Number of squatted properties for sale in Spain is on the rise with 1,254 on the market in Malaga province

The sale of homes without possession is a growing phenomenon in the Spanish real estate market and also in Malaga: a report by real estate portal Idealista puts the number of squatted properties on offer in the province at 1,254, of which 304 are located in the city of Malaga. This places Malaga fifth nationwide in terms of the incidence of this type of transaction.

According to Idealista, squatted properties account for 3% of the total number of homes for sale in Spain. In other words, there are 23,010 properties for sale whose advertisements acknowledge that there are squatters currently living there. The data does not show how this phenomenon is developing, as it only provides information on the third quarter of 2025.

According to Idealista spokesperson Francisco Iñareta, the attempts to "downplay the squatting phenomenon" cannot hide the fact that more and more homeowners are giving up, "tired of waiting for the courts to intervene". Many of them are forced "to sell their property at a price that is often close to 50% of the real price". Iñareta called for policies that would protect homeowners in the face of this phenomenon.

Gerona is the Spanish provincial capital with the highest percentage of squatted homes for sale (8.9%), followed by Tarragona (8.8%), Seville (8.4%), Almeria (6.4%) and Murcia (6.3%). Above the national average are also Lérida (5.7%), Huelva (5.6%), Huesca (5.2%), Barcelona (3.7%), Santa Cruz de Tenerife (3.6%) and Malaga (3.4%).

The rest of the large markets have a lower than average weight of squatted homes for sale: 2.5% in Palma, 2.4% in Madrid, 2.3% in Valencia, 1.9% in Alicante, 1.7% in San Sebastián and 1% in Bilbao.

Soria is the only provincial capital with not a single squatted home for sale. Cities with low relative numbers are León (0.2%), Salamanca, Guadalajara and Segovia (0.4%) and Pamplona, Lugo and Melilla (0.5%).

Barcelona leads the ranking if we look at absolute numbers - 855 squatted properties for sale during the third quarter of 2025. It is followed by Madrid, with 776 properties, Seville (558), Murcia (427 properties), Malaga (304 properties), Valencia (200 properties), Palma (184 properties) and Almeria (158 properties). These eight cities alone account for 69% of all squatted properties for sale in Spanish provincial capitals.

Of the major markets, only three cities remain outside this leading group: Alicante (155 properties), Bilbao (31) and San Sebastián (27).

After Soria, which has none, Segovia, Melilla and Teruel have the lowest number of squatted properties for sale, with two each, followed by Guadalajara (three), León (four) Ávila (four), Pamplona, Cuenca and Ceuta (five each).

By province, Barcelona also leads the ranking (7.9%), followed by Seville (6.6%), Toledo (5.3%), Huelva (5.1%) and Almeria (5.1%). The provinces of Murcia (4.9%), Tarragona (4.4%), Lleida (4.3%), Girona (3.7%) and Las Palmas (3.2%) also have a rate above the national average. The rate in Spain's capital, Madrid, is 2.7%.

Soria is the province with the lowest incidence, at only 0.1%, followed by Ourense (0.4%), Palencia (0.6%), Salamanca and Ávila (0.7% in both cases).

Barcelona is also the leading province in absolute numbers (6,587), followed by Madrid (1,542), Murcia (1,395), Alicante (1,265), Malaga (1,254), Seville (1,222), Girona (1,101) and Tarragona (1,001). In the lower numbers are Soria (one), Palencia (15), Teruel (16) and Ávila (19).

This data reveals that 39% of all squatted homes for sale in Spain are in Catalonia, followed by Andalucía, which accounts for 22% of the total, and Valencia, with 11%. Madrid accounts for 7%, Murcia for 6%, Castilla-La Mancha for 4%, the Canary Islands for 3% and in the Balearic Islands for 2%. The figure in all other regions, except for La Rioja and Navarre, where the low incidence means that they have no statistical weight in this ranking, is 1%.