Dublin couple face squatter 'blackmail' in Murcia

Brendan Brady, a Dublin man with a holiday villa in Murcia, said he learned in mid-April that a group including children had moved into the property while he was in Ireland. Brady told RTÉ Radio 1's *Liveline* on May 14 that neighbors near the villa saw people entering the house and alerted him. He said the couple then contacted police and later sought help from a Spanish solicitor and a private eviction company after being told the case could take months or longer to resolve through the courts. ### How did the couple say they discovered the villa had been occupied? Brady told *Liveline* that neighbors around the Murcia property contacted him after seeing people moving into the house. He said the villa is a holiday home and was vacant at the time. According to Brady, his wife was in Dublin when the occupation was discovered, and that complicated the first police response because she was the homeowner named on the report. (extra.ie) Murcia, in southeastern Spain, is a region with a large stock of second homes and holiday properties, including homes owned by foreign residents and seasonal visitors. In Brady's account to RTÉ, the house had been left unattended when the group moved in. ### What did Brady say police and lawyers told him? Brady said on air that police visited the villa after he notified them, but he said no immediate removal followed. (extra.ie) He told RTÉ that a solicitor in Spain later warned him the presence of children among the occupiers could make the case harder and longer to resolve in court. Brady said he was told the process could take a year, and possibly two years, to recover the property through legal proceedings. Spain changed parts of its court procedure under Organic Law 1/2025, published in the state gazette BOE on Jan. 2, 2025. Legal guidance published by Idealista in March 2026 said that, since April 3, 2025, some eviction claims require an initial out-of-court attempt, while other summary procedures remain available for owners seeking recovery of possession. (extra.ie) ### Where does the €6,500 figure come from? Brady said he turned to a company that handles removals through mediation and other legal methods after speaking with the solicitor. He told *Liveline* that the occupiers then said they would leave within 14 days if he paid them €6,500. Brady described that proposal as blackmail in accounts reported by Irish media. (boe.es) The €6,500 demand became the central choice Brady described publicly: pay the money and try to regain the villa quickly, or pursue a court case that he said could cost as much or more. Brady told RTÉ he was weighing the payment because, in his words, the longer the occupation continued, the worse the condition of the house might become. (extra.ie) ### Why didn't the couple just cut off the utilities? Brady told *Liveline* that his wife was still paying the water and electricity bills for the Murcia villa while the occupiers remained inside. He said she had not cut them off because of fears the house could be vandalized. He told RTÉ the people inside were effectively receiving free rent, water and electricity while the dispute continued. (extra.ie) That detail matters because utility shutoffs have become part of a wider political and legal debate in Spain over how owners can respond to illegal occupation. The BOE record shows Spain has continued to adjust justice procedures since 2025, but Brady's account indicates the couple were still relying on legal advice and mediation rather than taking unilateral action. (extra.ie) ### What happens next for the owners? Brady said the immediate next step was to decide whether to pay the €6,500 or continue through legal channels in Spain. He told RTÉ that the eviction company said the occupiers had indicated they would leave within 14 days if payment was made. He also said a court route could stretch much longer and involve further costs. (boe.es) As of the public accounts published on May 22 and May 23, the dispute was still unresolved. The next concrete milestone is whether the occupiers leave within the 14-day period Brady described, or whether the couple proceed with a formal case in Spain with their solicitor and the eviction company. (extra.ie)