Latest news with #PaulStuart
Daily Mail
20-07-2025
- Daily Mail
EXCLUSIVE Revealed: How Brits are being kicked out of their holiday homes in Spain by underground network of squatter gangs… and are POWERLESS to stop it
Britons are being kicked out of their holiday homes in Spain after falling prey to 'shameless' squatters who act with impunity thanks to the country's lacklustre laws, MailOnline can reveal. Homeowners this week said they have sold up or are planning to do so after spending years trying to remove illegal occupiers with 'no help' from police. The problem has become so pervasive that the profile of the squatters, once mostly limited to Spaniards and Moroccans, now includes British expats themselves - who have cottoned on to how easy it is to take over homes for months or even years at a time. The process to kick squatters out is mired by red tape and courtroom backlogs, placing a 'traumatic' strain on victims, many of them elderly. One 75-year-old Brit has developed severe anxiety and high blood pressure over her ordeal, while another 84-year-old is battling cancer as he tries to get his home back. 'It's getting worse and worse,' claims Liverpudlian estate agent Paul Stuart, 44, of Marbella-based Palm Estates. 'It's a ticking time bomb, there is so much anger that I fear we are going to see a lot more cases ending in violence. 'Since Covid there's been a perfect storm of surging rents, stagnant wages and lack of new housing; it's caused a noticeable increase in squatting. 'I've had to confront squatters myself and I have been threatened with stabbing twice.' Paul added: 'They are really clever and know how to manipulate the law, it's disgusting and horrible what they do. You feel terrible for these homeowners, most of them have saved all their lives to buy a place here and it's just been ruined. 'I know there are genuine people who fall on hard times and can't pay the rent for a while, but the majority of cases I see are just straight up criminals.' Paul explained how gangs of squatters operate on the Costa del Sol. 'They stake out properties to make sure they are empty, before breaking in and calling a locksmith to change the locks,' he explained, adding that he knows of at least one professional locksmith who is actively working for a squatter gang. He said the network then sells the keys on to a squatter family or thugs who want to use the home as a base of criminal activity - with some often becoming drug dens or brothels. This has been the experience of Emma and Ian Williams, who own a studio in Cala d'Or, Mallorca, which was broken into and occupied last December. Photos shared with MailOnline show how the Williams' clothes and other belongings were thrown into rubbish bags and dumped on the street. The Williams' were informed by concerned neighbours that the squatter moved on within a few weeks, only for a second man to occupy the flat. In the interim, neighbours filmed the disasterous state the flat had been left in, with a washing machine stolen and furniture trashed. Emma said: 'Someone else came and barely stayed, potentially storing drugs, then finally the locks were changed again by a third man who was fresh out of prison and who moved a prostitute in. She was heard having sex by our neighbours. 'The police have attended to every squatter and haven't done anything… we have flown to Spain and gone to their offices and still nothing happens. 'The squatters have illegally tampered with the electricity and water supply, and again, the police don't do anything about it.' She added: 'The same person has recently broken into a villa and made a fake tenancy agreement and it looks like they have moved prostitutes over there as it's bigger. 'Our solicitor says we can take the squatter to court but after the day of the court order another squatter could break in and we would have to start the whole process again. 'It's a vicious circle and no one wants to help.' Scottish homeowner Kathy Philip, 75, has been through the wringer after her tenant has refused to leave her two-bedroom apartment in Estepona, on the Costa del Sol, since he stopped paying rent in April 2024, owing them thousands. Her daughter Laura Wilson told MailOnline this week that her mother has developed anxiety and high-blood pressure, placing her at an increased risk of having a stroke. Kathy had been renting the property to an English estate agent at a bargain price of just €650 per month (similar properties could easily fetch three times as much). But following the death of her husband from Parkinson's in January 2023, Kathy decided she wanted to have the home they had shared so many memories in back to herself. They gave the tenant a generous six months' notice, but when Laura and her sister flew out for the handover last April, they found he had changed the locks and installed security cameras. 'He is running his business from the flat, my mum's address is on his real estate website,' said an incredulous Laura, who works as a teacher. 'Meanwhile we are still paying the electricity bills and community fees, amounting to thousands each year.' She said she is 'trying to do everything by the book' but that the lack of movements or updates from the courts is 'painful'. Her mother tried to go to the police but they essentially told her there was 'nothing they could do.' Laura added: 'We just get told to keep waiting, we feel totally powerless. My mum won't go back now, it's had real health implications for her. 'We want to sell the flat, that's it now. My mum is 75, we're keen to look after her like we promised our dad we would, and this has just been horrific for her, it's given her anxiety and she couldn't sleep for weeks. 'Her doctor said she had high blood pressure and an increased risk of having a stroke. 