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Elderly British expats in Alicante scared nearby homes are being squatted
| Published: | 30 Apr at 6 PM |
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A British expat octogenarian couple are now scared to leave their Spanish home due to strange goings-on in nearby properties late at night.
The octogenarian couple live in Alicante's Benissa area, in a cul-de-sac along with other older expatriates. Along with their elderly neighbours, they’re taking the lockdown very seriously due to their ages and vulnerability as regards the coronavirus pandemic. All are obeying the rules as regards social distancing and, until recently, the little community felt it was safe.
However, they began to see lights on in houses they knew were at present unoccupied as their expat owners weren’t in residence.
Recently, at 1 p.m. in the morning, a car pulled up and several strangers entered a property which was owned by a British expat trapped in the UK due to flight cancellations. The couple decided to take action by calling local police, with a friend acting as translator once the police arrived. However, the conversation didn’t develop as expected, with the police saying the people they’d seen owned the property and were working late at a local supermarket. In fact, the previous tenants had returned to Britain just before the lockdown began, leaving no time to sell the house or rent it out.
Later in the week, a local estate agent called the couple, telling them there were no problems as the property had been let to a tenant working in the same area. However, the residents in the development are still fearful as what they’ve been told simply doesn’t make sense. In addition, if the so-called tenant is actually working during the lockdown, he may pick up the virus and transmit it to other residents, all of whom are elderly and especially at risk.
The octogenarian couple live in Alicante's Benissa area, in a cul-de-sac along with other older expatriates. Along with their elderly neighbours, they’re taking the lockdown very seriously due to their ages and vulnerability as regards the coronavirus pandemic. All are obeying the rules as regards social distancing and, until recently, the little community felt it was safe.
However, they began to see lights on in houses they knew were at present unoccupied as their expat owners weren’t in residence.
Recently, at 1 p.m. in the morning, a car pulled up and several strangers entered a property which was owned by a British expat trapped in the UK due to flight cancellations. The couple decided to take action by calling local police, with a friend acting as translator once the police arrived. However, the conversation didn’t develop as expected, with the police saying the people they’d seen owned the property and were working late at a local supermarket. In fact, the previous tenants had returned to Britain just before the lockdown began, leaving no time to sell the house or rent it out.
Later in the week, a local estate agent called the couple, telling them there were no problems as the property had been let to a tenant working in the same area. However, the residents in the development are still fearful as what they’ve been told simply doesn’t make sense. In addition, if the so-called tenant is actually working during the lockdown, he may pick up the virus and transmit it to other residents, all of whom are elderly and especially at risk.
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