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A GROUP of British tourists have endured a holiday nightmare after discovering their luxury villa was allegedly rented to them illegally.
A TV report by Antena 3 today showed Brits with their heads in their hands as a lawyer flanked by police explained to them that they had in fact been victims of a fraud.
It is believed they had rented the luxury villa on a property platform such as Airbnb or Booking.com. It comes complete with a swimming pool and seven suites for up to €4,000 per week.
By all appearances, it is a typical holiday villa, and the dozens of tourists who have booked rooms up until February next year would have been unaware of the legal minefield awaiting them.
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For the owner of the villa had no idea that it was being rented out until he came across an advert online.
In fact, he believed it was empty, having left the maintenance man in charge of the property.
However the maintenance man allegedly decided to sublet it long term without the owner’s knowledge – drawing up a contract and papers for the incumbent tenant.
This tenant claims he told the maintenance man that he would be letting it out to tourists when he was not living there, to help pay the rent and make a profit.
A lawyer named only as Odon is representing the said tenant – who has been accused of turning the house into a squatters’ den by allowing different tourists to stay each week.
The lawyer told Antena 3: “My client saw the offer through the Idealista portal, saw the advertisement for the property for rent, contacted a real estate agency and they put him in contact with the man who we thought was the representative of this property (the maintenance man).
“He provided keys to the house, documentation, we understood in good faith that he was entitled to rent the property.”
Odón added that a lease contract was signed and he was told that it was going to be his client’s home, but that ‘when he was not living there he was going to put it up for vacation rental to have more income, pay the rent and obtain a profit.’
Alberto, the representative of the original owner, confirms that he has carried out an investigation to corroborate when the villa has been rented out.
He claims that there may be up to 60 people caught up in the ‘fraud’ and that it is reserved until February 2025, and with reservation charges of around €1,000 per guest.
Both Odon and Alberto said they are trying to sort out the mess, since ‘both their clients have now become victims of a fraud.’
They are hoping to reach an agreement without having to go to a judge – although it may be out of their hands given the dozens of potential victims.
It is not known if the current British guests have been asked to vacate the villa.
