A young woman from Seville who moved to Ibiza for the summer season has reported a landlord to the Guardia Civil after paying €1,700 for a room she says was impossible to live in.
The advert
She found the room through an advert on Telegram, for a small house in Sant Josep. The advertiser said she would share it only with him and his dog. After seeing some videos and chatting online, she asked friends on the island to hand over €650 to reserve the room.
More payments
A month later, the landlord asked for a further €400 deposit and €650 for the next month’s rent, this time to be transferred to his girlfriend’s bank account without any reference to rent. She paid.
She later discovered that the landlord’s partner would also live in the house — something she had not been told — and that the property measured only 25 to 30 square metres, with a single bedroom.
The arrival
When she arrived in May with her partner, the house turned out to be part of a cluster of small dwellings used by seasonal workers. Inside, she said, the living room had been converted into a bedroom and was piled with boxes, rubbish bags, tools and appliances; the kitchen was greasy and dirty; and the outside area was strewn with mattresses, tyres and plastic. She described it as impossible to live in.
The complaint
She first went to the Guardia Civil, where officers suggested she try to resolve the matter with the landlord. He acknowledged the situation and promised to clean the house, but she found another room in Ibiza town with the help of friends and asked for her money back: €1,700 in total.
Despite repeated promises, the money was not returned. More than a month later, she filed a formal fraud complaint, providing chat messages, receipts and other evidence.
How to protect yourself
Ibiza’s housing shortage pushes many seasonal workers to accept rooms without seeing them. To reduce the risk:
- see the property in person, or have someone you trust visit it, before paying;
- insist on a written contract and receipts;
- use traceable payments and avoid transfers to third parties;
- be wary of adverts on messaging apps and of pressure to pay quickly;
- keep all messages and records.