'We just have to hope something is eventually going to happen but we still haven't been given a court date.' In Spain, there are two types of squatters; an 'okupa', who has broken into a property with the sole purpose of occupying it, and an 'inquiokupa', who is a tenant that has stopped paying the rent and refuses to leave. When a tenant stops paying, landlords must seek an eviction order through the courts, which can take months, a year or even longer. However, there are many 'tricks' used to delay the process further, including the squatters having themselves declared 'vulnerable' by the local authorities - granting them extra time. In April this year, a new law came into effect which says 'okupas' who have broken into homes can be removed via an express eviction order within 15 days. However, squatters are creating fake rental contracts bearing the real names of the property owners - which they obtain by rummaging through trash or letterboxes. They tell the police they are tenants and have a right to stay, kicking the can down the road. The tenant had been paying rent to Susan's father, but stopped when he died in January and the apartment was left to Susan. Pictured: The exterior of Susan's home It's a legal landmine that would prove overwhelming even for the typical Spaniard, let alone an elderly Brit who can only spend a few months in the country at a time. Maureen Findell, 76, has just sold her two-bedroom apartment in Punta Prima, on the Costa Blanca, after squatters 'completely ruined' the home for her and her family. The grandmother, from London, told MailOnline she was first informed by her neighbour last December that people were in her flat, using a set of keys to come and go. 'They told them they had rented it, they had a fake rental contract with the name of another owner in the building,' she said. 'They broke in via the back doors and had been living there for months or even longer before people realised they were squatters.' Maureen hadn't been able to fly out to the home for some time as she was caring for her sick sister back in the UK. 'They must have realised mine was empty,' she said. 'I know three other properties had squatters, there are two still living there and different families come and go and they don't seem to be able to get rid of them. 'The police don't give a monkeys, and the squatters are intimidating people and often have aggressive dogs.' Given the lack of faith in the system, Maureen said her 'incredible' neighbours, mostly Brits, decided to stand outside the property day and night, waiting for the so-called 'sitter' to leave. The sitter is the person used by the squatter gangs to 'reserve' a home until one of their families move in. Often, gangs sell the keys of occupied homes to other squatters, in what has become a lucrative business in areas where properties are left empty for months at a time. As previously revealed by MailOnline, the squatters have allegedly failed to pay more than €50,000 in rent for the three-bedroom house in Mijas, since 2020 Unfortunately, it means British-owned flats or villas in holiday hotspots are among the top targets, alongside bank repos. Maureen added: 'I was one of the lucky ones, eventually they realised they could not move in another family so they left. 'But they left the place in such a mess and the whole ordeal threw me so much that I couldn't bring myself to go back there, I sold it because I couldn't cope with it.' Maureen had bought the home off plan more than 20 years ago. She said: 'The whole family used to go there, it was lovely, but this just spoiled it. 'These are not vulnerable, homeless people, these are mafia type people, they go around stealing. 'If it was genuine homeless people I could kind of understand it, but they're not.' Hundreds of kilometres away on the Costa del Sol, Susan Travers, 57, from Glasgow, is owed thousands of euros in rent. Her two-bedroom, €220,000 flat in Manilva was squatted at the start of this year. The tenant had been paying rent to Susan's father, but stopped when he died in January and the apartment was left to Susan. Susan told MailOnline how the woman, who was working for a well-known estate agency, has only recently abandoned the home after refusing to pay for over six months. 'I was emailing and texting and calling her and she just ignored me,' Susan added. 'When I did get her on the phone she was quite aggressive and told me there was nothing I could do, saying I can't get her out and "I know my rights" and all this. 'I even tried to arrange for her to pay what she owed in instalments but she was not interested. 'Then one day she just vanished without warning and we were able to get in and change the locks back.' Susan is now going through the courts to get what she is owed in rent, while the squatter is believed to have taken over another home nearby. 'I was just shocked that she was an estate agent and doing this,' added Susan. Suffering a far worse fate is fellow British victim Kenneth Jobe, 84, who has been left exhausted after trying to remove squatters from his Costa del Sol home for over five years. As previously revealed by MailOnline, the squatters have allegedly failed to pay more than €50,000 in rent for the three-bedroom house in Mijas, since 2020. In an update this week, Kenneth's son said his father has been diagnosed with cancer after the disease was detected in his liver. The shocking news has dealt a crushing blow to the family, who are now more desperate than ever to win their home back. 'We're not giving up,' his son told MailOnline, 'We're in court in September where the judge will rule on whether or not the squatters can be declared vulnerable, and we are optimistic of winning and getting an eviction date. 'But it's disgusting, my dad got diagnosed with cancer last week. He's having a biopsy right now in hospital, and he can't even go to his own house in Spain, it's breathtaking, he wants to live out there.' He added: 'The system is broken, especially for expats, if you're spanish it moves along a lot quicker.' Brits who plan to leave their home in Spain empty for any period of time are advised to install good quality security cameras and an alarm. If squatters are filmed on CCTV breaking into your home, and an alarm notifies police immediately, there will be a much stronger case for an immediate eviction.
