– The worst thing is that this has taken so long. Now we are relieved, says the couple Bente Edvardsen and Ole Roald Dyrnes. They bought the apartment on the coast a few kilometers from Torrevieja in Spain in March 2020, when the coronavirus took over the world. The plan was to have a place where the extended family could gather when they were on vacation. Ramponed November 2020, all papers were in order, but it did not take long before house occupants took over the entire apartment. A mother and her two children moved into the apartment in February 2021. Only now in mid-July did the Norwegian couple get back the holiday apartment they had bought. It happened after 17 months and several rounds in the Spanish court. But it did not look like the apartment when they finally got to take over the apartment. – The kitchen fittings were completely battered, says Edvardsen. Cabinet doors were torn down and there were holes in the bedroom door. – I was completely overwhelmed, the stench that hit us was horrible. Now they can finally start again. Everything inside the apartment is taken out. They wash and refurbish both inside and out. A hole in a door after house occupants have lived in the apartment in Spain. Photo: Private Warner – Now it’s great. It’s a good feeling, says Ole Roald. He warns others who intend to buy an apartment in Spain. Because here house occupants are common. Now they have already replaced the lock in the home and not least installed an alarm. – We should install an alarm immediately. People should have an alarm even if they do not have great values in the home, says Ole Roald. If occupiers have been in the home for more than 48 hours without the police being contacted, intruders cannot be evicted without further ado. But if the alarm goes off in the apartment, it is called a burglary. Then they have to get out of the house. In recent years, there have been as many as 100,000 occupied homes in Spain, according to estimates from the Spanish central agency INE. Home occupants range from homeless to criminals. Ole Roald Dyrnes and Bente Edvardsen are happy that they have finally got occupiers out of their apartment in Spain. Photo: Private Still lump in the stomach – It is very good that they finally moved, but I still have the lump in my stomach, says Bente. Some of the charm of Spain was lost, but she thinks it will work out. They have a good network with friends. For Bente Edvardsen and Ole Roald Dyrnes from Egersund, it became expensive. They have hired a lawyer and been in several court rounds. Now they have replaced locks, have an alarm installed and have to refurbish. – The whole thing will cost us at least 50,000 kroner, they say. Now they still have a few vacation days left in Spain and will be there until the end of July. Next year, they hope that the whole extended family can come, when all the renovation of the occupied apartment is finished. Home occupants are a problem in Spain. If the home is empty, there is a danger that they will take over the home. Photo: Private
ttn-69
Bente and Ole Roald got a holiday apartment in Spain rammed by house occupants – news Trøndelag
