Is it possible to sell a house with squatters inside? This is what Spanish law says in these cases

The problem of illegal squatting of homes does not stop growing, especially in the face of what many consider a lack of stricter laws to address this situation quickly. This results in a general feeling of insecurity for the owners of houses and flats.

In this sense, there are many questions that arise, especially in legislative issues. One of those that generates the greatest interest is whether it is possible to sell a home that is squatted, a very common situation for many owners, who make the decision to put their property up for sale in order to avoid headaches.

Can you sell an apartment with squatters?

Being the owner of a squatted home means facing different problems, both emotional and financial. For this reason, many decide to tackle the situation at its roots and consider sell the home.

But is it possible to sell a squatted apartment? The answer is Yeah, since Spanish law allows it. However, the fact that the home is illegally occupied will affect the sale price, which can be between 40 and 60% lower than normal. It will also affect the number of potential interested buyers, since they may have reluctance when making the purchase.

How to sell a squatted apartment?

However, the interest of owners in selling their squatted home does not stop growing. In this sense, there are two ways to sell a property who is in this situation, as explained by the Idealista portal.

The first option is for the owner to evict the home before putting it up for sale. To do this, you must resort to eviction processwhich can last for several months, depending on the case.

The second option is to sell the property first so that, later, the buyer is in charge of carrying out the eviction. In this case, the sale price will be lower, since the new owner must be responsible for assuming the costs of the eviction and investing time in resolving the conflict.

Despite having a sales price lower than the market, this option may have fewer potential interested buyersbecause they will have to face the headache of the eviction process, which could also delay their entry into the home.

Furthermore, there is a third alternative When selling a squatted apartment: hire the services of experts in mediation with squatters to negotiate the eviction quickly. In this way, you would avoid selling the property below its market price.

As Idealista points out, the sale of a squatted property entails another problem: the appraisal of the property. This process becomes complicated, since the tenants will prevent the expert from entering the home and the owner will have to resort to the online appraisal.