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
SEND families 'frustrated and helpless'
Parents, carers and professionals looking after young people with special educational needs are being left "frustrated and helpless", an inspection has found. Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission said both Wirral Council and the local NHS were failing young people who needed support. The inspectors said that despite some progress having been made, urgent action needed to be taken. Wirral Council said some improvements had been made but that not all families were feeling the benefit yet, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported. The inspection in January looked at both the services provided by Wirral Council as well as the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board. It came after a highly critical inspection in 2021 and a government notice issued last year over a failure to make progress. The council has invested more money in its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) teams, and the Department for Education described the improvements as significant. The January inspection, published recently, said there were long-standing failings "all too frequently characterised by waiting lists, and delays and failures to identify children and young people's needs". The inspectors said: "Children and young people bear the consequences of weak systems for education, health and care (EHC) plans. "Furthermore, many EHC plans are rarely, if ever, updated to reflect the reviews that education settings carry out. "Consequently, these plans no longer reflect the needs of the children and young people concerned and their needs sometimes go unmet." Wirral Council leader Paul Stuart, a member of the Local Area SEND Partnership Board, said: "We have made progress in recent months, which has been recognised by the Department for Education. "While we continue to work across the partnership board to make large scale improvements for SEND children and their families, we recognise that these improvements are not yet consistently being felt by families themselves." He said there were still changes needed to improve the services and provide positive outcomes for all children and young people across Wirral. "We have a lot of work to do, but we're committed to our young people," he said. "There are a lot of dedicated and passionate staff across the partnership working hard to continue to drive that change and I'd thank them for their commitment to our borough and our young people. "The momentum that Wirral's Local Area SEND Partnership has already built and the pace of work will continue to ensure that families feel the benefits of these changes and the needs of all children and young people with SEND across Wirral are met – and exceeded." Simon Banks, place director (Wirral) for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said a recovery plan had been endorsed to improve wait times for assessments. He added: "Wirral is an early adopter in the North West of a new neurodiversity profiling tool that will ensure that neurodevelopmental needs are identified early and support put in place across all areas of a child or young person's life." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230. Parents of SEND children accuse council of 'neglect' Care Quality Commission Ofsted
BBC News
21-04-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Wirral SEND families 'frustrated and helpless'
Parents, carers and professionals looking after young people with special educational needs are being left "frustrated and helpless", an inspection has found. Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission said both Wirral Council and the local NHS were failing young people who needed support. The inspectors said that despite some progress having been made, urgent action needed to be taken. Wirral Council said some improvements had been made but that not all families were feeling the benefit yet, the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported. 'Delays and failures' The inspection in January looked at both the services provided by Wirral Council as well as the NHS Cheshire and Merseyside Integrated Care Board. It came after a highly critical inspection in 2021 and a government notice issued last year over a failure to make progress. The council has invested more money in its special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) teams, and the Department for Education described the improvements as January inspection, published recently, said there were long-standing failings "all too frequently characterised by waiting lists, and delays and failures to identify children and young people's needs". The inspectors said: "Children and young people bear the consequences of weak systems for education, health and care (EHC) plans. "Furthermore, many EHC plans are rarely, if ever, updated to reflect the reviews that education settings carry out. "Consequently, these plans no longer reflect the needs of the children and young people concerned and their needs sometimes go unmet." 'Dedicated staff' Wirral Council leader Paul Stuart, a member of the Local Area SEND Partnership Board, said: "We have made progress in recent months, which has been recognised by the Department for Education. "While we continue to work across the partnership board to make large scale improvements for SEND children and their families, we recognise that these improvements are not yet consistently being felt by families themselves."He said there were still changes needed to improve the services and provide positive outcomes for all children and young people across Wirral. "We have a lot of work to do, but we're committed to our young people," he said. "There are a lot of dedicated and passionate staff across the partnership working hard to continue to drive that change and I'd thank them for their commitment to our borough and our young people."The momentum that Wirral's Local Area SEND Partnership has already built and the pace of work will continue to ensure that families feel the benefits of these changes and the needs of all children and young people with SEND across Wirral are met – and exceeded."Simon Banks, place director (Wirral) for NHS Cheshire and Merseyside, said a recovery plan had been endorsed to improve wait times for added: "Wirral is an early adopter in the North West of a new neurodiversity profiling tool that will ensure that neurodevelopmental needs are identified early and support put in place across all areas of a child or young person's life." Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
