British Couple and Spanish Men Dispute Menorca Villa After Police Initially Let Occupants Stay

A British couple arrived at their holiday villa in Menorca to find an unfamiliar alarm system installed and furniture and rugs removed from the property. Two Spanish men, a 55-year-old father and his 25-year-old son, later arrived at the address. A confrontation followed, with each side accusing the other of assault.

Local police initially permitted the two men to stay after they presented documents including a receipt for the alarm installation and supermarket delivery records. Authorities directed the British couple to stay in a hotel instead. The couple's lawyer submitted Land Registry documentation proving ownership the following day.

The couple filed formal complaints for unlawful occupation and theft of belongings. Police detained both Spanish men the next day. GB News reported that similar disputes have affected other British property owners in Spain.

Joanne Venet, a 61-year-old from Radcliffe in Greater Manchester, sold her holiday home near Benidorm after a tenant stopped paying €1,400 monthly rent on the €450,000 villa and owed €5,600 in unpaid amounts. She paid £4,000 to a specialist eviction service.

Kenneth Jobe, an 84-year-old British pensioner, died of cancer a few weeks before authorities were scheduled to evict occupants from his three-bedroom property in Mijas on the south coast of Spain.

He had allegedly lost more than €50,000 in rent. A British family vacated the property just before the court-ordered eviction. Spanish authorities advise Britons leaving homes in Spain empty to install security cameras and alarm systems, stating that immediate police notification of alarm triggers with CCTV evidence strengthens eviction cases.