50 families evicted from the “ghost hotel” in La Mata. “We’re not squatters; we’re victims of fraud.”

News/Yesterday

On Monday morning, the quiet, tourist-friendly neighborhood of La Mata (in the municipality of Torrevieja) became the scene of a dramatic operation by law enforcement. More than fifty families lost their homes overnight as a result of a mass eviction from the former Sole Bello Hotel. Tenants who had been paying their rent regularly fell victim to a complex housing scam. In front of the building, which had been cordoned off by police, they chanted with tears in their eyes: “We are not squatters; we are victims.”

A Well-Organized Operation and Dramatic Scenes

As early as around 9:00 a.m., the streets around the Sole Bello Hotel—located just a few meters from the beach—were cordoned off by the police. About 60 Guardia Civil officers (brought in from Alicante, Torrevieja, and even Valencia) took part in the operation. The eviction itself proceeded without any disturbances, but it was accompanied by a great deal of emotional tension.

The evicted residents, many of whom were children, went outside in heat exceeding 30 degrees (with a heat index close to 40 degrees). The sidewalks were piled high with hastily carried-out suitcases, mattresses, clothes dryers, fans, and even cribs and playpens. At the same time, construction crews began bricking up the building’s entrances to prevent the property from being reoccupied.

The Illusion of Legality and Fake Contracts

The property’s legal status turned out to be a classic trap. The rooms of the former three-star aparthotel were rented out as long-term apartments. Rents reached 750 euros per month (plus flat-rate fees for electricity, water, and internet, calculated “by eye”).

The scam was based on a carefully crafted illusion:

Fictitious manager: The lease agreements—drafted in Spanish and Russian—were signed with Mazart Global Group. In the documents, the company claimed that it held the rights to operate the hotel.
Credible clauses: The contracts looked professional. They included provisions regarding a security deposit, an additional monthly commission fee for the “agency,” late payment interest, and the requirement to comply with community rules. However, payments were made exclusively in cash.
Actual owner: According to court records, the only entity holding rights to the building and the 2018 license was Eurointerfisa, which had been waging a legal battle for seven years to reclaim the property and remove the fraudsters who were not paying their bills or taxes.

The court in Torrevieja, in issuing an eviction order on June 11, rejected the lease agreements presented by the tenants, ruling them invalid because the company that issued them had no rights to dispose of the building.

Human Tragedies with No Alternative

The situation facing those affected is dire, especially since the eviction took place at the height of the summer tourist season, when finding affordable housing is next to impossible. Among those affected were people in extremely difficult life circumstances:

Carmen (75): A woman with mobility issues who had been renting an apartment since November with her two daughters and two granddaughters. Because the elevator wasn’t working, she had to be carried down from the third floor. “I didn’t take any clothes or my phone because I was told to step out just for a moment, and then I couldn’t get back in,” she said, crying.
A mother from Colombia: A woman who has been living in Spain for four years and has been staying at a hotel since March has been left on the street with her three daughters, ages 2, 3, and 6.
Tenants who pay in advance: Many of the affected tenants have provided evidence to the authorities and journalists that they had paid several months' rent in advance.

Local social services have urged those affected to follow official procedures in order to receive assistance. Authorities reported that they have already managed to secure temporary housing for one of the families in nearby Guardamar del Segura.

Background: Looting and Security Issues

The reputation of the “ghost hotel” had been deteriorating for quite some time. Although most of the families were honest people who had been deceived by real estate agents, in recent months the building had begun to attract members of the social underclass. The tenants themselves admitted that people without any leases had begun moving into the building, which led to theft, noise at night, and suspicions of drug dealing. Just one week before the eviction, the police conducted a massive raid on the building following numerous complaints from neighbors in La Mata.

What's more, on the night before the final eviction, a fire broke out, and witnesses saw trucks hauling away everything of value from the hotel—from mattresses to industrial kitchen equipment.

A Word of Warning for the Polish Diaspora

This tragedy is yet another extremely loud wake-up call—including for Poles, who are moving to the Costa Blanca region in ever-greater numbers. Real estate experts are constantly urging caution and advising people to verify the facts before transferring any money.

How can you avoid being scammed?

Every lease agreement (especially long-term leases for properties with an unusual status, such as hotels or hostels) should be verified in the Spanish property registry (Registro de la Propiedad) to confirm who the actual owner is.
A request for payment in cash only (known as en efectivo) is one of the most serious red flags.
The absence of specific square footage and a detailed description of the property in the contract are further red flags indicating the “broker’s” dishonest intentions.