BBC News
15-04-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Wirral: £12m regeneration works start in Liscard town centre
Work is set to start on the £12m regeneration of a town centre on Merseyside. Up to 100 "affordable and quality" homes, a new community centre and improvements to the high street and shop fronts are planned for Liscard in plans include the demolition of former council offices on Egerton Grove which have been described by councillors as "an eyesore".Wirral Council leader Paul Stuart said the revamp would help "to build a more resilient, prosperous Liscard". The town was one of 55 projects across the country to get cash in the third round of government Levelling Up former Liscard Municipal Building and Community Centre will be demolished over 18 weeks to make way for new homes to be built, with work expected to start in council said the new home development would "offer a unique opportunity to redevelop the disused land and provide much needed affordable, quality housing within Liscard town centre".A decision notice published by the local authority said the disused buildings had been "boarded up for many years" attracting "regular vandalism at a cost to the council". Councillor James Laing said the beginning of the demolition was "excellent news" as it was "an eyesore that attracted antisocial behaviour".Councillor Janette Williamson said it was a positive step after years of pushing for more investment in the town Stuart said the authority would be working with the local community "to build a more resilient, prosperous Liscard and turning the vision we've had for some time now a reality". "It's the latest site in Wirral's ambitious regeneration plan to take a major step forward this year, and demonstrates our continued commitment to deliver on the plans we've so diligently developed," he said. Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram. You can also send story ideas via Whatsapp to 0808 100 2230.
Yahoo
03-04-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
New homes in borough set for brownfield sites only
At least 14,000 homes are expected to be built in a borough on Merseyside over the next 15 years on brownfield sites only. Wirral's Local Plan is believed to be the first strategy to stick to brownfield land approved in the country, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said. The regeneration proposal means no areas of green belt, about half of the borough, would be released for development. Council leader Paul Stuart said the plan was robust and would deliver real progress, improvements, and opportunities for the whole of Wirral. The plan includes building 11,814 homes by 2040, nearly 2,600 below the minimum required to address housing needs but it is based on the expectation housing delivery would increase as regeneration programmes get off the ground. Planning inspectors Tom Bristow and Mike Worden gave the proposals the go-ahead last month for the council to sign it off despite concerns from developers that nearly £1bn of public money would be needed. The council said the new homes would stop more young people leaving Wirral, which faces an ageing population. The Local Plan will replace the council's 2000 planning policy. In 2019, the government threatened to intervene over the council's failure to produce a plan arguing it had "failed to plan for and deliver the homes people need in Wirral" as its policies had been out of date since 2001. The Local Plan was approved at an extraordinary meeting held on Monday by Wirral Council which is led by Labour but without overall control, meaning decisions have to be made on a cross-party basis. Stuart said: "This is not just about buildings and protecting our green belt. "It's about creating hope, opportunities and a bright future for every resident of Wirral." Conservative councillors praised the delivery of the Local Plan including councillor Helen Cameron, who represents the rural area around Clatterbridge. However, she said farms needed to be protected. Green councillor Jo Bird said the plan was "outstanding" but said the new homes "actually have to be built", adding: "Developers will only build if they can sell or rent the homes. "So looking forward, that's why Wirral Council have to keep investing time and money in the successful regeneration of Birkenhead." Similar sentiments were expressed by the Liberal Democrats who said the plan would be of no use if it was not delivered. Councillor Phil Gilchrist said he was "confident that the pace of delivery can pick up" but highlighted issues around viability. He said he "looked forward to the years where we will actually put our borough back on the map and make it somewhere people want to invest in". Listen to the best of BBC Radio Merseyside on Sounds and follow BBC Merseyside on Facebook, X, and Instagram and watch BBC North West Tonight on BBC iPlayer. Wirral Council Local Democracy Reporting Service Where does the government want 1.5 million new homes? The debate: We need new homes, where should they go? Some councils ordered to increase home building by 400%, new BBC tracker shows Regeneration funds 'redirected' by council Council reveals £73m development plans for borough Council regeneration chief to step down
