Man barred from flat after lock change despite bailiff order, claims €17,000 loss
A man says his former partner, their daughter and tenants changed the lock on a flat he has a bailiff ruling to occupy, leaving him unable to.
Key Points
- Bailiff’s ruling reportedly gives the man residence rights provided he pays rent; he returned to find the lock changed.
- Police verified two tenants living there under an 'illegal rental contract' and did not replace the lock.
- He lists cash, jewellery, appliances and electronics missing, estimating losses at about €17,000.
- He says authorities treated the case as civil, has lodged follow-ups and may file a criminal complaint.
After earlier complaints accusing her of appropriating goods from a repossessed flat she allegedly tried to sell, threatening and harassing a police officer, and a criminal case over use of a seized trailer, a woman described in reports as a "saig" now faces another complaint. Her daughter and the tenants of the disputed flat are also implicated.
The complainant, her former partner, says that when he returned from holiday he tried to enter the flat he and the woman had given to their daughter and where he claims he was legally residing. He says a bailiff’s ruling allows him to live there provided he pays the rent, but he found the lock had been changed and could not get in.
He alerted police, who could only verify that two tenants were living there under what they described as an "illegal rental contract," and therefore he could not replace the lock to regain access. The former partner adds that one of those tenants may be without legal residency status.
Seeking clarification, he went to the central police station but says officers told him they could do nothing and directed him to the Bailiff’s office. He now accuses both the police and the Bailiff’s office of treating what he believes is a criminal matter as a civil one, despite the existing judicial order that grants him residence rights in the flat. Because he cannot enter the property, he says he has been forced to live abroad.
He is now considering filing a criminal complaint. In addition, ten days after lodging the initial report he submitted a supplementary complaint because he has not been able to recover all his personal belongings from the flat. He lists cash, some jewellery and a watch, a washing machine, a dryer, two beds, a microwave, a television, personal clothing and a PlayStation. He estimates the total loss at about €17,000.
The former partner said he is alarmed by the situation and questioned whether people who rent flats can now change locks and prevent rightful occupants from accessing their homes, warning that the country may be sliding into a system of illegal occupation.
Original Sources
This article was aggregated from the following Catalan-language sources: