after all she has left without paying rent and utilities, surely she would be made to pay up including legal fees etc? or I am being naive?

[Anonymous]

Even if you won …. it is most likely that you would still have to bear a proportion of the costs. For the sake of 900EUR, just as if you had rental property in the UK, write it off. When yopu are in business, as you are, there will always be write-offs.

You will just be chasing money that you’ll never realistically recover and end up throwing good money after bad.

Regards,

Mike

[Anonymous]

I agree, write it off as a bad experience and count yourself lucky you weren’t left even more out of pocket.

I’d add that I would rather rent to a Spaniard than an Ecudorian, but then i’d probably rather cut my arm off with a spoon than rent to anyone in the current market as everyone knows that you can get away without paying out there.

[Author]

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