Illegal occupation claims in Spain fall, but Catalonia tops court figures

Spain recorded 443 new civil court claims over illegal home occupation in the second quarter of 2026, one of the lowest quarterly totals since records began. However, the figures do not cover criminal cases or claims involving companies, while a new pre-court negotiation requirement is also extending the process in many cases.

The total was 9% lower than in the same quarter a year earlier and the third-lowest figure recorded since the General Council of the Judiciary (Consejo General del Poder Judicial, CGPJ) began publishing the series in the third quarter of 2018.

Catalonia records one in five claims

Catalonia registered the highest number of new civil proceedings in the second quarter of 2026, with 89 cases, representing 20% of Spain’s total.

Andalusia followed with 74 cases, ahead of the Valencian Community with 57. Madrid recorded 37 proceedings, while the Balearic Islands recorded 31.

Across Spain, the 443 proceedings were well below the historical quarterly average of 712 cases. Only the summers of 2025 and 2023 recorded lower totals in the CGPJ series.

Balearic Islands has the highest rate per resident

The picture changes when the figures are measured against population.

The Balearic Islands recorded the highest rate in Spain, at 2.5 civil possession proceedings per 100,000 residents during the second quarter. 

• Castilla-La Mancha followed with 1.3
• Asturias and the Canary Islands each recorded 1.2.
• Catalonia and the Valencian Community both registered 1.1
• Andalusia’s rate stood at 0.8
• Madrid recorded 0.5.
• La Rioja and the Basque Country each recorded 0.3
• Navarre recorded none

Why the falling court total has limits

The CGPJ statistics cover civil proceedings only. They do not include criminal procedures relating to unlawful occupation of a property or trespass in an inhabited home, which are processed under Spain’s Criminal Procedure Act.

The data also excludes cases involving companies. It records proceedings brought by private individuals, non-profit organisations and public bodies that hold social housing.

Plus, some people affected by illegal occupation are choosing alternative means of recovering possession, including payments to illegal occupants. Such cases may not appear in the judicial figures.

Civil possession proceedings by region in H1 2026

The table below shows the total number of new civil possession proceedings for illegal home occupation registered in each autonomous community between January and June 2026. The regional figures underline how concentrated the civil proceedings were during the first half of 2026.