Despite a nationwide decline in illegal home occupation reports, Catalonia remains the region most affected. In 2025, it registered 5,913 criminal complaints related to illegal occupation, representing 39.7% of Spain’s 14,875 known offences in the combined national category, despite accounting for just 16% of the country’s population. The Ministry of the Interior’s figures combine offences involving unlawful entry into a dwelling and unlawful occupation of property, without distinguishing between them. The Catalan share so refers to the combined category, not solely to cases involving an occupied family home. Ministry figures also show that all four Catalan provinces lead the country in cases per 100,000 residents.
Criminal complaints in Catalonia fell by 15% compared with the previous year, but the problem remains acute. Civil courts in the region processed an additional 377 cases of unauthorized occupation in 2025, 18.6% fewer than the year before. That still amounts to one in five cases nationwide, information from the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ). A separate national judicial series, reported from the Attorney General’s 2025 annual report, counted 7,110 proceedings initiated for illegal entries into properties, 16.9% fewer than in 2024, or nearly 20 a day. These proceedings measure a different stage and category from police complaints, so the totals are not directly comparable.
The statistics distinguish illegal occupation, entering a property without the owner’s consent, from evictions for non-payment or contract termination. Spanish law also distinguishes unlawful entry into a dwelling, which may include someone’s basic or second home, from unlawful occupation of property that is not serving as someone’s home. For example, the eviction of Jordi Galí and his family from their Barcelona home in June 2025 followed unpaid rent, not illegal occupation. The data discussed here cover only unauthorized entry and use of properties.
Regional police figures offer a separate view, with classifications that cannot be directly compared with the Ministry of the Interior’s national series. Reporting by Catalan investigative publication Crític, based on Mossos d’Esquadra data, counted 4,878 complaints concerning occupation of properties in 2025; 93.7% involved vacant flats or buildings under construction. The remaining 304 complaints, or 6.3%, concerned alleged violations of a dwelling. That was close to the 306 such complaints recorded in 2024. These are police complaints, not court findings or convictions. The different totals reflect distinct statistical series and definitions.
Several factors are contributing to the overall decline in reported cases. Owners are investing more in security measures, particularly in Catalonia, where public concern about illegal occupation remains high. Nationwide, the number of such incidents fell by 9%. In cases involving vulnerable families, mandatory mediation (MASC), introduced in April 2025, has also played a role. The mechanism requires parties to seek a mediated agreement before filing a civil complaint. Its introduction was followed by a noticeable drop in new cases during the second and third quarters of the year. The final quarter of 2025 saw a slight uptick, while early 2026 data suggest the downward trend may continue: 88 cases were reported in the first quarter, compared with 122 a year earlier.
Social organizations working in the housing sector caution that fewer complaints do not necessarily mean fewer vulnerable people are at risk. They warn that the end of the pandemic-era eviction moratorium, after its repeal by PP and Junts, could lead to more evictions and higher rental prices in 2026. Guillem Domingo of Observatorio Desca says housing insecurity remains unresolved for many families.
Legal experts say the choice between civil and criminal proceedings depends on the circumstances of each case. Civil actions are typically available to individuals and organizations, including non-profits and public entities, and are often used when an occupation is recent. If police, such as the Mossos d’Esquadra, intervene quickly, a criminal complaint may be more effective. Recovering possession through the courts takes an average of 20 months, according to the CGPJ.
Police have also observed a rise in illegal occupations for criminal purposes, such as setting up marijuana plantations. The problem is widespread across Catalonia. Girona has the highest rate per capita, at almost 89 cases per 100,000 residents, followed by Barcelona with 76. Girona’s judicial district recorded 363 evictions last year, ranking fourth among Catalonia’s 40 districts.
Vanesa Morejón, head of the Servei Comú Processal in Girona, oversees the execution of eviction orders. In 2025, her office received 936 requests, but only 38% resulted in properties being vacated. Most suspensions involved vulnerable occupants; others followed agreements, including cases where occupants left voluntarily. Coordination with social services and police is standard practice, and investment funds often negotiate with occupants to avoid judicial intervention. Carrying out an eviction takes about two months on average.
Most civil cases handled by Morejón’s office involve non-payment or contract issues, not illegal occupation; these cases make up 97% of the civil docket. This distinction helps clarify the broader context of housing disputes in Catalonia.
Recent legal disputes in Spain’s regions have also drawn national attention. One example is the controversy over Basque language exam results, which led to court-ordered suspensions and widespread support for exam correctors. More than 12,000 staff and teachers at EHU signed a petition backing the correctors amid legal challenges, as detailed in this report on the Basque exam dispute.
The coming year will test whether new policies and enforcement strategies can sustain the downward trend, or whether the end of pandemic protections will trigger a new wave of disputes and evictions.
