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British woman in Majorca 'ruins' elderly couple's retirement. (Image: Getty)
An elderly Spanish couple have claimed that their retirement dreams have been shattered after a British woman squatted in their flat in Majorca for over a year, refusing to pay rent and leaving them thousands of euros out of pocket.
Maria Elena Collado, 70, and Jose Maria Perez, 77, own the seafront property in the El Toro area of Calvia.
They purchased the flat to provide rental income that would allow them to enjoy a comfortable retirement. But they now claim the woman owes them €15,000 (£12,500) in unpaid rent, plus bills.
The couple said the British tenant moved into the three-bedroom flat two years ago with an Irish man.
Initially, there were no issues, but after he left over a year ago, she reportedly stopped paying the €900 monthly rent.
The couple own a seafront property in the El Toro area of Calvia. (Image: Getty)
“She owes us €15,000, and on top of that, we have to pay her water, garbage, community fees, and IBI property tax,” Maria Elena told Ultima Hora newspaper.
When the payments stopped, the couple turned to legal action but were told by Calvia Council that the woman and her two children could not be evicted because they are considered a “vulnerable family.”
“They have stolen our flat,” Jose Maria said. “We have worked very hard all our lives to be able to enjoy retirement, but since we cannot collect the rent and we have to pay all the expenses, we cannot enjoy our retirement.”
He added: “It is very unfair - who are the vulnerable ones here? We even have to pay a lawyer, while she has one for free because it is a public defender.”
The couple said the British tenant moved into the three-bedroom flat two years ago. (Image: Getty)
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The couple say the stress of the situation has taken a toll on their health, with Maria Elena now seeing a psychiatrist.
“The toughest thing is that the squatter laughs at us, and we can’t approach her because our lawyer has warned us it could cause legal problems,” Jose Maria explained.
Their lawyer has reportedly advised them that they may never recover the property or the lost income. The couple now face living off their savings, without the financial stability they had planned for.
“We just wanted to travel and enjoy the retirement we worked so hard for,” Maria Elena said. “Now that dream has been taken away from us.”
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